Daily Gospel Devotional: February 17

Matthew 4:23-25 / Mark 1:39 / Luke 4:44

Faces in the crowd…

Today, very few have never heard the name of Jesus. He’s not physically with us, but mentioning His name still draws attention, and most of the time, if spoken of in truth, it will not be a positive reaction. Oh, there may be smiles, but let Him press His claims, and those smiles will turn to scorn. It has always been so (John 6:53-67). People are comfortable with a distant Jesus; they will even follow Him in somewhat veiled admiration. But bring Him near, on His terms, rather than rushing to Him on their terms, and then the truth of their hearts will arise.

People may rush upon the Master, and may follow along for a while, but when truly tested, we see that some only tasted (Hebrews 6:4-6), they didn’t really swallow. People want His deliverance, but they do not want His divinity, for that would mean their subjection. People want to touch His hand, but they do not want to bow the knee. People will freely follow along as long as they can freely turn around. Those captured by Christ, however, are part of the triumphal procession of God’s slaves (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).

People are helped, healed, delivered, and crowds follow. We may want great open displays of deliverance, but what we fail to realize is that every single person who is not a part of the kingdom of God is under the power of the devil (1 John 5:19), and everyone who has been saved has had to be delivered from demonic powers. That is what salvation is, being delivered, and we cannot do it ourselves, but when we believe the gospel of Jesus Christ it delivers us.

Are you being delivered, or are you just one of the crowds following along?

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©