The Other Side
I have a monthly newsletter that I write and send out. This month (August), I wrote about swimming and my fear of it. The gist of that particular newsletter was about different water heights. The passage was on Ezekiel 47:5. The water that is over our heads is the water that can be crossed only by swimming. Only God can help us cross this water height. In the last paragraph of this article, I wrote: “There is something on the other side I now want to reach. God is waiting for me to wade in until it’s too deep for me alone. He is waiting to see if I have the faith to get my ankles wet, if I have the power and strength to wade further in than I have ever been before. I may be afraid of getting in over my head, but God will not let me drown. Just as a father takes the hand of his child, my God will take my hand and help me across.”
As I was finishing up with the last tweaks of the newsletter, I heard a sermon about the other side. This is the rest of the story. Jesus is on the bank of the Sea of Galilee, and he asks his disciples to cross over to the other side (Mark 4:35-5:20). Jesus had a reason to cross over to the other side. He went to help a man who was demon-possessed. Jesus crosses for one person who is lost. When the man with the legions of demons was healed, he wanted to go back with Jesus, but Jesus told him to “go home and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” In the parables of the lost sheep and coin found in Luke 15, Jesus says there is great rejoicing in heaven when one who is lost has been found.
There is a reason to get to the other side. Jesus pursues us individually. The other side has one person who is lost and needs Jesus. He wants us to cross over with Him. He didn’t go alone. The disciples were with Him. He uses our story of our crossing to bring others to Him. There is great rejoicing to be done. Praise the Lord for finishing the story.
The Lord had mercy on me. He found me and restored me. Someone crossed over to the other side for me. Now, I have a story to tell. How about you?
We give thanks to You, O God. We give thanks that Your name is near. Men tell about the great things You have done. Psalm 75:1 (NLV)
To read the newsletter, see my Facebook page at Denise4Health.
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