Isaiah 61:1-4 v 3b “In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His own glory.”
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me. To bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the broken hearted and to proclaim that captives will be released, and prisoners will be freed. To tell those who mourn the time of God’s favor has come. In their righteousness they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and revive them.
On this World Mission Sunday we see that Isaiah received a direct message from God about his purpose on this earth. We can learn from this today that our purpose is the same. To help the poor, prisoners and those who mourn which can be done by giving to others or being directly involved in mission. However as well as the actual mission there is also the image to stand firm like great oaks planted for His glory. When did you have a conversation where you stood up for the values found in the bible? I am possibly going on a mission trip later this year but had a conversation with my husband, who is not keen on me going, that it is not because of my direction but because I was invited by godly people and if God is at the heart of the request who am I to say no? With tax breaks available to the end of this month you might be deciding to be generous in giving, or you might encourage your grandchildren to help make cookies and feel part of a larger family unit. Be like a great oak, planted for God’s glory this week.
Prayer: Holy God, we thank you for the words of the bible that are meaningful to us today. For the image of the great oak, planted for your glory. Amen.
CrossWalk 