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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord
has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from
darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the
day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those
who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the
oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of
despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for
the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore
the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been
devastated for generations.”
“Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.”
Isaiah 61:1-7
This ends today’s
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Here’s one thing I can assure you
today. When the Spirit of the Lord is within you, the Lord is always anointing
you for His special purposes.
You see, God’s word in Romans tells
us that we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices before the Lord for this
is to be our spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1-2). We are to surrender our
wills and desires so that the Lord’s will and way and word take top priority.
And when we do that, then we are called to do His work and empowered with
whatever we need to get that work done.
As we look at our scripture passage
today, we see two perfect personifications of this truth in the prophet Isaiah
and Jesus, God’s only Son who was sent to save all mankind. Let’s look at today’s
passage and then see how each man allowed the Lord’s spirit and anointing to
guide them.
“The Spirit of the
Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news
to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom
for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the
year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all
who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown
of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment
of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Isaiah 61:1-3a
When we open our hearts, minds, and
souls to the leading of the Spirit, the Lord anoints us to achieve specific actions.
In the case of Isaiah, he was called to bring good news to the Israelites who,
once favored and blessed, were now poor and brokenhearted, oppressed and held
captive in a foreign land.
The exile had been going on for
seventy years, more than a lifetime for many of God’s people who perished in confinement
and never got to see the holy land again, a penalty from God for the blatant
disrespect and disregard they showed Him through their worshipping of false
gods and idols. And although God had promised the exile would not endure beyond
seventy years, it still left His people dismayed and disenfranchised. They
needed encouragement and the Lord sent it through His messenger Isaiah who,
filled by the Spirit and anointed, promised them the following:
1. Good news for their exile would
end soon and they would be restored and delivered from their poverty.
2. Repair for their broken hearts
for they would return to the place of the Lord’s favor.
3. Freedom for them from their
captivity and release from darkness. This would come when Persia defeated the
Babylonians and God used King Cyrus to secure the release of His people.
4. A day of the Lord’s vengeance.
The Lord would protect His people from their enemies once they returned to
rebuild Jerusalem and His temple.
5. Comfort and provision for those
who grieved and were shamed by their present condition. For them, a crown of
glory, the oil of joy, and garments of praise were to come.
Just imagine if you were one of the
people of Israel in captivity and received this news. Would it not lift your
spirit and drive you to a place of encouragement?
I know it would if it were me.
But what if this word also brings
our spirits the same encouragement today?
The good news is that it does.
This is because these words not
only applied to Isaiah but to Jesus as well. Go to Luke 4 and you will find our
Savior repeating the same words Isaiah spoke to a gathering in the synagogue and
when everyone’s eyes were fastened on Him, He said the following:
“Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:21
In other words, Jesus, filled with
the Spirit of His Father and anointed to achieve the special purposes He was
sent to fulfill, brought the promises that had been proclaimed prior by Isaiah to
their final completion.
1. He was the ultimate good news
for the poor, those lost in their sins and hardships. For there would be a life
available through Him beyond this worldly one, a life free from all the
difficulties this life brings.
2. He would be the One who would
bring complete healing for the broken hearted for a day was ahead where they
would live in light and love and peace with Him and God the Father forever.
3. He would free them once and for
all from the captivity and bondage of sin, bringing release and freedom
forever.
4. He would not only proclaim but
be the instrument of God’s vengeance on a sinful world. For when Jesus returns,
He will do so to judge the earth and everyone on it. For those who have believed
and trusted in Him, salvation will come that day. For the others, death and
destruction.
5. He brings comfort to those who
are sinful and ashamed of their failings. For when the day of judgment arises,
He will justify all those who placed their trust in Him as Savior and instead
of ashes, mourning, and despair, He will bring beauty and joy and praise.
Friends, when we allow the Spirit
of the Lord to overwhelm us and flood our hearts and minds, then we will make a
kingdom difference here on earth because we will be fulfilling the Lord’s will
and way.
We can proclaim the good news to
the poor. We can bind up the hearts of the brokenhearted. We announce the way
to freedom from the bondage of sin through belief in Jesus. We can make known
the coming day of God’s vengeance and the urgency for others to be saved before
it comes. And we can ensure that everyone knows of the glory that comes from
their salvation, a glory that replaces hopelessness with an enduring promise
and assurance of life eternal through a loving, caring Savior.
I know I revel and rejoice in the
opportunity to do this daily through The Christian Walk ministry and pray you
will join me in living a life filled with the Lord’s Spirit and anointing.
For there’s no better life to live.
Amen
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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