![[Photo of a resurrection cross]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/resurrection_and_cross.jpg)
| [Jesus said,] “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” |
| —John 11:25 |
Over the course of your life, how many people have kept the promises that they have made to you? If you’re like me, very few people have actually kept the promises they have made.
In fact, one of the most admired individuals I have encountered in my life was a person who often said, “I can’t promise you that I will do what you ask. You see, I very well just might not be able to keep that promise, or even want to keep it.” That person’s honesty, while a bit annoying at first, ultimately made me feel grateful that he had such integrity.
In the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post, the Lord Jesus Christ makes a promise to Martha, the sister of Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, who had recently died. Jesus will shortly raise Lazarus from the dead. But, His statement in the verse above comes in response to Martha misunderstanding a statement Jesus makes about her brother coming to life again.
As the verse states, this promise from Jesus applies to everyone who believes. That is to say, the statement applies to everyone whom God has called to belong to Himself through the sacrifice of His Son on the cruel cross. If we believe that God has sent Jesus to suffer and die in our place, taking on Himself the punishment for our sins, then the promise of Jesus’ statement will become fulfilled in us.
In the midst of these times of great stress due to the worldwide pandemic, we can rest in the assurance of Jesus’ promise. And, unlike most of the people I have experienced in my life, Jesus will keep His promise.
