“FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!”

John 11:1-11                                                          (ESV)

“1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

2 It was Mary who anointed the LORD with ointment and wiped HIS feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.

3 So the sisters sent to HIM, saying, "LORD, he whom YOU love is ill."

4 But when JESUS heard it HE said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is “FOR THE GLORY OF GOD”, so that the SON of GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED THROUGH IT."

5 Now JESUS loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

6 So, when HE heard that Lazarus was ill, HE STAYED TWO DAYS LONGER IN THE PLACE WHERE HE WAS.

7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."

8 The disciples said to HIM, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone YOU, and are YOU going there again?"

9 JESUS answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."

11 After saying these things, he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him."”

Our HEAVENLY FATHER places, AND USES, ALL THINGS that HE has created “FOR THE GLORY OF GOD”!  There isn’t a day or two that HE isn’t ON HIS THRONE or isn’t concerned with our lives.  Mary and Martha were VERY special to JESUS.  John 11:5 states solely that “Now JESUS loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus”.  But verse six follows that up with saying that “So, when HE heard that Lazarus was ill, HE STAYED TWO DAYS LONGER IN THE PLACE WHERE HE WAS”!!!  Since JESUS loved Lazarus, Mary and Martha, why shouldn’t HE alter HIS schedule for them, especially if they were sick?  HE healed others, why wouldn’t HE heal Lazarus when he needed his health restored?  

We seem to desire to see GOD work how we EXPECT HIM to work, and limit HIS power to what we THINK HE should be doing.  When we see a storm ravage a city or state, a tendency is to blame GOD for the outcome?  But ALMIGHTY GOD created ALL THINGS (Colossians 1:16) and HE has the privilege of using them “FOR THE GLORY OF GOD”!  Isaiah 55:8-9 says “For MY thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways MY ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways higher than your ways and MY thoughts than your thoughts.”  NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS!!!

There was something this morning on a social media site that caused me to abruptly pause my scrolling.  It said “GOD will interrupt your entire life to get your attention”!  HE Created us!  Do we have the choice to be used for anything other than “FOR THE GLORY OF GOD”?  When HE “pauses” your life, HE sometimes does it in a seemingly subtle way, without much fanfare.  However, HE occasionally permits happenings to occur “FOR THE GLORY OF GOD”, so HE can be magnified!  HE can cause us to SLOW DOWN and KNOW THAT HE IS GOD through a seventeen day coma, or HE can cause a seagull to chirp on a beach while the waves are gently coming ashore.  HE IS IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING!  

Habakkuk 2:14 states “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the GLORY OF THE LORD as the waters cover the sea”.  We need to understand that “FOR THE GLORY OF GOD” may not be what we are expecting it to be?  We also need to understand that we are not GOD, we are HIS Creation, and are here “FOR THE GLORY OF GOD”!!!