Devotions

Jesus loved Lazarus, and he also dearly loved Lazarus’ two sisters, Mary and Martha. Their home was an oasis for the Son. We know Lazarus and his family loved Jesus, but the scriptures are most emphatic in pointing out Christ's love for them. “Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick” (John 11:3, NKJV).

“When Jesus heard that, he said, ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’” (John 11:4).

Jesus knew that his Father intended for this miracle to give him glory and give them confidence and faith, but what an experience of deep suffering it turned out to be for Jesus. The disciples doubted him; Mary and Martha doubted him, and so did the weeping friends of Lazarus. Did Mary know how deeply she hurt him when she accused him of being preoccupied and disinterested in their problem? “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21).

Did Martha know how it hurt her Master when she questioned his resurrection power? He had plainly told her, "Your brother shall rise again," but his word was not enough. She answered, in essence, “Oh, yes, on resurrection day he will arise, but that doesn't help today” (see John 11:24).

How painful it must have been for Christ to have his dearest friends doubt that he had all the power they needed. “Don't you know who I am yet?” is what the Lord seemed to be asking when he said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25).

I don't think we know how deep his pain was at that moment. His own disciples couldn't grasp the concept of who he was. It was hurtful enough that his own nation of people knew him not, but could those he dearly loved not recognize his power? If we, his dearest friends, will not trust his power and faithfulness, who will? We call him friend and Lord, but we do not live our lives as though he has the power needed to keep us victorious and joyful in all our pain and difficulties.

What truly satisfies the heart of our Lord is the child of his who rests completely in his love and tender care.

Jesus went up to Jerusalem at Passover and entered the temple (see John 2:13-17). What he saw appalled him. Merchants had taken over the house of God! He came seeking a house of prayer, and what he found was a preoccupation with the promotion, display and sale of religious merchandise. The religious leaders were counting their profits. Men of God had become peddlers of religious merchandise, running about promoting their goods.

Tables had been set up everywhere in God's house to promote and sell sheep, oxen, doves, candies, incense and other merchandise for religious purposes. Money changing hands made the loudest noise in the house, money that was being made on God and religion.

What terrible pain caused our Lord’s compassionate heart to boil with holy anger? His great suffering caused his meek spirit to rage with righteous indignation. Can you picture that moment? With a whip in hand, our Lord stormed into the temple and began flailing in all directions, overturning the tables piled high with merchandise. He scattered the promoters, pitchmen and hucksters.

“Out!” he thundered. “Take these things away! Do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise!” (John 2:16, NKJV). It was probably one of the most painful experiences in all his ministry, but he could not stand by and permit his Father's house to become a den for religious thieves.

Are we willing to fellowship with Christ in this aspect of his sufferings today? Do we share his hurt at seeing God's house once again being turned over to merchandisers? Will we be outraged by the horrible commercializing of the gospel? Will we feel his rage against spiritual hucksterism enough to withdraw from all such activities? Do we feel his hurt enough to renounce ministries that grind out merchandise just for the sake of making money?

Can we share his suffering at this point enough to stand against those who would turn God's house into a theater or entertainment center for promoters? Can we grieve over all the profiteering on the name of Jesus? Can we get our eyes off the cash and back on the cross?

In recent months, I have read many sad, pitiful letters from believers who are still bound by sinful habits. Multitudes of struggling Christians write, “I can’t stop gambling… I’m in the grips of an alcohol addiction… I’m having an affair, and I can’t break it off… I’m a slave to pornography.” In letter after letter, these people say the same things. “I love Jesus, and I’ve begged God to free me. I’ve prayed, wept and sought godly counsel. I just can’t break free. What can I do?”

I’ve spent much time seeking the Lord for wisdom on how to answer these believers. I pray, “Lord, you know your children’s lives. Many are devoted, Spirit-filled saints, yet they don’t have your victory. They don’t know freedom. What’s going on?”

At one point, I studied the biblical passages containing God’s promises to his people. I was reminded that the Lord pledges to keep us from falling, to present us faultless, to justify us by faith, sanctify us by faith, keep us holy by faith. He promises that our old man is crucified by faith and that we are translated into his kingdom by faith.

