Grace Spilled Over

Jesus said to the people standing around Lazarus after He had commanded him to come out of the grave, “Unwrap him and let him go.”  John 11.44 (NLT)

Isn’t this what Jesus says to us when we invite Him into our lives and He raises us to new life in Him. “I have unwrapped your chains, now be free!”

But how many of us continue to be wrapped up in our chains?

Chains of fear. Chains of shame. Chains of caring more what other people think than what God thinks. Chains of pride. Chains of guilt. Chains of bitterness. Chains of anger. Chains of disappointment. Chains of disillusionment. Chains of worry. Chains of control. Chains of unforgiveness.

And we wonder why we’re stuck. Why we continue to fail. Why we feel trapped in our old life when Christ promised us NEW life.

In my own struggle, I’ve realized something. Something I hate to admit . . .

I like my chains. They’re my security blanket, where I feel safe and comfortable. Without them, I feel naked and vulnerable. I know it sounds oxymoronic but it’s true.

Unwrapping is often so much harder than we think it will be. It sounds so simple but it’s just way to easy to return to the known rather than to step into the unknown. It feels much safer to stay where we are, curled up in the “security” of our chains. Never choosing to face . . . Our “demons”. Our strongholds. Our chains.  Instead we believe the lies Satan feeds us . . . “You deserve this.  What kind of God would ask you to give this up – you need it.  This is so much easier.  You should stay where you’re comfortable.”

This was never the life Jesus wanted for us. It isn’t the life He died for.

What if Lazarus had chosen to remain in his graveclothes instead of letting someone unwrap him? What if he said, “If you unwrap me I’ll be naked. Let me live with them?”

I can hear you saying, “That’s ridiculous no one would ever do that!”

And yet that’s the way many of us are living . . .

We are dead men walking. Weighed down by our chains. Existing but not really living.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8.36

The truth is . . . Jesus died to set us free. Free from the shackles that have held us captive for far too long. Free to be all that He intended us to be. Free to say “Yes” to Jesus.

Free to live a life unwrapped!

So let’s live it!

Spilling His Grace,

kristi