Reading: Isaiah 58-63
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn (Is. 61:1-2).
Chapter 61 of the Book of Isaiah is a song of immense joy and celebration. We only need to read the first two verses to discover from whose point of view the narrative is being told. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior of all, is the only person ever to have existed who set out to fulfill these verses (Luke 4:17-19) and achieved everything He set out to do. As He reached the end of His earthly life, He knelt in prayer before His Father and proclaimed, I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do (John 17:4).
Jesus, our Savior and King, came to earth not to rule but to serve. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matt. 20:27-28). His mission was to bind up the brokenhearted and to proclaim liberty to the captives (of sin). He walked this earth bestowing the love of the Father on all who were in need, and through His blood sacrifice, He opened the prison of sin and offered freedom to all that were previously bound. He was homeless, hungry, tired, dirty, and uncomfortable during much of His earthly ministry. Nevertheless, he was filled with a fierce, unfailing joy as He went about fulfilling God’s plan of salvation. Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:2).
And He said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23). We, too, have been called to take up the mantle of the servant of God. As God is holy, we must also seek to be holy as we strive to carry out our Master’s will (I Pet. 1:16). We now bear the responsibility to proclaim liberty (in the form of the gospel of Christ) to those who are still held captive in sin. We have been granted the privilege to share the love of God with all of humanity as we feed the hungry, house the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and minister to the imprisoned (Matt. 25:34-36). All of this we do to uplift our fellow man and to glorify the God we serve. As we follow Christ’s example, we will find true joy in any sacrifice we make that leads to an improvement in the life of another.
These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:11-13).
Thought for Today: Jesus walked with us, died for us, and returned to us; it is only fitting that we stay at His side throughout our lives.
Christ Revealed:As the One anointed to preach Good Tidings (Is. 61:1)
Word Studies: 60:5 see, and flow together = become enlightened, and shine forth the Light of God; fear = be in awe (be amazed at what God is doing), and then when that has registered, comes the joy; 61:3 appoint = impart comfort; 62:4 Hephzibah = My delight is in her; Beulah = married; 63:15 the sounding of thy bowels = the yearning affection of your heart.
Pray for Staff: Judy McCrary • Country: Yemen (26,052,966) Southwestern Arabia • Major Language: Arabic • Attempts to convert Muslims to Christ are fiercely opposed • Muslim; Small number of Christian, Jewish, Hindu • Prayer Suggestion: Be glad in the Lord and rejoice at all times (Ps. 32:11).
Optional Reading:I Peter 2