“I wonder how often Jesus invites us to another level of our spiritual inheritance but we refuse it and plead with him to leave our presence because it just costs us too much. . . . It sounds particularly ridiculous to say God deserves anything less than all of our heart. The reality, though, is that when our hearts are not yielded to the Spirit’s whisper, and we resist, quench, or grieve the Spirit’s work in our soul, we in essence do the very thing the people of Gadara did to Jesus.”- Heath Adamson
“The herdsmen fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had the legion, sitting here, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. . . . they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.”- Mark 5:14-15, 17 (ESV)
In Chapter 9 (“A New Normal”) of The Sacred Chase, Heath Adamson notes that people living in the area surrounding Gadara accepted Legion’s screams as a normal part of everyday life. And the people worked diligently to tame and bind him. Therefore, you’d think they would congratulate Jesus for healing Legion. But, according to Mark, no one ran up to Jesus and hugged Him. Also, no one proclaimed God’s amazing love.
However, the people of Gadara distanced themselves far from what normal could and should look like. As a result, they found themselves unable to handle Legion’s transformation. Thus, it was easier to handle his pain and torment. So, what they viewed as the problem wasn’t really the problem at all!
Furthermore, the destruction of the swine caused the people of Gadara great discomfort. Because the swine stood for everything they needed to eliminate from their lives. Therefore, the new normal Jesus offered seemed too steep a price to pay.
Hence, we must do more than simply talk about Jesus Christ as our Savior. As Heath states, “To view Jesus as Savior but remain unwilling to yield to His lordship is just like Judas calling Jesus his rabbi.”
Today’s question: How do you respond when Jesus invites you to another level of spiritual inheritance? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “What sabotages our passionate pursuit”
