Choose and Proclaim

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

    because he has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

    and recovering of sight to the blind,

    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” Luke 4:18-19

After Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he entered a place of worship. He read from the scroll of the book of the prophet Isaiah and declared the words above. As Christians, we are followers of Christ. As followers of Christ, we have a commission to share or to proclaim the good news of the gospel. Luke 4 gives us guidance regarding to whom we should proclaim the good news. Walking in Christ's footsteps, we continue the mission He began and modeled for us.

The world is full of the poor, the captives, the spiritually blind, and the oppressed. What is it going to take for us to pick up our crosses and follow Him? When will we lay down our idols that stand in the way of full devotion to Him? When will we be the salt of the earth and the light on the hill?

It's time to decide whom we will serve (Joshua 24:15)! The idols of today may not be made of wood, metals, or stone. They are intangibles. They appear in the form of desires that can dominate our will. Anything that is in the place which belongs only to God is an idol. An idol can be family (ouch!). It can be a career. It may be hobbies. Regardless of whether it is a person, a thing, or a desire, an idol is an affront to the God of the Universe. What are you chasing? Is it recognition or validation? Is it love? Is it power? The list goes on...

It's Satan's MO to distract us and get our eyes off Him and onto other things. Remember that while we are chasing idols, there are people out there who need to know that it's the year of the Lord's favor. They need to know that He is a loving, powerful God. They need to know that they are loved, that they were fearfully and wonderfully made. However, if we don't decide to be fully surrender and if our identity is tied to an idol, we can never be the true witnesses He's called. Honor Jesus! Walk in His footsteps. Think of the greatest commandment, which is to love God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). A heart divided can never fulfill this commandment. Lay down your idols. Remember that He is counting on you and me to carry His mantle.

Be willing to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). In order to be great in His Kingdom, we have to pay a price. We have to fully surrender. We have to take up our cross daily, and we have to follow Him. It requires going into the fire to be refined like pure gold. He is holy and perfect, and though only One was perfect, we have to seek living in the Spirt and forsake the desires of the flesh (Romans 8:5). Then, will we be able to successfully and purely follow Him and complete the mission that He has given us.