Have you ever done the right thing but were treated as if you did something awful?

Maybe you stood up for someone when no one else would.  Maybe you refused to join others in their gossiping or crude conversations.  Maybe you chose not to participate in something that you knew was morally wrong (and possibly even illegal).  Maybe you tried to break racial barriers in a group – maybe even in a church.  Whatever you did, others seemed to attack you for doing it.

I have faced my fair share of those kinds of scenarios.  It hurts.  It is baffling.  It makes no sense.  There seems to be no logical reason why others would want to stand up for wrongs rather than what is right.

We are drawing close to Easter, and I want you to think about something that happened shortly before the day Jesus faced the cross.  A good friend of His died, so Jesus and the disciples went to where Lazarus had been buried and arrived four days after he had been put in the tomb.  Jesus told Martha (Lazarus’ sister), “I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.” (John 11:25)

No one understood what was about to happen next.  Jesus cried deeply over the pain of loss, but He then told some of the people to remove the stone that sealed the tomb.  Then He commanded Lasarus to come out, but he was still wrapped tightly in the burial cloths.  Jesus told the people to unwrap Lazarus and let him go; they did, and they marveled.

Jesus did an amazing thing.  He did what no one could have imagined.  Many people realized who Jesus is and believed, but not all did.

When word got to the religious leaders about Lazarus, they were furious.  They had been losing popularity and influence because Jesus commanded respect, and their façade had been exposed.  This was when they begin plotting not just to discredit Jesus but to kill Him.

Jesus did the right thing.  He did it because He loved Lazarus and his family.  He knew that the cost of love is never too high.  He did it while knowing that He would soon face death on a cross.  And He faced that cross because He loves you.

Is there anything that you have not done that you know you should – simply because you do not want to face the possible repercussions?

Thank God for not holding back for you.  Ask God to help you not hold back from Him.  Love is always the right thing to express.

Consider checking out the following book to gain insight on how to make the right choice…