Saturday, March 6
Mark 5: 18-20
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him go, but said, ‘Go home to your family and tell then how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you’ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
The possessed man had wanted to show his gratitude and follow Jesus because of the great mercy the Lord had provided him. But the Lord had a different idea. Seeing how this man had lost so much of his life by the many demons that had been in him for so many years, Jesus released him to return to his family and share the story of his new freedom with all who would listen.
Each of us can look at our lives and recount when we had demons in us. Maybe the demon was a disease that was healed, a habit that was broken, a past wrong made right, or a huge stress that was lightened by the gift of one generous person. Those in our lives who know us and see us newly restored ask us what happened and we explain how the healing came to happen. This man responds differently than us. He does not wait to be asked, but begins to tell the story of his great healing and how it was the work of the Lord. He tells a simply story, a truth - I was possessed and now I am healed by the power and love of the Lord.
Can you hear yourself telling your boss your story, or your business partner, or your friends on the tennis court or golf course or at the health club or the pub? If we truly credit the Lord with the healing and are fully aware of the significance of the healing, our lives, like the life of the man in the story, would have been changed forever. The course of our life redirected to the Lord, telling the story to all who will listen. Yet, our world outside of Holy Spirit is skeptical and might think each of us odd if we began to proclaim without invitation our story of healing with "let me tell you my story of how the Lord healed me of my disease." We might find our selves being more careful and knowing our audience deftly working the Lord into the story, not of gratefulness but out of a sense of obligation.
Be bold. Tell your story - to family, to your children, to friends, to your boss or business partners. Trust that when you do this the Lord will be present and those you tell will also be amazed.
Bob Felice