Monday, February 26, 2018

Devotion - Monday, February 26

I read this morning Mark 3:7-19a.  Jesus calls to himself the twelve.  And he commissions them.

The charge he gives them stuck with me, as I sat in silence and contemplated my role in God's Kingdom.

Jesus sends them out "to preach and have authority to cast out demons."

We no longer speak of "demons" or unclean spirits.  Such references often need interpretation and reinterpretation.  Even as I prayed these verses from Mark 3 I wasn't sure how to interpret.  But I realized that casting out demons suggest a much different approach than convicting persons of their sins.

Most of what we a minister is prepared and charged to do involves making folks aware of how their lives do not match the hope God has for them.  Perhaps you also have experienced the encouragement to point out and critique the behaviors (even thoughts) of others.  The attitude lying behind such an approach is that the person has the ability to do different - to do better - if they were to make the appropriate choice.

But what if we did allow ourselves to see them as being possessed by a demon?  What if our aid to them was to rid them of a foreign and unwelcome invader to their lives?

I will strive to remove hurtful and harmful behaviors and thoughts.  My prayer is that Mark 3 will allow me to approach those trapped in such patterns with (to quote I Corinthians 4:21) a spirit of gentleness rather than a rod.

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