Your People

In Mark 5 we see Jesus casting demons from a man into the swine. The man was dramatically changed because of his encounter with the Lord. He had been living among the tombs. He was a wild man. After Jesus cast the demons out of him, he wanted to join Christ in His mission. Jesus told him to rather go and tell “your friends,” what great things the Lord had done for him and how He had compassion on him. One translation says, “your people.” 

The original language doesn’t include the word friends or people. It simply says, “yours,” or “thine.” It could include friends, family, or people who are dear to you. We all understand that the people who hear us preach and the people to whom we minister each week are God’s people. Yet, if we learn to love them and care deeply for them, in a way, they become our people. We work with them, we teach them, we pray with them, we laugh with them, we weep with them, and we seek to serve them in every way possible. They also serve us, teach us, pray for us, and learn to love us. We become a part of their families, and they become a part of our families.  

When our work becomes difficult or stressful, our people can strengthen us. When what we do becomes burdensome and difficult, our people can keep us going. When life wears us down, and we consider giving up, our people can comfort us and pray for us. One of the ways we can remain motivated and make sure we don’t give up or quit is to remember to be thankful for “our people.”