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In Mark 5 we read of a demon-possessed man. All he knew was a wild, violent life. He was driven by a superhuman strength and a devilish bent to be with the dead.
Are you willing to give up earthly dreams for eternal ones?
When he met Jesus, the man came running and bowed down to Him. Jesus came to his rescue with compassion and love, commanding the devils to leave.
By the power of God, the man was transformed from self-abuse to peace, from exposure to restraint, and from insanity to a right mind. Praise God! What a marvelous change!
But that’s not the end of the story. One man’s gain was another man’s loss. Did you notice the devils were not barred from the earth? They moved—from a man’s body to a nearby herd of pigs. The man was restored and able to follow Christ. Legion overtook the herd and drove them down a steep cliff and into the lake.
Jesus knew the value of one eternal soul. A pig is good and created by God (yes, ribs are my favorite). Yet the value of one soul far exceeds the value of pigs. Jesus did not hesitate to give the devils permission to destroy them.
When the people heard what Jesus had done, they began to plead with Jesus to leave. In other words, “Get out of here and never return!” They valued their business more than this man’s soul.
How much do you value one eternal soul?
Are you willing to give up earthly dreams in light of eternal ones?
A couple weeks ago, as I was feeding our address printer and watching the endless stream of Loaves & Fishes magazines flow down the conveyor, I was again struck with the reality of souls. Each clunk of the address printer represents another soul.
Are you bogged down with work? It is easy to forget why we do what we do—why we keep plugging away at those tiring behind-the-scenes jobs. Do them for an eternal soul, and your perspective will instantly change.
Update: I am excited to say we were able to print that new issue of Loaves & Fishes we’ve been telling you about. The mail trucks picked up all the subscriptions about two weeks ago (June 21), and we had more than enough funds to send them off! The printing cost was $17,510.20, and the postage for all the subscriptions was around $9,300.
Prayer Request: Pray for us as we prepare the next issue. We have had a difficult time making progress in editorial and design, but God’s timing is best and He is directing this project for His glory.
For the Kingdom,
Lavern Gingerich
