18 September | EVERYONE
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18,19
Jesus' life was a life led by the Holy Spirit. Mary, His mother, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus grew up in the Spirit, full of grace and truth before God and men. At His baptism, the Spirit appeared in the form of a dove.
Immediately afterwards, He began His ministry and was led into the wilderness by the Spirit. When he arrived in Capernaum on a Sabbath morning, He got up to read the Scriptures and read a text from the Old Testament that said, "The Spirit of God is upon me."
The mighty deeds of His life were not the result of His divinity but of His dependence on the Spirit. By coming into this world, He had established a covenant. He would not use His divine powers without His Father's consent. He was a genuine representative of the human being. It did not mean that He had lost His powers, but that He would respect the human nature He had assumed. He came to die and save us, but also to teach us how to live in the Spirit. That is why, shortly before the end of His ministry on this Earth, He gathered His disciples together and said to them, “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).
His message in Capernaum that Sabbath morning was a message of freedom. "He has sent me," he said, "to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives." For this reason, salvation does not fit with captivity. When the Spirit comes into your life, He breaks the chains that enslave you, undoes your bondage, and gives you strength to sing the freedom song.
Take Action
Learn to live in the Spirit. Be sensitive to His voice and it will change your heart. And then you yourself will feel called to heal other brokenhearted people and to proclaim freedom in Jesus. Sing "The Spirit of the Lord Is upon Me” (if possible, with your family).