Every day is a day to wonder and marvel at God!
PRAY and thank God for His powerful presence in our lives!
REFLECT
Jesus finishes calling out the falsely religious, calling them (and us) into a more authentic relationship with God. Matthew then includes two stories to show the teaching truly came from an authoritative figure. But those two stories include Jesus touching a leper (v. 3) and healing a centurion's servant (a Roman, i.e., an infidel). How radical and scandalous that Matthew would show these two as the outworking of Jesus' authority to save! Then there comes a series of stories showing people struggling to respond to Jesus' authority - the would-be disciples, the actual disciples, and the Gadarenes. This Jesus is not to be taken lightly!
RESPOND
To what extent do you recognize Jesus' authority over your life? If your boss at work or your teacher tried to control your personal life, you'd explain the boundary and limits to their authority in your life. Do you acknowledge God's authority and then let Him act like Lord over your life? The Gadarenes rejected Jesus, "begged him to leave their region" (v. 24). The leper and the centurion put no such limitations on Jesus' authority, though, because they were well-aware of their need...and they knew their need could only be met by Jesus. Jesus' intention in our lives is to have complete authority over our lives. Our coming to God is not about "accepting Jesus into our hearts" so much as it is about surrendering our lives to Him. Have you surrendered every part of your life to God? It is not a question of whether or not He has authority so much as it is a question of us recognizing or fighting Him. Surrender to Him!
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