The Oil Of Joy
Today and tomorrow I want to spend some time in Isaiah 61.
Let’s look at the first three verses today. They refer to Jesus and to you who have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you.
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, 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;
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Right now, this very moment, today, there are all sorts of things happening around us in the world at large, the economy, the uncertainly about wars and natural disasters, etc. And there are personal circumstances that would seem to consume us and encircle us with impossibilities to survive. In the midst of all of this churning world, there is the peace of Jesus Christ and His joy.
When there are situations that cause us to mourn, the Spirit of God is there to comfort us and to give us His oil of joy for the mourning we experience. He places a garment of praise on us for the spirit of heaviness. The one unchanging and stable factor in our lives in tough times is the Spirit of God, Whose makeup includes joy. When we turn to Him instead of turning away from Him, we experience that comfort of knowing that we will “make it”; we will come through with a testimony of praise to God.
When you don’t feel like it----especially when you don’t feel like it----praise the Lord. On purpose, realize that you have joy, regardless of how you feel. There are times in our lives when we must make a stand and draw a line in the sand. I am standing in the joy of the Lord and I refuse to do otherwise. Make that your decision today. Then those tough times won’t deter you. You will stay on that steadfast path with the Lord as your source of strength, your God to guide you.
Let’s look at the first three verses today. They refer to Jesus and to you who have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you.
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, 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;
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Right now, this very moment, today, there are all sorts of things happening around us in the world at large, the economy, the uncertainly about wars and natural disasters, etc. And there are personal circumstances that would seem to consume us and encircle us with impossibilities to survive. In the midst of all of this churning world, there is the peace of Jesus Christ and His joy.
When there are situations that cause us to mourn, the Spirit of God is there to comfort us and to give us His oil of joy for the mourning we experience. He places a garment of praise on us for the spirit of heaviness. The one unchanging and stable factor in our lives in tough times is the Spirit of God, Whose makeup includes joy. When we turn to Him instead of turning away from Him, we experience that comfort of knowing that we will “make it”; we will come through with a testimony of praise to God.
When you don’t feel like it----especially when you don’t feel like it----praise the Lord. On purpose, realize that you have joy, regardless of how you feel. There are times in our lives when we must make a stand and draw a line in the sand. I am standing in the joy of the Lord and I refuse to do otherwise. Make that your decision today. Then those tough times won’t deter you. You will stay on that steadfast path with the Lord as your source of strength, your God to guide you.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 7:37 PM
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