Location, Location, Location

Sometimes it is a matter of real estate.

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Location, Location, Location

Mark 5:3 – Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

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Where do you live?  I’m really not referring to your geographic location.  Rather, I am talking about your spiritual location.  But using natural pictures will help us have deeper understanding.  Having traveled in many places of our world, I have seen the slums of some major cities in several nations.  Having been there and seen that, I think it reasonable to believe that if the people who live there could move to a better location, they would.  I know that there are people in other nations who would like to come and live in America.  Many of them do not have an accurate understanding of all that goes into such a decision, thinking all they need to do is get to America and things will be alright.  My friend, there are many people who live in America who can give personal testimony that such thinking is erroneous.

Take a moment to re-examine my opening query.  Where do you live (spiritually)?  Are there things in your spiritual neighborhood that make living there undesirable?  Would you like to be in a better spiritual community?  Please don’t take me wrong in my approach.  Regardless of the natural condition of your physical world, your spiritual community is different.  Your spiritual community is not based on the square footage of your house, the average annual income of your neighbors, or the size of the land plots on which you live.  It is based on the life that is present around you, the ready availability of prayer, the depth and accuracy of the Word of God that is planted and at work in your life, the community of praise and worship in which you live that dramatically impacts your spiritual attitude in all things, and the ongoing and developing community of fellowship that permeates your spiritual atmosphere.

All those things help determine your impact and effectiveness as a witness for your faith, the degree of the victory in which you walk, and the honor your life brings to the Lord and His kingdom.  In the case of our Text for Today, Jesus had come to Gadara, and the man who came down to meet Him did not come to worship Him, but to attack Him.  Keep in mind that while Jesus was physically in Gadara, He did not reside in Gadara.  Regardless of the geography, Jesus, in His earthly ministry, kept Himself full of and flowing with the Word of God, and regardless of where He was, having His disciples with Him helped Him preserve the security of the atmosphere that surrounded Him.  Though in Gadara, confronted by a demoniac, and literally a foreigner in the Gadarene economy, Jesus brought with Him the atmosphere of heaven.  That should be our constant aim.  We may find ourselves in a strange, or even horribly negative geographical location, but let us always be surrounded the atmosphere of heaven, full of faith, full of the Word, walking in love, pleasing Father, and ready for action, enveloped by divine location.

Manna for Today – Mark 5:1-20; Romans 13:12; Ephesians 5:11