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)
The anointing of God’s Spirit, which you received when you were baptized in the Holy Spirit, is not for entertainment; it is for service. You are probably asking: What kind of service? Your gifting and any area of your life in which you have a keen interest are pointers to the service you were created to render. It’s time to look inward and give expression to those innermost desires to make things better in society, for example. Sometimes, whatever irks you the most could also be an outward revelation of what you were anointed to change.
“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 to read.” (Luke 4:16) Remember, Jesus had already been baptized by John, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him and remained. A voice from heaven announced and commissioned him for the assignment he came to fulfill. Jesus didn’t waste time making public the constituency where his service would be operational. You have been anointed to serve the interests of God’s kingdom. “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)
Any farmer who pays more attention to his neighbor’s farm will likely have no harvest when harvest time comes. Focus on what God called you to do—that’s what you were anointed for. Refuse the temptation to compare yourself or your assignment with that of anyone else. It’s time to fold your sleeves and get to work on your vision. Do not expect any gift or vision you are unwilling to serve to yield resources for you.
CONFESSION
The anointing of God’s Spirit upon my life is to serve the interests of God’s kingdom. I am committed to serving God and His people through the gifts He gave me. Thank you, Lord, for the deposit of your grace in my life.
