Mark chapter 5, Jesus met a demon-possessed man. He shrieked both day and night as he roamed the tombs of his home of Decapolis. The towns people tried to contain him out of fear of personal harm, but nothing worked. He broke through their chains, and left them feeling hopeless.
Then Jesus entered.
Isn't that how life works? Tragedy strikes. The burdens on this world break our backs. Hopeless anxiety settles deep within our souls, as we come to the realization we have no power to make things right. We fall on our face with no place to turn.
Then Jesus entered.
The demon-possessed man grabbed a glimpse of Jesus in the distance. He ran before Him, and fell to his knees. With a shout, “Why are you here, Jesus the Most High?! Why do you come to torment me so? We have no business together!” the spirits deep within this man knew good and evil do not belong together, that where God dwells evil flees.
“Get out! Leave this man, you unclean spirit!” Jesus declares with all authority. He then questions the spirit, “What is your name?”
“I am Legion, for we are many.” A legion of demons tormented this man – stealing away every part of his life – completely abandoned by all, with no control. Friends and family long gone, a chance at a normal life ripped from his fingertips... until Jesus entered.
A herd of swine fed in the distance, The spirit begged Jesus to send them into the swine, rather than sending them into the countryside. Jesus conceded. Upon entering the swine, they flung themselves off a near by cliff, where they drowned in the sea.
At such a sight, the herdsmen rushed to town, in order to report what they witnessed. The towns people ran, and came upon the man. A man they once feared sat before them – clothed – calm – collected – and they trembled. A beautiful miracle unfolded before their very eyes, and fear consumed them. So much so, they ran Jesus out of town.
I witnessed this same principle. My friend invited me to her family's village to share Christ with her Muslim family members. When her sister accepted Christ, both were ran out of the village, unwelcome to return. Something changed. What was once normal was no longer there, and an uncomfortable feeling settled within. They did what they thought was right. Their panic blinded their eyes to the good, exactly like the towns people from Mark five.
Jesus entered, and shook an entire town. The man – the man who experienced the grace of God in a way so powerful only he grasped the greatness – begged Jesus to allow him to follow. “Not this time,” Jesus replied, “instead, go home and share the great things the Lord has done. Share of His mercy for you.” Jesus knew the people would not accept His ways if He stayed, but knew this once broken man had a story to tell that can bring restoration to other broken people. All because he allowed Jesus to enter in his life.
So many times, I wish to simply hide away with Christ – to live my life simply me and Him. In that, there is no glory. Our lives are not restored in order to hide away, rather to embrace the brokenness which surrounds us, and share the grace and hope we also found. We are rescued so we may rescue others. When Jesus entered our lives, we each became a witness to a beautiful miracle of all brokenness being restored, because Jesus entered.
Daily, we are surrounded by broken people. People experiencing what we once encountered, looking for hope. We bare the answer, and our purpose is to declare our restoration in all hope that others will also allow Jesus to enter their lives, and be forever changed. For this, I will continue to boldly roam this broken world, declaring His great mercies in my life. I will carry the prayer that those I encounter will also allow Jesus to enter, and be forever changed.
When I came to Uganda the first time, God opened up my heart and mind in more ways than I can explain. The biggest lesson I learned was that God expects us to serve Him with all of our selves. No middle ground will do. It was this lesson that caused me to give myself completely to the will of God. I remember one afternoon sometime after I returned home, when I was struggling to find what I was suppose to do with my life. I laid my future down at His Throne, and I felt an overwhelming burden to go to the nations.... and well, there went my life! When you meet missionaries here in Jinja, one of the first questions asked is, “how long are you here for?” When they hear that I have committed a year, most respond with, “Oh that is a long time!” This then transitions us into the conversation about me wanting to do long term missions. I am surprised at the amount of people who say, “Yeah. Sounds like it! A year is pretty long term.” When that happens, I just shake my head, and change the su...
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