22 December
It's What The Lord Has Done For Me — Part 3
The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor...
Luke 4:18 to 19 (paraphrased)The ministry of Jesus while here on earth is beautifully summarised in Luke 4:18 to 19. Let us closely examine these verses.
"To preach the gospel to the poor..." The word poor comes from the Greek word "ptochos" and has several meanings:
The word refers to a financial poverty and beggary. The Bible tells us, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that, though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." My friend, God wants you to live a life of prosperity. God wants you to be blessed and to inherit the earth. But many people choose a life of poverty and disgrace. Learn and practice Gods law on giving and receiving — the Bible tells us that He has given you the power to create wealth.
"Ptochos" also means "destitute of influence and honour." It is only God who gives you the boldness in days of trouble. It is only when you have the glory of God in your life that you can shine before men, that you can influence others effectively and you can receive honour from God.
"Ptochos" also means "lowly, afflicted, helpless, powerless to accomplish an end." There are many people today living a diverted life, a diverted destiny and a life that has no promise and no future. Many people suffer with the "Almost There" syndrome — they get so close to victory and then end up on the back foot. They have to constantly overcome rocks and mountains and cannot enjoy the goodness of the Lord.
What Jesus did throughout His ministry was give people purpose — He died on the cross so that you could fulfil your purpose and destiny. And then He went one further. Philippians 1:6 says, "He which hath begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Know that God wants to finish the work that He has deposited into your life.