NOT ABOUT US
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.
Mark 9:38-41 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
The disciples have just had a major lesson in the power of prayer and fasting. They had lacked the ability to bring deliverance to a tormented boy. Jesus had told them it was because of a lack of faith on their part because they had not spent enough time in prayer and fasting. Then John tells Jesus they told someone to stop using Jesus’ name to cast demons “because he wasn’t in our group.” Wow, I’ve seen this happen over and over in my ministry. Denominations and churches love to think they have a corner on the power of God. They often think anyone who is not in “their group” can’t really be doing the right thing. We saw this recently in the revival that broke out at Asbury University. Students were experiencing the presence of God with worship, preaching, confession, repentance, and prayer. Services went on almost 24 hours a day for almost three weeks. It garnered national attention and spontaneous revivals broke out on numerous other campuses as students began to seek the Lord. But there were some who criticized the revival because it was not started by someone “in their group.” There was no big-name evangelist who was used by God to ignite the fire of revival. There was no super worship band that sparked passionate worship. It was just a bunch of students who got hungry for God. Some rejected the revival as real because it did not have their name or denomination associated with it. God is moving across our world in a variety of ways and through varieties of people. Let’s be careful not to reject something as not being from God just because we weren’t the ones God chose to work through.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit help me to recognize what You are doing and applaud Your work. Help me to be careful to criticize or reject Your work through others.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”