REFUSING CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; therefore He has anointed Me.” –Luke 4:18
Jesus, returning in the power of the Spirit, stands up in the synagogue and reads His job description from Isaiah 61. His first responsibility is to bring glad tidings to the poor (Lk 4:18). When He did that, He was accused of breaking the law by eating with tax collectors and sinners (Mt 9:11). The second part of His job is to proclaim liberty to captives (Lk 4:18). When He told the religious leaders and people that they were slaves of sin, they denied everything, maintaining they were children of Abraham and had never been slaves (Jn 8:33). Jesus’ third responsibility is to provide recovery of sight to the blind (Lk 4:18). After Jesus healed the man born blind, He implied the Pharisees were blind (Jn 9:40). They were greatly upset with Jesus for this.
It seems that every time Jesus does His saving work, people get upset. In fact, after Jesus finished reading His job description, He preached in such a way that the people tried to kill Him by throwing Him over a cliff (Lk 4:29).
What about you? Will you admit your slavery and blindness? Can Jesus say what He wants to you? Will you accept God’s lifesaving work in your life?
PRAYER: Jesus, when You give me a gift, may I not refuse it and pretend I don’t need it.
PROMISE: “Everyone begotten of God conquers the world, and the power that has conquered the world is this faith of ours.” –1 Jn 5:4
PRAISE: St. André attracted many to the faith by his humble example of service. St. André offered healing prayers through the intercession of St. Joseph for countless visitors.
