Mark 5:15

New International Version (NIV)

When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

For Meditation

In 1865, two young professors decided to reopen the Southern Baptist University in Greeneville, South Carolina in the United States of America. It was after the end of the, War Between the States, and enrollment was not expected to be high. However, Professor John Albert Broadus dedicated himself to a strict discipline of preparing a course of lectures on preaching, for a homiletics class. Informed by the President of the Seminary that his class would have only one student who was unfortunately blind, Professor Broadus responded, “I am sorry to learn that he is blind, but I shall give him my best, just as if there were one hundred in the class”. With tenacious dedication, Professor Broadus took the single blind student through the course. I wonder what I would have done in that situation, but that is the call of the Gospel to us all – dedicated service to one willing soul in spite of the obvious handicap.

In the Gospel of Mark, we read of Jesus crossing the Sea of Tiberias in a wicked storm (Mk. 4:35-41) to deliver one demon-possessed man who lived in the tombs in the region of Gerasenes (5:1-15). Jesus had left the crowd to attend to the individual soul “on the other side” of the sea (35) who was in torment, in spite of the danger that loomed ahead (37).

1. Can we do the same for His name’s sake?
2. Can we commit to service to individuals or in small groups instead of looking for the large crowds to minister to?
3. In the church, can we dedicate ourselves to the background and thankless ministries, knowing that the One who sees and rewards faithfulness, will honor His name in our lives?
4. Can we commit to one physically challenged person who may need our smile and touch to brighten their life?
5. Can we commit to a life-long mission work in a remote place for the sake of one soul who may be the only one to come to Christ?

I pray we will realize the richness and joy of such selfless and faithful service to one person for the sake of Christ. Later, Professor Broadus’ lectures to that blind man became the book, The Preparation and Delivery of Sermons that required fifty editions to satisfy its popular demand.

So: May you never be discouraged because you don’t see the numbers in your mission outreach or that your ministry is limited to one person. Rather, may you, like Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2; Phil. 2:9-11), endure the lonesome service; for great is your reward in glory (Lk. 6:23)!

The joy of service is not in the numbers that come, but in the one contented soul that is refreshed in Christ.

Shalom