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Monday June 16 - We are safe in Jesus
The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs, allow us to go into them.” Mark 5:12
War and terror are erupting all around us; our world is becoming an increasingly scary place. This week’s passage allows us to glimpse another war: the spiritual war raging against the spread of Christ’s gospel. We see its effects in society, and in our hearts and lives.
But we take heart! Mark’s gospel opens with an astounding declaration of Jesus’ authority: ‘the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Messiah’ (Mark 1:1). Jesus, God’s powerful deliverer, entered the turmoil of our enemy-occupied world, empowered to destroy ‘the devil’s work’! In the Old Testament accounts, evil spirits were difficult for people to deal with – so it’s a mark of Jesus’ divine authority, in the New Testament, that he handles them with ease! In today’s verse, notice that the evil spirits cower before Jesus, fearfully begging for mercy.
How blessed we are that Jesus firmly, resolutely, charted his course to the cross – making the sacrifice that delivers us from Satan’s grasp (1 John 3:8) – and by his Spirit continues restoring broken lives today... bringing his children home, one precious soul at a time! Now, all creation awaits the glorious day when all God’s people are gathered in (2 Peter 3:9)!
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).
Lord Jesus, ‘I will fear no evil, for you are with me...’ (Psalm 23:4). Thank you, Lord! Amen.
Tuesday June 17 - Unafraid to live for Jesus
...they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons,
sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Mk 5:15
I picture Lake Galilee as calm and glistening, with summer-blue skies and hillsides dotted with sheep, but Jesus encountered a raging storm and hillsides swarming with thousands of pigs! Wasn’t this supposed to be a pork-free country? No... this is Galilee’s eastern shore, the majority-Gentile Decapolis region, dominated by Greco-Roman idol worship. Pork is firmly on the menu, pig-rearing a lucrative business.
Jesus gave the command... and suddenly everything changed. Two thousand pigs hurtled into the sea, terrified herdsmen scattered... a once poor tormented soul now sat ‘clothed, and in his right mind.’ Jesus seems to have crossed the lake that day specifically to save this one ‘lost sheep’... with a spectacular miracle demonstrating both his divine power over evil and his deep compassion for all earth’s suffering souls. He signaled, too, the dawn of salvation for the entire Gentile world. All eyes were on Jesus – as ours are, reading this awe-inspiring account today. Hearts then were angry and afraid, for Jesus challenged their economic idols and false religious beliefs. How about our hearts today? False beliefs and economic idolatries can tempt us to compromise our faith in Jesus. Let’s welcome the Living Lord Jesus as he speaks to us through his Word, encouraging our hearts; healing and cleansing our minds. Let’s feed on his Word with thanksgiving and be unafraid to live distinctively for him.
Precious Jesus, thank you for your sacrificial love for me, your once lost sheep. Please transform and strengthen my spirit, through your Living Word. Amen.
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PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY