Is the Spirit of the Lord Upon You?

Daily Reading: Luke 4

Scripture Focus: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to... (Luke 4.18)

Devotional Thought: After surviving the spiritual onslaught of Satan in the wilderness, Jesus went to the synagogue in his hometown. There, his physical life was threatened. Nothing like going to church to get beat up!

In "church" that day, Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah, and indicated that the ancient prophecy pointed to what he had come to do:

· Proclaim good news to the poor. Just as in our day, there was a vast population of poor who could not break out of the cycle of poverty. Held in generational poverty, they needed good news. Jesus offered them "redemption and lift." Most importantly, the poor in spirit would receive the good news of the Kingdom of God!

· Proclaim liberty to the captives. History is filled with the unjust treatment of people, enslaving them and devaluing their human worth. Jesus’ Kingdom is one of freedom from tyranny. Those held in bondage to sin, addiction and fear are set free by the grace of God!

· Proclaim recovering of sight to the blind. Jesus healed blinded eyes, but he also opened spiritual eyes.

· Set at liberty those who are oppressed. Oppression takes many forms. Marriage partners can oppress their spouses. Employers can oppress their employees. Parents can oppress their children. Society can oppress the marginal. Governments can oppress the citizens. In the midst of oppression, Jesus brings freedom!

· Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. When does all this start? Now! “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6.2). We don’t have to wait. We can tap into God’s grace right now!

How about you? Is the Spirit of the Lord upon you? Let Jesus live out his justice through you. Now is the day!

Prayer: Lord, our world is filled with suffering and injustice. Help me to be a vessel of peace and love, bringing your justice to those in bondage, your peace to those in turmoil. Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 135.1-7

1 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord, 2 who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! 3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant! 4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.

5 For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. 7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.