Isaiah 61:1-3
I bet you have read these
verses and maybe heard them in sermons but are the verses active in our
lives? “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the
opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the
LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to
grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of
ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead
of a faint spirit; that
they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may
be glorified.” Those
words jumped off the page at me, that you and I might be called oaks of
righteousness, not by our righteousness, but from the planting of the LORD, and
so that our LORD will be glorified.
Do you recall Jesus quoting Isaiah 61:1 and some of verse 2 in the synagogue at Nazareth
on the Sabbath day, and after doing so he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the
attendant and sat down? And Jesus said to those present “Today this Scripture has
been fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus never promised His followers they could do anything
in their power, but He often proclaimed we could do all things through Him. “No, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that
neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor
powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39) When you and I
remember these words from the apostle Paul, and apply them, we are becoming oaks
of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.”
Jan and I were in Ecuador
for a little R&R before going to Casa De Fe on a mission trip in Shell
Ecuador, we spent a full day in Quito and then a couple of days in Banos, then on
to Shell for the mission. Our guest told
us that if you are Caucasian and in Shell you are thought to be a missionary where
as in Banos you are thought to be what most are, a tourist. Banos has waterfalls, volcanoes, and beautiful
mountains and Shell has rain, it’s close to the Amazon jungle and is not a
place you would schedule for a vacation.
Casa De Fe means the “House
of Faith” it is not tied to any denomination and this is its mission statement:
“Believing that all children are created in God’s
image, Casa de Fe exists as an integral part of the body of Christ, focuses on
rescuing abandoned, abused, and special needs children. Then they provide for their physical,
spiritual, and educational needs, in a loving supportive home environment, with
the ultimate goal of assisting each of God’s children to achieve their highest
potential in His kingdom.”
This is what I witnessed,
young couples and young ladies who believe Jesus tells the truth and by faith
left their homes in the USA and are applying Romans 8:37-39 in their
lives. They are the hands and feet of
Jesus, I would call them oaks of
righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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