The one thing common to all of these promises is this phrase: “by faith.” Indeed, all these things are matters of faith, according to God’s Word. So I came to the only clear conclusion about these struggling Christians’ problems; somewhere at the root of their bondage is unbelief. It all boils down to a simple lack of faith.

Are you struggling to gain victory by your willpower? Are you fighting the battle in your old nature? Paul points out, “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Romans 4:4-5, NKJV).

Your victory must come not through weeping or striving but by faith that Jesus Christ has won the battle for you. Indeed, Paul says there is only one condition attached to God’s promises: “If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Colossians 1:23).

Christ surrendered everything to his Father in order to be a totally obedient Son. We are to do likewise. We are to be totally dependent on the Father, just as Christ was.

What is the struggle that you have for your people or for yourself? Are you struggling over the fact that you’re not getting much (or any) recognition, or your church isn't growing enough, or you're struggling to be known? Are you struggling to be recognized, or are you struggling to find a place in ministry? Are you struggling for your coworkers to recognize your authority? Is your struggle a numerical struggle, a building struggle, a growth struggle or a budget struggle?

Paul never said that he struggled with those things. He said, “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you” (Colossians 2:1, ESV). He was essentially saying, “I want to see a difference in your life. I want to see God move in your life. I want my agony not to be about the stuff I'm going through, but that agony in my heart is to see you grow, mature and come to the fullness that's in Christ Jesus. That’s the struggle I have for you.”

Making a name, building a personal kingdom, proving something to someone else or even proving something to yourself — that struggle isn’t the struggle of a faithful shepherd. For a faithful shepherd, it’s not about ourselves, our ministry or our position in ministry. The struggle should have everything to do with being faithful to the people God has called us to serve.

Paul said essentially, “I struggle with all his energy that he powerfully works in me. Because I'm doing this for you, there are some hindrances coming my way to keep me from doing what God's called me to do: To build you up.” If you have this struggle as a leader, there’s good news. This is God’s work. If you’re struggling on your own, you won’t have enough energy to survive much less thrive.

If you're struggling with the Holy Spirit's energy moving into you and powerfully working through you, you can adore God through all the things you suffer and endure. You can go through all kinds of hardships, accusations or disappointments because you have the Holy Spirit's power. It's not your own energy at work; it's the energy of the Holy Spirit. This is how Paul wrote, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

The word ‘compassion’ means sympathy, pity, an inner moving or yearning that moves one into doing something about a situation. Unfortunately, sometimes compassion fails to be the undergirding reason why people move toward the mountains of human need. Instead, our motive may be to prove a theological point or even an inner obligation to prove the existence of God to ourselves if not to anybody else. Other times it may be an attempt to earn favor with God. Then there are those who attend churches that make them feel obligated to become involved in their social programs.

I don’t know about you, but I would rather be filled with the compassion of God. I would rather give because my heart is stirred by the Holy Spirit to help those who are in need. I would rather move in the compassion of Christ instead of the compulsion of religion. There is a difference.

I thank God that it was not out of obligation but rather out of compassion that Jesus gave his life for you and me. I am grateful that the cross was not just some legal proving ground for him to say, “I am going to do my part; now you must do yours.” No, it was the absolute compassion of Jesus that caused his arms to be nailed wide open to ‘whosoever will come’ and receive the supply of his life. The provision of Christ’s life was open to us through a compassionate Savior, and it will always be open to the world through the Church that has embraced his heart of compassion for its generation. As scripture says, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Colossians 3:12, NKJV).

Compassion is an inner moving of the heart, born of God, that compels us to cry, “Lord, you must release through my hands whatever is needed in this situation. It is not right that your creation should be in such a state. It is not right that your children should be hungry, that the house of God should be in bondage, that somebody should not know the freedom that Christ has fully purchased for them on Calvary. God Almighty, release it through my hands!”

_{Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. In May of 2020 he transitioned into a continuing role as General Overseer of Times Square Church, Inc.}