Let the Graveclothes Lie

I've been thinking about graveclothes a lot lately. That might seem a little strange, but I promise there's a reason.

It all started when I read the account of Lazarus found in John 11. Scripture says Lazarus was Jesus' friend - His buddy, His pal, His comrade. So, when Lazarus got sick - to the point of death - his sisters did the only thing they knew to do. They called for Jesus. They knew the Savior wouldn't let His friend die, if He were there.

But by the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been dead three days. The people were mourning. Lazarus' sisters were beside themselves. All seemed lost...UNTIL Jesus told them to remove the stone from the entrance of the tomb. Martha, Lazarus' sister, was shocked. Evidently she didn't think Jesus realized that Lazarus was beyond hope, so she decided to let Jesus in on a little secret, "Lord, he stinketh." I love the way the King James Version doesn't mince words!

But that didn't deter the Savior. He directed His attention to the dead man's abode and "cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!' And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go.'"

Yeah! Lazarus was alive! Whoopie! BUT he came out of the grave still wrapped in his grave clothes. Look back at the verse above. He, "came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth." There was no doubt about it. Lazarus was definitely alive, but because he was still wrapped in the clothes of death, he wasn't really an accurate representation of life. He still had evidence of his death ON him, and that evidence bound him from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet and kept him from moving freely, as a resurrected man should.

Now, that's why I've been thinking about graveclothes. For you see, even though Christ through His blood has made me alive together with Him and clothed me in the royal robes of righteousness, there are many times that I reach down and pick up those old graveclothes of mine and wrap my aliveness with death. I choose to speak harsh words and say things to hurt my family, when I should be speaking kindness and being patient - wrap. I hold grudges against those who hurt me, when I should forgive them as Christ forgave me - wrap. I let the root of bitterness grow within my heart unchecked, when I should be ripping it out root by root with all the force I can muster - wrap. What Christ has freed me from, I return to, binding myself all the more with graveclothes that are fit only for a dead man, not a resurrected one.

Scripture says to "rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." Jesus tells us, "Take them off." Take off the graveclothes and instead, "clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with each other and forgiving whatever grievances you may have against one another, forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Let's do it. Let's choose to let our graveclothes lie in the dirt where they belong. Let's not bind ourselves all over again. Let's choose not to "stinketh."

Deal? Deal.

Dearest Jesus, Thank You for clothing us with Your righteousness. Help us to choose to be an example of that. When we feel like binding ourselves again, prick our hearts to remember to leave the graveclothes where they life. Thank You that not only WILL You do that for us, You WANT to do that for us. We love You, Father.