Take a few deep breaths to center your heart and your mind as you prepare to meet with God.

Meditation

Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

Take a moment and consider the amazing truth that God rejoices over you. God shouts with joy because you are his child!

Teaching

So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.” Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?” And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.” So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them. (Mark 5:1-20)

This is a mind-blowing story of a man possessed by a legion, perhaps thousands, of demons. He lived among the corpses in a cemetery of burial caves. He spent his days and nights screaming in spiritual and physical agony. He and the people who lived in the area, probably assumed he would spend his whole life in that condition. And then he met Jesus, and Jesus changed everything. He cast the demons out of the man and into some nearby pigs, who then ran into the lake and drowned themselves. This was an awesome display of Jesus’ power and authority.

But in the verses we read, we see two reactions to the same event. One reaction is fear, and the other is amazement. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth can look very different through a different set of eyes. The herdsmen who witnessed what happened saw a man with the power to control demons. When they told what they had seen, people were terrified. But the man who had been possessed saw Jesus, his deliverer. Mark 5:20 says that when they heard the story from him, they were amazed. That’s why Jesus told the man to stay there among his family, friends, and neighbors, and tell the story from his perspective.

And Jesus wants people to hear your story from you. Just because your sins didn’t make the national news doesn’t mean that your salvation is any less astounding. You are saved because Jesus suffered the horrible agony of crucifixion so that, through His blood, your sins could be forgiven. That’s a great thing that He did for you. Don’t surrender to the temptation to consider your salvation less spectacular because your story wouldn’t make a bestselling book. Don’t overlook God’s great grace. Don’t minimize God’s great mercy. Don’t belittle the power of God’s great love that was demonstrated when Jesus died to save you. Go proclaim the great things that Jesus has done for you!

Examination

Who were the people who told you about Jesus? Take a moment and think about how their witness and example have changed your life.

Now, who do you know that you can tell about Jesus?

Memory Verse

Matthew 10:20 says, "The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.” Don’t let fear stop you from telling others about Jesus. Watch for opportunities to share your testimony and remind yourself of God’s promise. “The right words will be there, the right words will be there, the right words will be there.”