Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Mark 1:23-28
And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
In Mark 1:23-28 we see Jesus beginning His ministry here on Earth. He called His first disciples to follow Him, then went into the temple to preach the Word of God! In the midst of His sermon, a man demon-possessed enters the synagogue and begins to engage in conversation with Jesus. How Jesus responds is simply incredible. The One who spoke the world into being, spoke to the demon and commanded him to come out of Him. The demon didn’t tell Jesus to hold on, nor did he delay. The bible says the demon immediately left the man! WOW! As you can expect, those in the crowd responded in amazement and could not wait to tell those around of the greatness they had witnessed!
If we were to step back a minute and reflect, we too could give testimony to how the Lord has done great things in our life. From salvation (Ephesians 2:6-10) to supplying our needs (Philippians 4:19), we have seen Him do great things in our life that ought to lead us to look to the Lord in amazement for who He is!
However, if you are like me you can find yourself falling into the trap of becoming so familiar with the things of God that we can lose that wonder and amazement of Him. All of a sudden the great things God does our lives become spectacles we clap at instead of amazing wonders we can’t help but to marvel at and praise Him for.
May it never be that we lose the wonder and amazement of the God we follow and worship. May we never become so consumed with our lives that we lose sight of God’s greatness and choose not to worship Him and tell of Him to others. The bible calls the Lord El HaGadol meaning “The Great God”. He indeed is great and greatly to be praised. There is no one like Him, nor will there ever be anyone like Him. I encourage you today to choose to take a step back in your life and reflect on all the great things the Lord has done. Ask the Lord to give you that sense of wonder and amazement for who He is once again, and I pray it will lead to worship with our lips and with our life.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father! Thank you for your love for me! Thank you for all the great things you have done in my life! Help me to never lose the wonder for who You are! Help to reflect on Your goodness today and in the days ahead. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 103:11– For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him