all eyes on jesus | change agent

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 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. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. Mark 5:1-5, 15-17, NIV

There’s no question there would have been other people aside from the demon-possessed man who needed healing in the village. Jesus could have done so much more in that place, but the villagers wouldn’t let him. And, I think that was about change. Jesus’ presence threatened to change everything, the thought of change caused fear, and the villagers' fear limited what Jesus could do there - not because he could be constrained but because the villagers had choice and they chose not to accept any more change.

And we can do that, too. We can limit what Jesus wants to do with us because we are afraid of what the change is going to mean and it is possible for us to tell Jesus to leave us alone as emphatically as the villagers did. And if we do that, he won’t press the point. He will still be Jesus. He will still love us and long for us to experience everything he has for us. But he won’t outstay his welcome. He won’t force us to let him stay around. Just like the villagers, we get to choose how much of Jesus we want in our lives.

Life with Jesus is never about settling - it’s certainly never about settling for less than he has for us. And, yes, change is challenging but we live in the promise that God works all things together for our good. Don’t let fear prevent you from letting him change you today. You’ll love what he does with you after he’s done it!

Let's pray
Thank you, Jesus, that I have free will; empower me to choose to exercise it well. Lord, I don't want to settle for less than you have for me. Help me say 'yes' to your calls to be transformed, to change, to be healed, to be different, to be more fully yours every day. Amen.