141: Set the oppressed free | Luke 4:18

Jesus came to proclaim good news, proclaim freedom to prisoners, and set the oppressed free. As His followers, shouldn’t we do the same?

After Jesus went to see John the Baptist, He officially began His earthly ministry. At this point, He was unknown, a carpenter’s son from Nazareth. Soon after Jesus visited John the Baptist, He went to His home synagogue, a place of worship. There, Jesus stood in front of the people to read from the ancient Scripture. Jesus chose the book of Isaiah and found the passage that we would refer to today as chapter 61 (the Bible wasn’t written in chapters and verses. Those were added later by the monks to help with copying the Bible… by hand!). Once Jesus found His place, He began to read these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,” adding “today, this Scripture is fulfilled.” I’m sure the people had no idea what to think of this. But for us today, it is very important. Jesus laid out His ministry. Proclaim good news, proclaim freedom, give sight to the blind, and set the oppressed free. When I am in the middle of a project, my children always want to get involved. I love seeing my son acting like he is preaching or my daughter going to my computer and trying to talk into my microphone. As my children, they follow in my footsteps and try to do what I do. When it comes to our faith, the same is true. We are children of God. I believe Jesus has handed this mission on to us. That we would be a force for Good in this world. We would fight for justice. That we proclaim the Good News and freedom to prisoners. That we restore the brokenhearted and set the oppressed free. We are surrounded every day by people who are hurting, and we possess the Hope of Glory!

One Verse is a short, free podcast devotional designed to help you grow closer to God through less than 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

Consistency trumps intensity. When it comes to working out, eating healthy, or managing our finances, consistency always trumps intensity. We reach our major life goals through small, purposeful steps taken daily. The same is true in our spiritual lives. I truly believe you will grow closer to God by spending just 5 minutes a day with Him versus cramming in an hour once a month. The One Verse Devotional is here to help take away the barriers of spending time with God. Now, during your workout, drive to work, or even shopping for groceries, you can invest in your spiritual life.

http://phosphorusproject.com/