Wednesday, 8 August 2012

Miscellanies 49: Behold how the Lord Jesus loved Lazarus!


Behold how the Lord Jesus loved Lazarus! Do you behold it? Can you see it as you see the words of this encouragement? O Jesus loved Lazarus so much that He would allow him to die. Yea, He loved his friend Lazarus and allowed him to die so that through Lazarus, His disciples, the crowd, the angels, the devils, those yet not born may behold his glory, may read of his glory, may marvel at his glory. O poor feeble soul downcast by your miserable circumstance, behold how Jesus loves you! Your miserable circumstance is not a despairing sign that Jesus has no love for you. O he loved Lazarus to the point of not attending his burial, for Lazarus to stinketh for four days and for the earth to be softened with the tears of his sisters. O Jesus loved Lazarus to that extent and he loves you poor feeble soul. He loves you so much that He may allow you to perish in your circumstances - are you in fear of prison, He may let you dwell there - are you sick, he may let you die in your sick bed. Are you in debt, He may allow you to loose it all. O poor miserable saint, you may die in your circumstances, you may rot with your poor lot but behold, behold He loved Lazarus and behold how he loves you. Was it not the Christ who said, ‘even though you die, yet you shall live’. Was it not the Spirit of Christ who uttered these words ‘And what/who shall separate us from the Love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." For whose sake was Lazarus permitted to be buried? It was for the sake of Christ, yea it was for his glory. O sinner what more can you add to the list, add what you may but know this that nothing, nay, not even your feeble hands can separate you from the love of Christ. O weak saint, Christ Loves you, your Jesus loves you and although you perish in your sickbed, your debt overwhelms you, you rot in prison, yet because you are His, yea because he loves you to the end, you shall dwell with him in the freedom of eternity. As dead Lazarus was to the praise of his glory, you also shall equally be to the praise of His glory. My dear saint, replace your fears with joy inexpressible and full of glory, replace your sands with his rock, swap your ashes for his crown. Shall you not be among the saints marching in?

K.Oni

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