EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT
“Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.” Mark 5:17 NIV
Our theme scripture is taken from a larger story where Jesus visited a city in the Decapolis. The word Decapolis means “ten cities.” These were politically loose units that enjoyed some self-governance, carried heavy Greek influence, and remained under Roman oversight.
With Greek culture came the worship of foreign idol gods, though some Jews still lived among them. This created division. Some embraced pagan practices, such as herding swine, while others saw such things as unclean, a mark of idolatry and foreign domination. In this passage, Jesus delivers a man long possessed by demons, sending the unclean spirits into a herd of swine. To the citizens of Decapolis, this was more than a miracle, it was a disruption.
Jesus’ power affirmed the Jewish belief in the one true God. It also threatened their economy, tied to the swine, and even their political stability, since both Roman and Greek oversight were symbols of wealth and protection. Rather than welcoming Him, they rejected Jesus’ lordship over their lives, their livelihood, and their land. Child of God, the same tension exists today.
Many still reject Christ in pursuit of wealth, affluence, status, or power. But may it never be said of you that you chose treasures that perish over life abundant. Guard your heart from loving the gift more than the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Praise God!
Prayer: My Father, I thank you for the grace that brought me to you. I thank you for the appointed time set for every man to yield and accept your lordship. May we be faithful stewards of the good news that was entrusted to us that none in our generation would perish for lack of knowledge. Strengthen and enable me to trail-blaze on that mission, in Jesus name. Amen.
CI.
RELATED RESOURCES
• 1 Timothy 6:9
• Matthew 6:19
• James 4:4
