Do this to glorify God. (Isaiah 61:1-3)

To preach good tidings to the poor,

To heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

To open the prison for those who are bound,

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

To proclaim the day of vengeance of our God,

To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

To give them the oil of joy for mourning,

To give them 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.

(Isaiah 61:1-3 “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; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 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.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Is 61:1–3.)

My Thoughts:

    God is so good to me. He loves me so much.

    When I reflect on these verses from Isaiah 61:1-3 “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; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 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.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Is 61:1–3., I wonder why they focus on the poor, the captives, and those who mourn. Then I realized: these verses describe the condition of humanity—my condition. Romans 6:23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ro 6:23. says, "For the wages of sin is death..."

    I need to know that God loves me. I need healing for my sinful and broken heart. I need freedom from sin. I need a way out of the prison of my sinfulness. I need to hear about the Lord's pleasure and His acceptable year. I even need to hear about the day of vengeance.

    Let me pause here for a moment. Verse 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Is 61:2. mentions "the acceptable year of the Lord" and contrasts it with "the day of vengeance of our God." Think about that for a second—an entire year of the Lord's favor versus a single day of vengeance. God is so good to me. He loves me so much that He wants me to know this: vengeance is not His focus. It’s a single day. Not 360 days, not eternity—just one day. Isn't that amazing? Thank You, Jesus!

    And then, God promises to comfort me in my mourning—the mourning for the death of self. He even allows me to take the time to mourn this loss. Then, He promises to exchange my ashes for beauty. How incredible is that? He will anoint me with the oil of joy and clothe me with the garment of praise.

    This garment of praise reminds me of the story of the prodigal son. But anyway, back to Romans 6:23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ro 6:23.: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

    This is the blueprint. I first need to know that my Lord loves me. Not only does He love me, but He loves me so much that He gave His only begotten Son so I could be saved. In response, I’m called to share His love and proclaim His goodness to others.

    But how good is my God? Oh, He is more than good—He is love. If you haven’t seen my God and my Savior, I dare you to find Him. Jeremiah 29:13And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Je 29:13. says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."