Lazarus was dead until Jesus showed up, help us to hear him say to us "come out" with a story from the life of Christopher Columbus

SCRIPTURE: John 11:43
Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

STORY:
In Valladolid, Spain, where Christopher Columbus died in 1506, stands a monument commemorating the great discoverer. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain's motto for centuries. Before Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought they had reached the outer limits of earth. Thus their motto was "Ne Plus Ultra," which means "No More Beyond." The word being torn away by the lion is "Ne" or "no," making it read "Plus Ultra." Columbus had proven that there was indeed "more beyond."

OBSERVATION:
Our understanding of the dimensions of life are so limited, so confining, so filled with “no” that we fail to embrace the “yes” that God has given … continues to give beyond our limited imagination.

Everybody thought that death was it and then Jesus shows up. The grave was sealed. Lazarus had been put to his final resting place and then Jesus shows up. There is no such thing as “death” or “final” anything because Jesus shows up.

He has the last word or should I say, the last two words … “come out!” When the world brings closure, Jesus brings life. When the world shuts down, Jesus opens up. Where the world places limits, Jesus raises the horizon that is unlimited. With Jesus there is always … ALWAYS … more beyond.

PRAYER:
Lord, help our thinking. Help us to “God-size” our life and our understanding. Help us to embrace the full extend of the possibilities that can be found in Jesus saying to our souls, “come out” and then help us to respond.