ONLY GOD CAN TURN GARBAGE INTO GREATNESS

GARBAGE INTO GREATNESS

Our God is absolutely awesome and unpredictable! Just look at the story of Lazarus. The Bible tells us in John 11, that  that messengers told Jesus to come quickly because Lazarus, His dear friend, was sick and going to die. However, instead of setting out immediately to help, He stays where He is for two extra days while Lazarus’ family is in distress! And to make things even more disturbing, the Bible says that the town Jesus was in was nearby! So why did Jesus delay?  Especially when you know that by the time Jesus arrives, poor Lazarus is already dead. Is Jesus cruel or uncaring? Absolutely not! Upon closer examination of the text, you’ll discover that by the time Jesus arrived in Lazarus’ town of Bethany, Lazarus was already dead four days. This means that by the time the messengers told Jesus Lazarus was “sick”, he was already dead for two days! So why did Jesus delay? I believe that the answer to that is in verse 39.  In that verse, before Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, Martha tells Jesus that raising him now might not be a good idea because by now the body “stinks”. That’s when I realized this was Jesus’ plan all along.  He wanted Lazarus to be so dead when He raised him that not even His worst critic could claim it was a trick, but was a demonstration of the power of God.  And isn’t that’s absolutely in line with what we know about Jesus? He loves to work in a situation at its worst. What everyone else thinks is a useless waste, Jesus finds useful. The stinky garbage is where He likes to show His greatness.

Is your marriage on the verge of collapse?  Give it to Jesus and get ready for the sparks to fly back into your love life.

Is your health failing? Call on the Greatest Doctor of all time and get ready to be healed or be emotionally strengthened to withstand it.

No matter the problem, Jesus is still the only answer.

For some of you reading this, it just sounds too simple or good to be true. You may have even given it to Jesus in the past, but it just didn’t seem to change anything or perhaps it got worse and you quit. If so, you quit too early. Perhaps your problem wasn’t stinky enough yet. It sounds harsh, but it’s true. God wants to be your anchor in the time of storm, but He knows that if He answers too fast you might either believed it was luck or give the credit to someone else. Therefore, keep on praying and waiting.

So, what should you do until you get your answer? That’s easy. Praise Him in advance! Thank Him that even though you can’t see it, God is already working it out.

Let me mention one more thing before I close this article.  God can not only do the miraculous with your problems, but He can also do wonders with your life. Do you see your life as a string of failures and disappointments? Are you haunted by a past that fills your inner being with shame? Do you fear you have no future? Do you feel incapable of being loved or loving others? If so, take heart. God will do for you what He also did for Lazarus. He gave Lazarus a new life. The world thought Lazurus was only garbage, but Jesus stepped in and turned his life into greatness. The Bible states that his raising from the dead was Jesus’ greatest miracle! Just imagine what others will say about you when Jesus does something great with the new life He’s going to give you!