16 Sep: Set Free to Tell
Tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. Mark 5:19
Scripture Reading: Mark 5:1–20
Darryl was a baseball legend whose life nearly collapsed under the weight of drugs. Jesus set him free, and he’s stayed clean for years now. These days he walks alongside others battling addiction and points them toward faith. Looking back, he’s clear that God took the wreckage of his past and turned it into a message worth sharing.
Nothing is too hard for God. After a stormy night on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and His disciples came ashore near a cemetery. A man possessed by darkness immediately came toward Him. Jesus spoke to the demons, drove them out, and set the man free.
When Jesus prepared to leave, the man begged to go with Him. Jesus wouldn’t allow it. He had a different assignment: “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee” (Mark 5:19).
We never hear from that man again in Scripture, yet something interesting surfaces later. The people of that region had begged Jesus “to depart” (verse 17). The next time He returned, a large crowd was waiting (8:1). Is it possible the crowd gathered because the man went home and told what Jesus had done? Could the one once ruled by darkness have become one of the first to carry the news of Jesus’ power to save?
We’ll never know for sure this side of heaven. But this much is certain: when God sets us free to serve Him, He can take even a messy past and turn it into a message of hope and love.
By: Micah Raybon
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Reflect & Pray
What has Jesus set you free from? How can you share with others what He’s done for you?
Beautiful Savior, I praise You for Your amazing power! No darkness can stand against You! Help me to walk in Your light today.