As You Are

Jesus is about bringing freedom!

Luke 4:14-20
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."


Do you notice that it does not say to pull yourself out of your poverty and then come?

Or get free of your depression, your addictions, your habits, your self destructive tendencies, your sadness, your chains, and then come….

Or heal yourself of your brokenness and then come…

Or overcome the oppression you are feeling and then come…

Instead it is clear that Jesus took care of it all.

Roman 5:6-8
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This is important for our own lives and as we share the gift of faith, grace, and hope with others.

For those of us who have heard this for years it is very easy for us to believe and even possibly quote these scriptures, but have we taken the time to realize how this truth should change how we think, how we act, and who we are?

Here are a few points to ponder. Ask the Lord to speak to you through His scriptures and as you read these questions.

1. How does this affect us?

2. How should we approach God?

3. How should we approach life?

4. How should we approach others?