Released Into Our Destiny

This morning I am thinking through the story, found in Mark's Gospel, of the crazy man from The Gerasenes.

Mark 5:1-5 NIV
They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. [2] When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. [3] This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. [4] For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. [5] Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

This is how the man was when he encountered Jesus. The following verses describe how he was after meeting Jesus.

Mark 5:18-20 NIV
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. [19] Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” [20] So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

What I ws thinking through this morning was the radical change, and new destiny that Jesus had released in this man. His life previously was one of insanity, violence, self loathing, self hatred, loneliness, rejection, and demonic torment. Once Jesus cleansed him of all that was affecting him, in this case it was spiritual, he was a completely transformed man. Even more important was the direction the Lord gave him, to go home and tell his own people about what the Lord had done, effectively releasing him as one of the first evangelists. Not content to just share with his family and friends this men went to the decapolis - 10 cities - and shared with them all as well.

So a man goes from certifiable, and beyond institutional care, crazy to being an evangelist ministering in 10 cities because of one significant encounter with Jesus. Wow!

Jesus saw the man beneath the chains and insanity. Jesus, through the help of the Father and Holy Spirit, saw the man as he was created to be and called him into that place.

This is what the Lord wants to do in each of our lives! He wants to free us from the chains of unbelief, wrong thinking, our past hurts and wounds, our rejection our bitterness, our past and release us, not to just live normal lives, but to have impact on all those around us! He sees us as we really are, as we were created to be, and longs to call us into that reality! He loves us enough to walk into the graveyard, where all our hopes and dreams have died or are chained up, and set us free! He won't stop there, for once we are free He will call us into our eternal destiny, that which we were created to be.

Come Lord Jesus and release Your sons and daughters from all that holds us back from our eternal destiny!