Editors note: This devotional is taken from the archives of Gospel of Mark, chapter 5.

Quiet Times (Psalm  19, Proverbs 19, and Mark 5:18-19)

“As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." (Mark 5:18-19, NIV)

Observations:

I asked myself what were the actions of Jesus.

Interpretations:

I asked myself why Jesus was in the process of getting into the boat.

Jesus had just healed the demon-possessed man and was in the company of crowds that came to see Him. They were afraid of Jesus and pleaded with Jesus to leave after the man was healed and the demons were sent into the pigs.  Jesus could have stayed but he did not. He decided to get into the boat to leave. Jesus will not force himself into the lives of people who do not want Him. As the people pleaded Jesus to leave, the man who had been demon-possessed and healed begged to go with him.

I asked myself why Jesus did not let the demon-possessed man go with Him.

The demon-possessed man was just healed. Even though the people of the region wanted Jesus to leave because they were afraid of Jesus, the man was not afraid of Jesus. Instead, he begged to go with Jesus. The man wanted to do the right thing by going with Jesus. But, Jesus had other plans for the man and would not let him come with Jesus which is evident by point 3.

Jesus wanted the man to reach his family first and let them see how much the Lord has done for him and how merciful He has been to him. The people of the town already rejected Jesus so Jesus decided to leave but asked the man to become His spokesman and witness.

Implications:

I saw important implications for my own life. The demon-possessed man who was healed was so grateful that he wanted to do things with Jesus. When the town rejected Jesus, it was noble of the man who lived in that area to beg Jesus to go with Jesus in the boat. He wanted to be with the One who had healed him and given him new life. However, Jesus saw things differently. Jesus wanted him to go another avenue and do something else for Him.

What this passage showed me is though I want to do things with Jesus, it is important to remember that Jesus may not want to do things with me at that time. The reasoning is not because Jesus does not like me or does not desire to spend time with me but because He has something better in mind. Jesus loves to spend time with people but He also wants His Gospel to spread.

If we are just doing things with Jesus in our own lives, what happens to the world around us and those that reject Jesus?

Jesus understood that! Even though the town pleaded with Him to leave, He did leave but in His love for humanity, Jesus asked the man to be left behind to carry out His work of sharing the Lord’s power and mercy.

So, if I just do things with Jesus then I do not put myself in a position to do things for Jesus which usually include reaching the lost with testimonies, etc. Jesus did say when you do it for others you have done it for me.

The same principle can be applied to our present lives.

If we as followers of Christ are just doing things with our brothers and sisters in the Lord, what happens to those outside the sphere of influence?

Remember, the man already spent time with Jesus after he was healed so Jesus is not discouraging him from spending time with Him but encouraging him also to reach out to others with what the Lord has done for him in his life.

In the same way, we should not totally abandon spending time with Jesus but to let our time with Jesus EQUIP, ENABLE, and EMPOWER us to do things for Jesus such as reaching the lost, etc. The same goes with being in fellowship with our brothers and sisters. It should be a means to be able to reach the lost as we ourselves are equipped, enabled, and empowered! Otherwise, we just become turtles in a shell who become complacent. Jesus does not want that for you and me.

I ask you now dear friend, will you tell about the Lord?

Dear friend, Jesus loves you so much and loves spending time with you. Oh, yes He does! He desires to spend time with you so He can equip, enable, and empower you to do things for Him as you spend time with Him. What Jesus loves is reaching out to others with His love. When the demon-possessed man was healed, Jesus not only cared for the man but he cared for the man’s family that He told the man to go to his family and tell them what the Lord did for him and how much mercy He had on him. That is so awesome to know friend. Jesus loves you and me and cares for our families and wants to use us for His work to spread the Good News.

Won’t you do that friend?

Jesus told the man to go to his family and tells us to go and share what the Lord has done in our own lives. We gotta tell somebody what Jesus has done for us as we have been with Jesus, spending time with Him. That is so exciting friend and Jesus wants you to be part of that excitement.

Listen to the background song, “Gotta Tell Somebody!”

May you be so excited to tell others about Jesus Christ that you cannot stop! Amen!

As the movie DaVinci Code opens across the theaters this May 19, 2006, which speaks against the church and most importantly degrades the Name of Jesus Christ, we need to make ourselves available to speak the truth to the falsity presented in the movie and the novel. If you plan to watch the movie or have read the book and have questions or your faith seems to be shaken, please email me or give me a call at 412-720-4579 so we can discuss the false claims in the book that are presented as fact even though the book itself and the movie is presented as fiction. May the Lord bless you and guide you!

“Tell Everyone Lord’s Love!” (T.E.L.L)/”Will you tell about the Lord?”

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I love you so much. Help me to show my love to you in tangible ways. Thank you so much for healing the demon-possessed man and spending time with him in the area you healed him. As you were getting ready to leave, the man wanted to go with you but you had other wonderful plans for him. You cared for his family so much that you wanted him to go and tell his family what wonderful things you Oh Lord had done for him and how merciful you Oh Lord had been towards him. Thank you so much Jesus for your love and mercy. Thank you that you care for our families even when they reject you. You keep putting on our hearts to reach our families. Lord, we cannot tell others about you without your supernatural help. Help us Oh Lord for we gotta tell somebody what you have done for us. Thank you so much Jesus you want to do things with us, you want us to do things with you, and you want us to do things for you. Wow! That is so amazing that you want us to do things for you and want to do things with us! Thank you Jesus! I am so honored and help me not to disappoint you. I thank you Jesus! Thank you for your grace and mercy! Thank you for forgiving us all our sin and saving us as we come to you. Thank you for your healing power in our own lives. Thank you for being part of our life! Thank you for being our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart. It is a similar prayer I prayed with my mommy to give my life to Christ!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I am a sinner Lord. I am so sorry for my sins. I confess my sins to you. I confess the wrong things I have done and messed up my own life. I need you Lord right now and in the years to come. I have gone my own way and have not found what only you can give me. You alone have the words of Eternal Life. You alone love me unconditionally for who I am. Thank you Jesus! I turn myself to you Oh Lord in this Summer of May 2006. Please forgive me of all my sins and come into my heart.  I accept you Jesus into my heart. Thanks Jesus for coming into my heart. Thanks for forgiving me of all my sins. Thanks for giving me a new identity in you. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior as I believe in my heart that you died and came back to life to save me now and forever. I give myself to you and ask you to be in control of my life. Thank you Jesus for the coming days we can do things together. Thanks for being my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and answered me. Thanks Jesus for changing me and helping me through life's storms and winds. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Friend, you may feel something or you may not but this you can be assured that the Lord Jesus has come into your life and will give you a new beginning! Amen!

Get yourself involved in a campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord. They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me know!

If you need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this Spring or Summer of 2006, you can email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579. Please do not hesitate. One-one Bible studies can be so powerful to because the Holy Spirit is still in the midst.

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Love in Christ,
Ramesh