Liberator of the heart
“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, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (KJV) - LUKE 4:18-19
Jesus Christ is the Liberator of the heart! In His “inaugural speech” beginning His earthly ministry, Jesus chose the prophetic words given through Isaiah to lay out His “platform.” Woodrow Wilson had his 14 points for peace, and the Allies their four-part strategy for restoring Germany after World War Two, but Jesus comes with the greatest plan of all, setting free the heart bound to eternal servitude to hell.
Jesus’ plan is based on what God has done in history, the forgiveness that is now available for us to receive, and the liberation of justification when we accept God’s work of breaking our shackles. When through faith we claim Christ’s righteousness we are assured of His love, and are freed to love God, ourselves and others.
When we know God is pleased with us out of sheer grace, we’re on top of life. As the French and Italians poured into the streets to welcome their liberators in World War Two, let’s cheer joyfully and receive with open arms our great Liberator, Jesus Christ!
TODAY’S FOCUS
Consider the bondage of your heart without Christ and praise Him for setting you free.