For the past few weeks here at New Life we’ve been going through the series “Overcoming Life’s Giants.” We’ve talked about what it means to OVERCOME the giants of fear, the almost life, and even gratitude (isn’t CRAZY that gratitude, a grateful heart, can be a giant?). Our pastors, our shepherds, our leaders have a desire to see our church, our people, us, you, me, set FREE from our struggles—to no longer be OVERWHELMED by the world, but to OVERCOME it! That gets me EXCITED! That gets me PUMPED!
There’s a passion, a burning desire to BE the church, to REACH the oppressed, to TEACH the willing, to SEND the obedient. I’m not perfect, in fact I’m far from it, but I know that my Jesus is working in me and through me, washing away the filth of my past and making room for himself so that he can FILL ME UP! He’s loosening the shackles…no, he’s already LOOSENED the shackles; it’s a matter of whether or not I’ll take my hands and feet out from them.
He’s already done the work.
He’s already made a way.
It’s up to me to follow.
It’s up to you to follow.
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.
Isaiah 61:1 NLT
These words, taken from the book of Isaiah, are spoken once more later in the Bible, spoken not from the mouth of a prophet, but from the author himself…Jesus (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus didn’t shed his blood to save a few, to rescue some, to redeem a handful. He died, he sacrificed himself on the cross to SAVE THE WORLD!
Jesus came to BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.
Jesus came to COMFORT THE BROKENHEARTED.
Jesus came to PROCLAIM THAT CAPTIVES WILL BE RELEASED.
Jesus came so the PRISONERS WOULD BE FREED.
We ARE the poor. We ARE the brokenhearted. We ARE the captives. We ARE the prisoners. Yet there’s GOOD NEWS…in Christ, we are SET FREE! We can stop searching. We can stop looking. We can stop hunting. We fool ourselves into thinking peace and comfort and rest can be found in a bottle of pills or alcohol or relationships or work (the list seriously goes on and on), but we look to no avail because we look in the wrong places. Until we turn our eyes to Jesus, peace will continue to escape us.
New Life, how are you doing? I pray you’re eating this series up. I pray our church is set free. I pray our church finds rest.
Will you OVERCOME or be OVERWHELMED?
There’s a passion, a burning desire to BE the church, to REACH the oppressed, to TEACH the willing, to SEND the obedient. I’m not perfect, in fact I’m far from it, but I know that my Jesus is working in me and through me, washing away the filth of my past and making room for himself so that he can FILL ME UP! He’s loosening the shackles…no, he’s already LOOSENED the shackles; it’s a matter of whether or not I’ll take my hands and feet out from them.
He’s already done the work.
He’s already made a way.
It’s up to me to follow.
It’s up to you to follow.
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.
Isaiah 61:1 NLT
These words, taken from the book of Isaiah, are spoken once more later in the Bible, spoken not from the mouth of a prophet, but from the author himself…Jesus (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus didn’t shed his blood to save a few, to rescue some, to redeem a handful. He died, he sacrificed himself on the cross to SAVE THE WORLD!
Jesus came to BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.
Jesus came to COMFORT THE BROKENHEARTED.
Jesus came to PROCLAIM THAT CAPTIVES WILL BE RELEASED.
Jesus came so the PRISONERS WOULD BE FREED.
We ARE the poor. We ARE the brokenhearted. We ARE the captives. We ARE the prisoners. Yet there’s GOOD NEWS…in Christ, we are SET FREE! We can stop searching. We can stop looking. We can stop hunting. We fool ourselves into thinking peace and comfort and rest can be found in a bottle of pills or alcohol or relationships or work (the list seriously goes on and on), but we look to no avail because we look in the wrong places. Until we turn our eyes to Jesus, peace will continue to escape us.
New Life, how are you doing? I pray you’re eating this series up. I pray our church is set free. I pray our church finds rest.
Will you OVERCOME or be OVERWHELMED?
No comments:
Post a Comment