I am impressed with how Christ's ministry practically never stopped. He taught a bunch of parables, got in a boat to cross to the other side of the sea, but He had to calm the storm because His disciples didn't trust Him, and as soon as He arrived, there was a possessed-man that He healed by casting the demons into a herd of pigs. If it was just a bunch of stuff done from self, then it would be irritating and futile; but if accomplishing the Will of the Father is food, then it is empowering and eternally profitable.
L 8:34 When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 35 People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus' feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 36 Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them.
It is amazing to me how the devil polarizes people against Christ. I guess the people of the region were afraid that Jesus was going to upset their financial profit and social order. You better believe that Jesus will rock your world, because your world is jacked up, and He is the only one that can fix it. It means giving up everything to follow Him (which is painful for us materialistic Americans), and it means trusting Him through the change (which is difficult for us risk-minimizing Americans). This man was possessed by many demons, and Jesus healed him; but the people in the region were possesed by materialism and fear, so they rejected Him. Jesus is full of love, mercy, and righteousness, but materialism and fear cause spiritual blindness for so many people, especially in the US. I am challenged by the parable of the seed and the soil (hard path, shallow-rocky soil, thorny-weedy soil, and good soil), because I am afraid that most "Christians" in the US (including myself) are in the third category - choked by worldliness and materialism and never maturing to produce fruit.
I used to be proud to be an American, but recently my perspective has changed. I am extremely grateful for the men and women that have served and sacrificed for the unmatched freedom and opportunity that we have in this country, but I am embarrassed and ashamed of our insolent culture that wastes that freedom and opportunity. We have such a potential to do good, but we waste it on ourselves for no eternal benefit.
Heavenly Father, please have mercy on me and forgive me for my materialism and fear. Father, please give me boldness to follow Christ and trust Him with every aspect of my life. Dear Father, I want to be a good steward with the resources and opportunities that you have given me; please forgive me for my ridiculous wastefulness. Holy Spirit, please produce your fruit in my life, and please give me a perspective of looking for opportunities for eternal profit. May I invest wisely and store up treasures in Heaven. You have blessed me so much; I pray that I will bless You and bless others. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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