Publications & Devotions

MEDITATION: 

Chances are we all have things that fill us with fear. Some have a fear of dogs or heights, others may fear getting shots at the doctor’s office or being in tight spaces. We all have things that make us fearful, but they are usually different from person to person. One person could take a flu shot without so much as a wince while the person in the next room would be doubled over in anxiety even before the alcohol was dry on their arm. In the same way someone could look over the edge of a tall parking garage and remark on the flowers growing at the bottom, while another person would be sitting on the floor terrified to even look over the edge for even a moment. Fear strikes different people in different ways. 

      This week we see how three different groups react when Jesus enters their lives. For the demons, they were filled with fear not only for what Jesus could do, but of being sent back to hell, preferring to remain and torment God’s creation here on Earth. The people in the village were amazed at what Jesus did, but were so filled with fear that they would rather have Him leave rather than to try and understand what had just happened. But the last one, the man who had the demons cast out of him, was filled with a different type of fear, a fear that does not push away, but rather a fear that drew closer to Jesus in appreciation of having this power demonstrated in His life.

       Three different reactions to one person, Jesus. As we look in our own lives, we see all that Jesus has done for us. And having seen this, we take the words of Martin Luther to heart where we are told to, “…fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” And, like the man we meet today, live as one sent to share with others all Jesus has done for them as well.