There is a question here, screaming to be posed to
anyone who reads this Gospel account: Which
is a better outcome…two men tortured and driven to hell, or two men healed of
their madness, the consequence being a herd of pigs sacrificed?
So often I’ve heard the argument turn towards
compassion for a herd of pigs (which were being raised for food), and ignoring the
tormented men, possessed by demons. The
evidence of our sinful nature is seen in the epilogue to Jesus healing the
men. The whole town agrees, the pigs
were more important to them than the healing of the possessed men. By begging Jesus to
leave, the entire town takes a stance against the liberating compassion of Christ,
choosing instead the company of evil.
And thus it has always been.
If you take a closer look at the tortured men,
the demons reveal everything that drives their decision. Their whole activity has one purpose…to bring
misery, pain, and death. All their actions
drove the men to violence and disruption.
This has been the game plan of Lucifer since being kicked out of heaven
for opposing God. Apostle Peter warned the
flock about Satan’s ways:
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion,
looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter
5:8
Why is this account in Scripture? It holds up a mirror to today’s culture…anger,
violence, murder, deceit, all of which turns upside-down that which God planned
for us, His creation. He designed the
fruit of the Spirit as our dwelling:
But the Holy Spirit produces
this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is
no law against these things!
Galatians 5:22-23
Ever opposing the good work of God, demons are
under orders from Hell to destroy our peace, and every other work of Heaven,
take us by the hand, and lead us to death’s doorstep.
For You Today
Spiritual warfare is not a choice…the battle is
already raging. And in any war, the
choice of which side you’ll take must be settled long before the battle begins.
There are about 2,000 devotional
posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions
library. To dig deeper on
today’s topic, explore some of these:
Faith That's BAD for Business and Ears Open - Heart Straight -
Eyes on the Road - Sure Foot
Images: Title Pixabay.com Images without citation are either personal
property of the author, or in public domain.
Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
