“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” (Luke 8:38-39, NIV)
“You can’t go home again,” is the title of a famous book written by Thomas Wolfe (1940). Returning home is not always a pleasant option. It certainly was not a cheerful thought for the man in today’s scripture, for whom Jesus had liberated from the tyranny of demon-possession.
Perhaps he feared the taunts of those who remembered him in his former state. Perhaps he thought that his new life warranted a fresh start in a new place. Perhaps he thought that he could do more for the reputation of Jesus as a part of the Master’s entourage than he could by returning to the skeptical folks at home.
However, Jesus had other ideas. “Return home and tell how much God has done for you,” Jesus told the man. He is telling you and me the same thing today.
Our task is a simple one: Tell what God has done for you.
Be bold. Give God the glory. No one can tell your story better than you. Be faithful in this simple task. – Luther
