June 29 - Come Out

Read: John 11:38-44

When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." (John 11:43 ESV)

The time had come. Jesus had travelled to Bethany to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead. He reminded onlookers to believe. He commanded the stone to be rolled away. He prayed aloud for those nearby to hear. And then he called to Lazarus to live again and exit the tomb.

I'm not sure I can even imagine what that must have been like. They all saw it, all experienced, all knew what had just happened. Jesus, this man that was supposed to be a simple carpenter from nowhere—had become a premiere rabbi. He was saying things priests didn't say. He was helping people priests didn't help. He was doing things priests couldn't do.

The revivification of Lazarus was a turning point. It was undeniable. Someone that was clearly dead had been returned to life. It was a declarative miracle of a nature that surpassed all his precious public works. Jesus publicly and boldly declared himself to be master over life itself. He called Lazarus out of the grave, out of death, out of the past, into a kind of newness of life that only Jesus could give.

I really believe that Jesus is still doing that. He is still calling people to leave their tombs, leave their life of death, and leave behind their pasts to pursue newness, to pursue him. I'm so glad that one day I felt the compelling call of Christ stir within my soul and chose to come out of darkness into light. What is Christ calling you out of?

May 21 - Don't Look Back

Read: Luke 9:57-62

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62 ESV)

Not every yesterday is a pleasant memory. Often the recollection of yesterday is a painful remembrance. Perhaps terrible thing were done to you or by you. They are part of your yesterdays.

Jesus cautioned his followers against being consumed by worry for yesterday. In order to thoroughly live in the freely given identity we receive in Christ we must step into the new life provided for us while rejecting the pain of the past. It means recognizing that all of our hope, all of our strength, all of our joy, and all of our provision are rooted in Christ. It means looking ahead to the life and work he has for us.

I have made many mistakes in my life. Some would easily be deeply regrettable. But instead I find a measure of gratitude where cynicism, or even, fondness could linger. I don't miss my days of reckless selfishness. I don't wish to be back in that season of life. I'm not looking back instead of ahead.

Jesus calls each of us that bear his identity as a child of God to press on. Yes, we have been hurt. Yes, we have failed in some pretty shameful ways. But those things do not define who we are. We are children of God. We are coheirs with Christ. We have identity in Christ. He is calling us to look ahead.

February 23 - Hometown

Read: Isaiah 61 & Luke 4:14-30

And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown." (Luke 4:24 ESV)

Jesus grew up in Nazareth. It was his earthly home. A small town with probably around one hundred inhabitants, the chances are pretty good that Jesus pretty much knew everyone by name. What would you think if someone you've known for a long time came and told you they were God? I think I would probably respond a lot like the crowd in Nazareth.

Sometimes its hard to go home and be taken seriously. The people who have known you the longest can sometimes be your harshest critics. They still see that little kid they watched grow up. When faced with that actuality we have to confront it as Jesus did— by lovingly stating our purpose, vision, and calling.

We might not be given an actual platform to vocalize our entire directive in a single setting. This is where relationships become so important. Relationships give us context and platform to share what God is calling us to do in a way that is natural. You may still catch flak like Jesus did, but go with your heart and your gut.

Jesus declared his intentions and mission in very specific terms by reading from Isaiah 61 that day. It was a prophetic kind of declaration. It was his mission statement. It still is today. How has Jesus fulfilled the claims of Isaiah 61 in your life? Do you know anyone that needs to hear these promises from Jesus? Do the people who are close to you believe what you have to say about Jesus? Sometimes sharing life's big moments with people from our past, even people close to us, can be really hard to do. The difficulty doesn't release us from the obligation of doing it.

January 20 - Real Names

Read: Luke 1:57-66

And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called by this name." (Luke 1:61 ESV)

When John the Baptizer was born he was a miracle baby. Born to an elderly couple well past natural child-bearing years, he was immediately special. He was born into the home of a righteous dedicated priestly family who loved and served God well. He was born into a family full of expectations.

It was common custom in those days to be named after someone in your family. Names were more than just labels, they were descriptions, identities, and titles. So when John was born his relatives expected him to be named for someone in the family as a sign of who he would be like. In other words, they fully expected him to be like one of them. God had something else in mind. Elizabeth and Zechariah were attuned to the special calling God has placed on the boy. They were open, and receptive, to letting God dictate John's future. Instead of slapping a family name full of expectation and history on him, they embraced the actuality of God's promised destiny for John.

Life with Jesus is the same. We abandon expectations, baggage, and our own sordid history to step into the eventuality of God's proven destiny for each of us. For the Apostle Paul and Peter that meant literally changing their names to match their new identities in Christ. For us, that means taking on the adoptive identity of the family of God. Refuse to be labelled by the tragedies, tribulations, or triumphs of your selfish past and forge ahead into a new name. No one else can be who God means for you to be.