"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach 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 gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."
I won't spend a great deal of time on this passage today, other than to say that it indicates something of the qualities and the mission of the Messiah who would come. What I will draw our attention to today is verse 6 of this same chapter:
"And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God." In God's new economy, in the new reality that Jesus came to establish, we, the participants in that economy, will be priests and ministers. Is that how we think of ourselves? Do we take seriously enough the fact that we have been given a great gift, that we know the One who will bring comfort to mourners, praise to those who despair, and who can repair the brokenhearted?
What are we doing with that gift each day? Let's use today as a reminder that we are ministers of God's grace through Christ, and we have a mighty responsibility.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment