Raise!Sample

Raise a confession.

Martha, the sister of the dead man Lazarus, argues with the words ‘Take away the stone’, saying, ‘…by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days’ (John 11:39 NIV). But Jesus is not concerned about the odour that will come from the grave; his concern is for life. He calls ‘in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”’ (John 11:43 NIV).

We know that when living things die, they produce an unpleasant odour. I find an interesting comparison in Scripture because it says that before Jesus, we were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1) – we produced an odour. Not literally, but figuratively! But Jesus declares ‘Take away the stone!’ and God, who is rich in mercy, makes us ‘alive with Christ’ (Ephesians 2:5 NIV). Not only are we made alive, but we are also made to be a fragrance, an aroma of Christ. ‘We are like a sweet smell to God. It is the smell of Christ we have. We have this sweet smell among the people who are saved and among those who are lost’ (2 Corinthians 2:12 WE).

Despite sins forgiven, there may still be times in our lives when the stench of present sin lingers on or around us. Somehow the old grave clothes seek to enfold and entangle us. This is where raising words of confession comes as an important aspect to the Christian faith.

Peter denied Jesus three times. His anguish over this offence was deep. We read that his raised confession was to weep bitterly (Matthew 26:75).

What do you need to seek forgiveness for today? You may want to raise the confession of David:

‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin’ (Psalm 51:1-2 NIV).

Today, may our sweet aroma of Christ be offered to others.