Day 7: Spirit and life
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel… (Ephesians 6:19).
Lord Jesus, You came to us with a mission You declared, when in the synagogue, You stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to You. Unrolling it, You found the place where it is written:
“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, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And with every eye in the synagogue fastened on You, You announced, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:16-21, Isaiah 61:1).
And having fulfilled Your stated mission, You declared "It is finished" from a Roman cross, on which You gave Yourself so that an estranged, hostile, broken world could be reconciled to the Father through You (John 19:30, 2 Corinthians 5:19). And after You had provided purification for sins, You sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (Hebrews 1:3).
But You promised those who accept Your precious gift of reconciliation, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3 - NKJV).
Until then, You have entrusted Your ongoing mission to them, with the instruction, "Go into all the world and tell the good news to everyone" (Mark 16:15). And You promised the same anointing of the Spirit that was on You (Luke 24:49).
Thus, You committed to [Your ambassadors] the message of reconciliation. You Yourself crafted the message— that God [is] reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. You provided the very words, as though God were making His appeal through us:
We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
Lord Jesus You told us, "The words I have spoken to You— they are full of the Spirit and life" (John 6:63). You relay them, from the deep fountains of Your grace, through Your servants, Christ's ambassadors. They touch every wound, every scar, every need, every longing of humanity. They bring good news of release, of recovery, of freedom, of the Lord's favor. And to the poor, the prisoners, the blind, the oppressed:
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52: 7).
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