Search Our Blog Posts
Blog Article Tags
We love building relationships. Subscribe to our blog to receive weekly encouragement in your email inbox.
- Details
Written by Débora Amaro, volunteer with Ministério Irmã Rosa de Ferro in Campo Grande, Brazil
There are several accounts about Jesus where His divinity is expressed with great power, and I believe that resurrecting people is one of the biggest demonstrations of that. We have some biblical accounts, like the widow’s son in Nain (Luke 7:11-17), Lazarus (John 11), and Jairo’s daughter (Matt. 9).
But, for the moment we will focus on Jairo’s daughter. We don’t know her name, her age, or even what she looked like. The only information we have about her is her ancestry: she’s Jairo’s daughter. Let’s take a look at the whole history:
‘‘While he was still saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”
Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples [...]
When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region. (Matt. 9:18-19, 23-26)
This complex history demonstrates Jesus’ compassion for women and children, whom, most of the time, were undervalued during the first century’s Jewish society.
We know that Jesus has power to resurrect the dead. He was resurrected himself after the crucifixion and lives today at the Father’s right hand. But, one thing is knowing, reading and listening about it. It’s another thing to actually experience it.
And that’s where the mystery lies: We are not Jairo’s daughter, but we were also dead and we were also resurrected!
Look at how beautiful the reality of what Christ did for us is, in the words of the apostle Paul:
‘‘As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following the desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:1-7)
Like Jairo’s daughter, we didn’t have (at least not in any biblical account) a name or an identity.
And just like Jairo interceded to God on behalf of his daughter, Jesus interceded to God on our behalf.
Just like they doubted the power of God during that time, they doubt God’s power to transform lives today.
Jesus knew there was hope for Jairo’s daughter, because He is powerful to bring LIFE, and HE knew there was hope for us also, through His sacrifice.
When Jesus says there was no reason for mourning, they laughed at Him. Those who doubt God’s power can laugh at us and at our faith, but they can’t contest a miracle: a life made new is a miracle!
This HIStory also speaks a lot about us: Christ has the power to resurrect! It’s incredible to know that the same power that resurrected Jesus lives in us today:
‘‘(...) and his incomparable great power for us who believe.
That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” (Eph. 1:19-20)
Is there something that our God cannot do? He already performed the greatest miracle ever, giving us new life.
God bless us!
#IronRoseSister #HIStories #resurrection #guestwriter
- Details
Written by Alicia González, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Austin, TX
I was born in a beautiful place. Michoacán is considered the soul of Mexico. Across the entire area, one can appreciate the cultural feel and the richness of the town that preserves its traditions and customs, as well as the architectural beauty, combined with its history, on each street, in each person, through each festival, food, and colorful artisanship.
At the age of 14, I started to realize that those colors were turning gray. It appeared that they were not as vibrant as when I saw them as a child. Sometimes, when I saw the arduous work of the women that lived far from the city, I would ask myself if I could develop wings like a butterfly and escape. The women’s suffering, in places where the belief is that women are only to have children and take care of her husband, I came to think that God was unjust and that He didn’t love everyone equally, even though I knew that God existed.
One morning, I went down to the river, as I always did, and I saw a woman who was eight months pregnant, crying over the physical and psychological abuse from her husband. Her tears fell and were carried away by the river’s current. There, in that precise moment, I felt that my life came to a stop. I told myself: I will not get married. I do not want to continue the pattern of women from my town. Can the chains of generational abuse be broken? I asked myself if any other men and women existed, ones different from the ones that I had always known.
I didn’t know that in that same moment, there was a beautiful woman who, without knowing God, prayed through her motherly anxiety, asking Him to give her son a good wife. Who would’ve thought that I would be that wife, the one who thought she wasn’t going to marry.
Years later, I arrived in Austin, Texas, where I met God. He taught me that we can live a new life. In 2007, I gave my life to God. From that point on, I wanted everyone around me to know that a different way of life than the one many had been taught was possible, because we all have special value to God. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, the suffering will be less heavy because we are no longer alone.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
God allowed me to find a wonderful man in that city. I felt like Ruth when I started working where he worked because he was special, a wise young man, even before knowing the gospel. Without a doubt, God had already chosen him to serve in His work. I remember that I was still studying at church and I had not yet been baptized. Even still, I was sharing with him about the Word of God. He was baptized a year after I was. We dated for three years and our dates were to go out and evangelize with the preacher. Beautiful moments, and here we are, 13 years later, happily married and with a beautiful son who also prays, sings, and loves to help others.
God’s plans and times are perfect. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice helped me understand God’s great love for all those who choose to follow Him. And, of course He can break the generational chains. He can give new life. Yes! There are men and women capable of changing life for an entire generation!
After my life changed, I became part of the church, along with my husband’s family, including my mother-in-law, who now is also part of the family doing the Lord’s work.
How many lives can be changed through one person that comes to Christ? The work you are doing now will have its reward.
Dear sister, keep fighting and keep believing.
This is how God changed my life!! And now my eyes see. “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5).
#IronRoseSister #HIStories #resurrection #newlife #guestwriter