WHAT A RÉSUMÉ!

1"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,

Because the LORD has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3 To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins,

They shall raise up the former desolations,

And they shall repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,

And the sons of the foreigner

Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

6 But you shall be named the priests of the LORD,

They shall call you the servants of our God.

ISAIAH 61:1-6A (NKJV)

In the cities, small towns, and rural areas there are many people who are looking for someone to help them find a purpose in life. Some have sought to find it in the pursuit of the good life as the world defines it. Others have thought that power, money, and fame would bring them fulfillment. For some reason, the more we try to find our purpose in life according to the standards of the world, the more we fall short and become distressed and discouraged.

What causes the major stumbling block is that we get so caught up in the hectic pull of the world that we are not able to feel the gentle tug of Christ. I like to think of these words in Isaiah 61 as the résumé of the gentle tugger, Jesus Christ. Look at these qualifications:

He was anointed by God to bring the GOOD NEWS.

He lists what He has done - verses 1-3

He lists what you will do - verse 4-5

He tells you the final result - verse 6

Consider these verses carefully and prayerfully. Now decide -- Do you want to seek the goals that the world offers, or do you want to follow the goals of the One who will lead you to be called A Servant of God?

WE PRAY: Dear Lord, Satan has found so many ways to try to draw me away from you as he entices me by the lures of the world and self satisfaction. Send your Holy Spirit upon me that I might have the wisdom and strength to accept your gift of freedom from the captivity and bondage of sin. Lead me to live in such a way that I might help others to seek this same gift from you. AMEN

SUGGESTIONS FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

Consider setting aside more time each day for the purpose of seeking God’s Presence in your life. If you are willing to do this, think about starting with an extra five or ten minutes with God. Go through these verses from Isaiah 61 and think about which verse appeals to you the most, then act on it. As an example, if you feel captive to something, determine what that is. When you have decided, ask God to free you from that captivity.

When you face that captivity in daily life, you might do nothing different, you might feel that you should do something different but you really don’t want to be free, you might try to follow that feeling and fail, or you might follow that feeling and be one step closer to freedom from that captivity.

Do not be discouraged if you fail as long as you, in honest prayer, return to God to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you try again.