Rewriting our Stories

"Young man, I bid you get up." 

Luke 7:14

In the 7th chapter of Luke, Jesus, His disciples, and a crowd of people following Him, met another crowd of people surrounding a bier on which lay a dead young man. He was the only son of a widow. Jesus took pity on her and touched the bier. "Young man, I say to you, arise from death!" And he that was dead sat up and spoke. 

There have been some news of the dead being raised to life in Africa, in Brazil, in China, even in England. I do not know if these stories are true but I believe in the power of Jesus to resurrect dead people. I believe in the power of Jesus to bring people back to life. Sometimes we may be breathing, but we are dead because of the filthiness of sin. 

In Ephesians 2, St. Paul writes, "You were living in your sins and lawless ways. But in fact you were dead... But God loves us deeply. He is full of mercy. So he gave us new life because of what Christ has done. He gave us life even when we were dead in sin. God’s grace has saved you. God raised us up with Christ." 

We may not know it, but if we are soaking in sin, God sees us as dead, separated from Him. Timothy Rau's story is not special. There are so many Timothys in the world today. They are introduced to drugs and alcohol and a life of crime from a very young age. They are thrown into jail again and again. They become gangsters, thieves, even killers, until they allow God into their life through a book, a friend, a TV show, a dream, and their lives are changed forever. Timothy Rau said, "My life is truly a miracle and an incredible story Jesus wrote straight from His heart!" 

Jesus wants to rewrite our stories if we let Him. There is always a fountain of hope, grace and mercy available to us every day!