Day 100: Proclaiming the Great Things

"Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.'  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him."  Luke 8:38-39

This is a message that might seem a little harsh at first.

Jesus has told so many to drop everything and follow him, but this man whom he had just healed he sent away.  The man even asked to follow.  However, that's where we need to look at our own ideas.

The man had been through a struggle, hosting demons and living in the cemetery.  He was suffering some of the craziest things we could think of.  So, now that he's back to his senses, it would make sense for him to follow Jesus as a disciple.  But Jesus calls us to follow him in so many different ways.  The important fact here is that Jesus is showing that following will be difficult.  Just because one thing has passed doesn't mean that everything else is going to be very light and easy.  Look at Paul's or Peter's life if you want a better example.

The other thing is a question of understanding.  The man wanted to be near Jesus because Jesus saved him from evil.  Jesus, in turn, explains how he can always be with him: proclaiming the Gospel.  We seem to forget the many ways Jesus is walking right next to us.  We deceive ourselves into thinking that Jesus is only with us when we're at church or in the middle of prayer.  The truth is that Jesus is with us everywhere.  It's only our choice whether we feel his presence or not.  When we proclaim the Gospel and live it, we will feel all the good things that are Jesus.  Therefore, Jesus sends us out every day so that we can proclaim the Gospel and acknowledge that he is with us, every step of the way.

Day 045: Devotion with Faith

"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  1 Corinthians 1:9

This was probably originally written directly to some church leaders, but it applies to all of the faithful, for we are all called to some form of work.

Sometimes, when we look at the different things we are supposed to be doing as Christians, it may seem to be too much for us to handle.  Read the Bible, attend church, volunteer, give all your time over to Jesus, pray, fast, and so on.  It gets worse once you look at how long the Bible is, or how bad it feels to be hungry, or how eloquently other people pray.

The thing is, though, that God is in it for the long run.  God created us so that God can have an intimate relationship with each and every one of us.  God is faithful to us.  When we were baptized, we were invited into the family of Christ, where we are called to grow in him.  We were baptized into the name of the faithful God.

Just as we were into the fellowship with Jesus, we are called into a faithful relationship with God.  God gives us so many chances and so many blessings.  God indeed is faithful.  We need to be more faithful on our part.  During this Lent, let's make each day an opportunity to practice our faith.  It can start as simply as saying a short prayer or reading a few verses from the Bible.  It can be as simple as walking through the church doors - purification is just on the other side.  It can be as simple as sitting in the silence for a moment, in order to catch the slightest glimpse of the presence of God all around us.  Just as God acts towards us each day, we need to act in return.