DCLM Daily Manna 21 February 2024 Devotional by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Anointed To Set Captives Free
TOPIC: Anointed To Set Captives Free (DCLM Daily Manna 21 February 2024)
KEY VERSE: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).
TEXT: Luke 4:14-22 (KJV)
1 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
MESSAGE:
Nothing seemed extraordinary about Jesus’ appearance in the synagogue for worship; He did it regularly as did all male Jews. The day in our text was very different, however; it was a classic case of, “Cometh the hour, cometh the man”.
How should the book of Isaiah have been chosen for reading amongst all the prophetic volumes present in the synagogue that day? And how should Christ have been the One chosen out of all the worshippers to read it? How should He have “found the place where it was written” – exactly the prophecy concerning His messiahship just about to be unveiled? It was, beyond doubt, the divine hand orchestrating the chain of events. Christ knew it Himself. His graceful words and mighty acts in Galilee had heralded Him. Therefore, the congregation waited with bated breath. When He closed the book and uttered those nine immortal words: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”, the Messiah had finally shown up. The hour and the man had met.
Christ had been paying the price for the anointing long before the day of His showing to Israel. By absolute surrender to the Father’s will and self-denial, He had prepared for the ministry. Jesus carried the anointing all through His earthly ministry. Upon His ascension to heaven, He promised the same anointing to His faithful disciples.
God needs men and women upon whom to bestow His anointing today. Nothing less will suffice to fulfil your God-given destiny. But how is the anointing obtained? You must be ready to walk the same path as Christ of whom we read, “For thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness, therefore God, Thy God hath anointed thee…above thy fellows.” The anointing is unique, but it is not cheap; it is for the earnest seeker, not the highest bidder.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Christ did not come just to sympathise with us but to set us free.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Judges 11-13
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
