Crazy for Jesus

Ask God to reshape the way you look at things. Consider expecting something other than what you’ve always expected, and see what you see then.

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Mark 3:21, ” But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind.’ “

Background

Only recently have I been exposed to a television show that airs on the National Geographic channel called Brain Games . On this program, the host interacts with various experts in certain fields of science, along with ordinary citizens, to explore the ways in which our brains operate, many times to the great surprise of all. For example, one episode examined the reliability of our memory, especially when certain outside influences are introduced. A week after several observers witnessed a certain incident, they were gathered as a jury to discuss the facts and reach a decision. What they did not know was that a couple of plants had been added to the group to try and steer the direction of their verdict. The plants were to subtly introduce details that did not really exist in order to incorporate them into the fabric of evidence. Given enough time, and the eroding reliability of memory, their points became part of the truth that the group remembered. When the members saw the replay of the incident and their initial reaction juxtaposed against what they finally believed happened, they were shocked as to how affected their memories had been.

Application

Each of us needs a little something like this, but not in the direction of error or untruth. Our minds have been programmed over time to expect certain things, fear certain things, and avoid certain things. We have created a reality for ourselves that we are comfortable with, even with its pains and problems and illusions. What we need is to somehow get out of our minds so that what we cling to and hide behind can be let go for the freedom and reality that is from Christ. When the family and friends of Jesus thought that He was out of His mind, they were probably correct. The mind that for thirty years had seen the way lost, self-righteous people live and treat one another was not the one He was using. His was subject to the way God looked at things, and that spirit made everything look and seem just the way God truly saw it. And that is what reality looks like.

Charge

As we seek Him today, ask God to reshape the way you look at things. Consider expecting something other than what you’ve always expected, and see what you see then.

Author — Rich Holt | BCWorldview.org

Salvation — Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words