To Be an Anointed Nation – Devotions from the Road of Life

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3, King James Version

One of my favorite word games consists of finding words within a set of letters. Anagrams play a big part in helping to find the maximum number of words. I recently came across an interesting anagram pair: nation and anoint.

I was struck by the relationship between the two. For a nation to prosper, it must operate under the anointing of God. Isaiah outlined some of duties of an anointed one: to share the Lord’s word with others; to comfort and heal those who need it; to announce the freedom of salvation to those who are captive to sin. We’re called to serve others, to teach them about Jesus and to be living examples of Jesus to them.

Jesus reminded us of the importance of these duties when He visited the synagogue, as related in Luke 4. He told those present that He was there in fulfillment of the passage in person. How wonderful it would have been to hear Him utter those words and provide the realization of all they mean! What a challenge to us as Christ-followers to live up to the model He gave!

If we are to succeed as a nation and be the leaders of society we are called to be, we must seek the Lord’s anointing and do everything we can to fulfill the duties of that anointing. That means praying for awareness of other people’s needs, strength and resources to help meet those needs and a generosity of spirit to be willing to look beyond our own little circle to those who desperately need inclusion in the larger circle of God’s love. It’s not about me; it’s about glorifying Him through reaching out to His children.

Will you seek the anointing on your life and our nation? What higher demonstration of our love for Him can we offer than to serve as His anointed ambassador to a world in need?

Father, thank You for the example of Your precious Son. Help us to live up to the privilege of receiving Your anointing and keep our hearts ready for service. Amen.

References:

Biblegateway: Isaiah 61:1-3 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2061:1-3&version=KJV

Biblegateway: Luke 4:16-19 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%204:16-19&version=KJV


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