Matthew 19:26
He was a man
that everyone knew, but no one wanted to be around, for he was dangerous. He
had caused much trouble in the city, but his strength was so great that no one
could subdue him. The townsmen had tried countless times. They had taken chains
and bound his hands. They had placed his feet in irons. Every time the man
broke the chains and tore the irons from his feet. His strength was well beyond
that of a normal man.
Eventually, the
man drifted to the outskirts of town. He lived in the hills and the cemetery.
Throughout the day and night the people of the town could hear his eerie
screams. Occasionally, people would catch a glimpse of him and cringe at what
they saw. He roamed unclothed and bleeding from cuts he had inflicted upon
himself.
Then one day,
the people of the town heard the news, “Jesus has come!” Not only had he come
to their area, He had gone to the very place where this uncontrollable man roamed.
The people hurried to see what would take place.
They stopped in
amazement at what they saw. The man was fully dressed, sitting with Jesus and
talking with him—no chains, no screams, no violence. The man’s encounter with
Jesus had transformed his life.
The people of
the city had given up on this man, but not Jesus. Some say Jesus came to the
area just to help this man. Someone, who was labeled hopeless in the eyes of
man, was given new life and purpose in Jesus. The man became a missionary. He
traveled across the region telling all what Jesus had done for him.
This true story
is found in the Bible in Mark 5, but it is a story that has been repeated
through the centuries. Many a person, who has been labeled as hopeless in the
eyes of man, has been delivered and transformed through a relationship with
Jesus. Have you given up on someone? How about
introducing them to Jesus?
Thank You, Jesus, that no one is beyond
Your transforming power!
Jan Burkhart
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