No More Stinky Grave Clothes

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.  It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance,  "Take away the stone," he said,  "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.  Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell  you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"  So they took away the stone,  Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me,  I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,  that they may believe that you sent me."  When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face,  Jesus said to them,  "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." 
John 11:38-44

Discipleship

Jesus orders the stone to be moved out of the doorway.  Lazarus is called out of death.  Isn't this is what discipleship is?  God removing obstacles in our lives so that we can "come out" of our dead lives and LIVE, both physically and spiritually.  Yet how many of us are still living in our grave clothes?  We are still bound by the things of the past.  Discipleship is the unbinding of the dead things of the past.

Martha

It seems so foolish that when God begins to move someone has to make a logical observation and object to His moving.  Martha who was the hard working (probably clean freak) says...but now he stinks.  I have a confession to make, so do I.  I've had salvation for 28 years and the smell of my past sometimes still wafts around.  Now how about you?  Do you have the smell of the world on you?  I'm talking to the converted so you know what I'm talking about, are you impatient?  Unkind?  Envious?  Boastful?  Proud?  Rude?  Self-seeking?  Easily angered?  Do you keep records of wrongs? Lie?  Untrustworthy?

It takes time

This whole unbinding from the world is a process.  It sometimes can be instant but other times it can take a lifetime.  We have to have hope and a perseverance to unwrap and clean off the ways and smell of the world.  Look again at the verses above and read the commands of Jesus.  They were as real for Lazarus then as they are for you and me today.  If you put yourself in Lazarus' place, dead in the tomb, I'm sure you would be thankful for the Savior who died for you and who has the authority to release you from an eternal death.  You would be thankful for friends who are in your life and willing to help you get unwrapped from those awful grave clothes.  I've had several people in my life willing to get their hands dirty and help me to be free from my  past.  Yes, I'm eternally grateful to Jesus and to brothers and sisters in Christ willing to help unbind me.

• How is your unbinding process going?
• What areas in your life still need to be released from your former life?
• How can you best help others get free from their old grave clothes?