Skip to main content

Now That We’ve Found Love, What Are We Going to Do With It?

Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…” 

You, who are popular music buffs, probably recognize the title of this devotion from a song originally recorded by The O’Jays in 1973. It was written by the prolific producing and songwriting duo, Gamble and Huff. The song has been covered and recreated in multiple times from Martha Reeves to Heavy D and continued to be recorded by others well into 2010. Every time I hear it, the hook reels me in, whether slow, fast or in a reggae style. The lyrics for all of these versions recount some unrequited love where the pursuer is attempting to convince his or her love interest to take what they have to the “next level”. 

The lyrics are a little goofy, but I’m drawn to this title because I, we, have truly found Love and Love has found us. God has deposited in us His spirit and consummated the greatest of loves. So now what? The bible is filled with charges and challenges for the people of God, but one such charge can be summarized into what is written by the prophet, Isaiah in Chapter 61. In Luke, Jesus quotes Isaiah in stating His purpose for coming. That is to preach, bind (heal), proclaim freedom, and set free. Jesus’s “Now what?” becomes our “Now what?”. 

These times are challenging for us, all of us, and many people are looking for answers. Many, and maybe you, are the poor, both financially and spiritually; the brokenhearted; the captive; prisoners. I believe that we can glorify God and mature spiritually if we respond to the Isaiah 61 charge to minister to others, while Jesus ministers to us. 

Now that we’ve found God’s love, what are we going to do with it?

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My sister died

I never thought in a million years that I would have to say, "My sister died." Her name is Alycia. She fought a long fight with cancer that ended up wreaking havoc on her body. I loved her. I loved her deeply. It is surreal that she no longer takes up space on the planet. I was there when she died. I saw her in the casket and saw the casket lowered to the ground. The last time I talked to her was the Thursday before she passed. She was not using a lot of words, but she knew I was there. She told me she loved me and that she knew that I loved her. The rest of the time was moaning here and there. She wanted me to move some pillows. That was the last time. On Friday, we turned her, cleaned her, and talked to her, but she could not respond. One Saturday, I went in throughout the night to make sure she was breathing. I missed her 1 a.m. meds, but woke up about 5 a.m. or so and gave her a dose. Talked to her. I went back asleep and got on a prayer call about 7. Before I got on the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Church on Trial

  Church on Trial He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 Here’s a brief summary of Micah 6. Through the prophet, God put His people on trial and, as if in court, made a case against them. He testified of His goodness to them and witnessed that they had rebelled and rejected Him in return. After being put on trial, the people replied to His charge by essentially saying, “You ask too much!” They listed a string of rituals and impossible requests. They essentially told God that He was impossible to please. “What do You want from us?”, they implored. God’s response was one not filled with rules and temple rituals, but one that instructs them on how to ultimately please Him. What was God saying through the prophet? What is He saying to His people? Do Justice. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly. Do Justice - Give yourselves to others and, don't just seek justice, but serve justice. Ac...
Post a Comment
Read more

Back to Basics

As a young singer in high school, I had the privilege of being able to take voice lessons. Altogether, I took lessons for about 15 years or so. Although singing can be fun and is a performance art, voice lessons are not very glamorous. It is marked by hours of mundane practice - woodshedding. The most common teaching theme I learned was, “Don’t get too fancy” and “Practice the fundamentals.” They stressed that for me to grow as a vocalist, I needed to practice my vocalises and stick with the basics of sound vocal production. Only then would I be able to perform increasingly difficult pieces. The Apostle Peter instructs, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." (1 Peter 2:2 NIV) Peter’s allusion to babies and milk is interesting. How basic is that? I’m reminded of the instruction given to us in my childhood congregation when someone got saved. The instruction was to 1) Read your bible and pray daily and 2) Fast. It was ...
Post a Comment
Read more