Don't tell anyone

Matthew 8:1-4 - When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

Very often Jesus told those on the receiving end of a miracle, "Don't tell anyone." (Jesus didn't want to be known primarily as a miracle worker but as the promised Savior and Redeemer of everyone.) I wonder how many actually did what he told them to; that is, didn't do what he told them not to do.

It had to be tough to keep something so good to yourself. How could you not tell your family, neighbors, and coworkers? If you had been healed of an awful disease like this man, they'd notice something different about you. If you had a demon removed, they'd notice a drastic change in your behavior.

Faith in Jesus as your Savior and Redeemer is a miracle too -- something only God can accomplish. If you've been the recipient of that miracle, do you find it hard to keep it to yourself? Do your coworkers, neighbors, and family members notice anything different about you, a difference in your behavior, compared to those who haven't yet experienced the miracle of faith?