The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "NOT THE FINAL WORD" for Friday, 16 September 2016 with Scripture: John 11:38-44

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "NOT THE FINAL WORD" for Friday, 16 September 2016 with Scripture: John 11:38 Yeshua, again deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying in front of the entrance. 39 Yeshua said, “Take the stone away!” Marta, the sister of the dead man, said to Yeshua, “By now his body must smell, for it has been four days since he died!” 40 Yeshua said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you keep trusting, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the stone. Yeshua looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I myself know that you always hear me, but I say this because of the crowd standing around, so that they may believe that you have sent me.” 43 Having said this, he shouted, “El‘azar! Come out!” 44 The man who had been dead came out, his hands and feet wrapped in strips of linen and his face covered with a cloth. Yeshua said to them, “Unwrap him, and let him go!”
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Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”[John 11:43 (NIV)]
On a trip to Israel, I visited the gravesite that many people think is Lazarus’s tomb. It was a somber but hopeful experience. Being in that place brought to mind the death of my own brother Dana years before. I recalled the feeling of disbelief as my father announced to our family that Dana had been killed. There was a sense of numbness, emptiness — a sense of “now what?” As I listened to what my father said and saw my parents’ grief, I felt helpless and out of control. So as I stood in silence at Lazarus’s tomb, death was very real to me.
Then, suddenly, my melancholy memories at Lazarus’s tomb were broken by the voice of someone reading the story of Jesus’ raising his friend from death. In that moment, I felt what Mary and Martha must have felt when they saw their brother emerge from the darkness of the tomb: unspeakable joy, as if the world were in order again.
I was reminded that death is not the final word — only a comma, a pause, a pathway to a greater life with the One who gives life and is Life. In times of grief and loss, those who faithfully follow Christ can hold on to joyful hope.
Read more from the author, here.
"Advancing by Adversity"
E. Stanley Jones was a friend of my family and a personal hero of mine. During a preaching mission at the church my father was serving many years ago, E. Stanley told the story of the experience he had as he watched an eagle face a storm high in the Himalayan mountains. The storm brewed at the edge of the valley toward which the eagle was flying. The question rose in Jones’ mind whether the eagle would fly around the fury of the storm, or fly carelessly into it and be dashed against the rocks. His question was answered before his very eyes. The eagle set its wings in such a way the air currents sent him ascending high above the storm. The eagle had used the force of air currents, which threatened its life, to rise to greater heights.
If eagles have the ability to use a negative force to rise above threat, imagine what you and I have the ability to do with a similar force. Watching my parents work through the death of their oldest son at the age of 19 showed me that it is possible to use a negative force to rise above the very experience such force causes. It also instilled in me the wherewithal to face my own traumatic experiences and allow them to make me stronger, not only for myself, but for others who face similar trauma.
Jesus is the supreme example of what can be done in unpromising situations. He faced a “kangaroo court” and came away the only one with a pure heart and noble motives. He took the raging brutality of a rugged cross and lifted it as a symbol of forgiveness for all.
From the example Jesus set, it looks like the difference between the desire for good and its becoming real is our own decision – the decision to allow adversity to do something for us rather than to us.[Dyton L. Owen,
Check out Dyton's blog here and his website here.]
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See images of the author and his brother, here.

"Link2Life for September 16, 2016"

Upper Room author Dyton L. Owen

Dyton's brother, Dana

The Author: Dyton L. Owen (Kansas, USA)
Thought for the Day: Resurrection gives hope in the face of death.
Prayer: Life-giving Lord, thank you for giving us hope even when we are facing death. We joyfully receive your gift of abundant life. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE WHO IS FACING DEATH
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