One of the key stories we look at during Foxholes here at Penn State is Mark
5:1-20. In the story Jesus encounters a man possessed by demons. This man had
been alienated from his family, and culture. No one could help him. He broke
chains that tried to subdue him, and cut himself with stones, crying out every
day/night.
Then he meets Jesus. As powerful as this man was, Jesus was
stronger. Jesus drives the demons out of the man, and his personality instantly
changes. Now the man is calm, sober, and even dresses himself in new clothes.
The people were amazed and terrified of Jesus at the same time. Amazed because
Jesus made whole the unreachable. Terrified of the power Jesus wields to change
lives.
And when the man begs to follow Jesus, He gives him a
different assignment. Why didn’t Jesus accept this man as a disciple? Jesus
instead sends him home to his family to share what God has done for him. The
result? The people in his hometown were amazed at this life changing miracle.
Sure he could have impacted the world as one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. We might have even learned his name down that path. But instead
Jesus sends him to be a witness for him in a city that Jesus likely never
visited Himself.
As Christians we know we should be telling others about
Jesus. But often we feel unprepared, inadequate. This man had only spent a
single day with Jesus. But he recognized how Jesus had changed his life, and
that alone transformed him into an effective witness for God.
We don’t have to know the Bible cover to cover, or have a
seminary education to lead others to Christ. The power of our own story and how
Jesus works in our lives is enough for God to use.
Don’t be afraid! Tell the world your story and what God has
done for you. I have found that often the world will pay more attention to your
story of transformation, than the life of one man changed thousands of years
ago.
Who will you share your story with?
