Who Hears Your Stories?

(emmanuelmti .com)

Who hears your stories?

While reading the other day, this phrase caught my attention:

“And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.” – Mark 5:18-20 KJV

Here, Jesus had just delivered a man from a legion of demons that had tormented him for years; he’d been chained up outside his city repeatedly, only to tear through the chains, terrorizing many. The townspeople were amazed to see him sitting, clothed and in his right mind in front of Jesus, the man Who had just set him free.

Just as there are things about this story that I don’t understand completely, there were many things that confused the townspeople, but their misunderstanding caused them great fear. They wanted Jesus to leave their territory, where as I want only to grow closer to Him.

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But back to this newly set free man, who’s name we don’t even know – he’s forever been referred to as “the demoniac”, sits there in awe of what Jesus has done for him, falling in love with Him.

When Jesus was begged to leave town, this newly freed man wanted desperately to go with Him. God has so impacted MY life, that I always want to be with Him.

But Jesus instructed this man to go home to his friends and tell them how much God loves him and about the great things He has done for him.

The man obeyed and went back to his friends and family a new man. He told them about God’s great love and power toward him – to let them know it was available to them, too. And they marveled. (Who all was in that crowd?)

This is all that Jesus requires of us, as well – that we go to our friends and family and anyone who will listen and tell them about His great love and compassion for us and about all the wonderful things He’s done in our lives. Therein we will fulfill the great commission; we’ll be sharing with them what God has given to us.

With some, we’ll get to share more. Others will merely hear parts of our story.

God wants us to know His love, to share His love and to share the reality that He will meet our needs, delivering us from the corruption of this world and bringing us into His abundant life, here on earth and in the next life.

How hard is it to share? Our parents have been trying to teach us this concept since we were introduced to other children.

Share.

Share what God has freely given you. Teach what He has taught you. Love like He has loved you.

You don’t even realize the impact you’ll have.

Who will hear your stories?

Light of the World

(Photo from hurstrobert.wordpress.com)

Without light, man cannot see. We can’t see what lies in our path, or our hand in front of our face. Neither can we see God, or into His spiritual realm.

Jesus speaks to us, as He spoke to His disciples when He says, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13 (NKJV) But, before we could have that light, He announced, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NKJV) He then went on to say, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5 NKJV) Through His death, burial and resurrection we’ve become the light of the world when He lives inside of us.

If the world cannot see God it’s not because they’re walking around with their eyes closed. They have their eyes wide open. The day I walked through the Cave of the Winds here in Colorado Springs, and the day I explored the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, each tour guide turned off the lights when we reached the deepest point he could take us. Scary? Yes. Praise God, the lights were only off momentarily. But, in that moment or two of complete and utter darkness, you could hear folks moving around, perhaps feeling edgy, or perhaps to startle the rest of us. I was paralyzed, sure that if I moved, I’d trip and fall. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. It took my breath away. It was exciting, only because I could anticipate the second the lights came back on. My eyes were wide open, but I could not see a thing. The longer the light remained off, the more paranoid I became that something evil might happen in the darkness, like in a whodunit movie. Relief flooded over me when I could once again see.

No, most every lost soul roaming the Earth has their eyes wide open, and whether they realize it or not, they’re searching for answers. But, until the light of God is shed on their path, they’ll continue to walk in darkness, not seeing all the incredible things around them. They may become delusional from paranoia, or they may just accept that darkness is all there is to walk in. Like the blind, they begin to perceive things with their other senses, and not always as they really are. Some reach into the spiritual realm, feeling their way around and not recognizing the God that was and is and is to come; their own Creator.

While Jesus walked the Earth draped in flesh, He was the Light of the world. But, now He’s entrusted that Light to each of His followers, sending us out into the world to shine! If the world can’t see God, it’s because we’re hiding our light under a bushel. We have no one to blame the darkness on but ourselves; the darker the darkness, the brighter the light shines. It’s time to shine!

I’ve heard it said that the “sin of the desert, is to know where the water is and not tell.” How much greater is the sin of man to know the Truth, to walk in the Light – and keep it a secret?

Has our enemy put so many distractions in front of us, that we forget to shine or place that priority on a back burner? What is our Great Commission?

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. – Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)

Enjoy this song by Ashley and Carlton Banks - Fresh Prince

This Little Light of Mine