Morning Meditations - Loosed

My daddy who is also my pastor writes a daily devotion called Morning Meditations. Today's is titled Loosed. It is a powerful word that I needed to hear. I want to share it with you.

February 9, 2010
Loosed
John 11:43-44

43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

There is great news in this statement by our Lord. We see here in a very real way a marvelous truth of the Christian life. It is one that is to often overlooked and accounts for much of the weakness in the Christian church. Lazarus was dead and enclosed in a tomb wrapped in grave clothes. Jesus spoke life to him and he came forth out of the tomb. I won’t spend time discussing the importance of Jesus using others to roll away the stone except that we see that in bringing spiritual life to dead souls we are responsible to cooperate with Jesus by rolling the stone away.

The stone was rolled away, Jesus spoke life to Lazarus and he came out of the tomb. Can you imagine the emotions around that tomb? Certainly there was great joy. There must have been shock, fear and amazement among the different ones there. Jesus may have been the only one who understood there is more to this than that Lazarus receives life. He was still bound up in grave clothes. A man is pretty useless if he is bound up and unable to exercise the life he has. Jesus was not finished. He spoke to those around Him and said, “Loose him and let him go.” They did and he did. I think that he never was quiet about what Jesus did for him.

I wonder today if there are some reading this who might rejoice over the miracle but in fact, you need to be loosed. Many people have received life but are still bound up with the grave clothes of the old life. I hear so many give a testimony of how they came to know Christ in salvation but that was 20 years ago and they are still there. It is time that you were loosed and let go. I am simply saying that Christianity is not a step but a walk. There is more than getting saved. We are to live saved. Those who know the joy of being loosed must also seek to be instruments of loosing others so they may go in the power of this new life. The Christian life is a life of power but if it is bound up with grave clothes it is useless. An automobile may have a powerful engine but without gasoline it will sit idle. It is time for a loosening.