TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Mark 5:18
Read: Mark 5:18-19
Listen: Mark 5
TODAY’S MESSAGE
The man just received his life back. He moves from darkness to light and wants to stay with Jesus. He begs Jesus to let him come with him. In a surprising twist, Jesus tells the man to stay. He has a different mission for him. The man must return to his people and tell them all the Lord has done for him. The man trusts Jesus’s leadership and goes home, telling people in the region about Jesus’s work in his life.
Jesus won’t always do what we want him to. Following him means trusting his plan and his timing for our lives. We accept that he knows what is best, even when he doesn’t provide what we think we need. We may believe God has led us to a new job, but it falls through. We may have thought that a relationship was moving forward, but the other person leaves. We may want healing desperately, but the illness remains. Following Jesus involves trusting him for forgiveness for our sins and trusting him to lead every area of our lives.
Even Jesus wrestled with the Father’s plans. Hours before his death on the cross, Jesus cries out, asking if there might be another way. Ultimately, he trusts the Father and prays, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). We become more like Jesus when we submit to his leadership, especially when it’s painful and doesn’t make sense.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Trust Jesus with a situation that isn’t going like you hoped and prayed. Pray Jesus’s prayer of trust and submission. “Father, not my will in __________________, but yours be done. Amen.”
2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.
May is SECRECY. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
