ISAIAH 61:1-3 – 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.

THEME OF THE DAY. REALLY EMBRACING THE GOSPEL. Let’s do a little Bible study together in today’s scripture. First, count all the things Jesus came to do as His mission. I count seven. He came to bring good news; to bind up the broken-hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives; the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor; to comfort all who mourn; and to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. I think there is only one word for us to use in response to this staggering love of God in the mission given to Jesus. It isn’t an overly spiritual word, but it is appropriate . . . WOW!!!!

Let me ask each of us a question . . . when is the last time we went into “WOW” mode over the glorious truths of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus? I hope it was today. I hope it is every day. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus is the most amazing, exciting, energizing, motivating, and moving truth and message a human being will ever hear. And this Gospel is not just for those needing to be saved. Christians need to hear the Gospel preached weekly from the pulpits in their churches, and daily from their own hearts and minds to themselves. We live and have our being through the life-giving and sustaining truths of the Gospel. And here lies the danger for the Christian . . . the Gospel can become “familiar news” and not “good news”. If we allow this, the “WOW” over the Gospel will be lost. Jesus won’t be “living Bread” we feed off with delight. He will become “stale bread” we neglect.

In Paul David Tripp’s excellent book, “Awe: Why it Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do”, chapter three is titled Amnesia. He opens the chapter with these words, “It is the worst kind of blindness. It’s the physical ability to see without the spiritual ability to really see what you’ve seen. It’s the capacity to look at wonders, things specifically designed to move you and produce in you breathless amazement, and not be moved by them anymore. It’s the sad state of yawning in the face of glory.” Are we guilty of “yawning in the face of glory” and losing the “WOW” of the Gospel? Here is a good test to determine if we are in danger of losing the “WOW” of the Gospel. Stop reading this nugget right now and grab a Bible, electronic or paper and read aloud JOHN 3:16. Okay, now that we have done that, here is the test . . . Did our hearts leap with joy and “WOW” over God’s love in giving us His Son who is the Gospel? Or did we read it, or maybe didn’t read it, and mindlessly and heartlessly remain unmoved by the glorious truth of the Gospel?

Friends, let’s strive to not allow the Gospel of the Lord Jesus lose the “WOW” to our souls and take it from “good news” to “old and familiar news.” A lot is at stake . . . our joy in the Lord, our joy of the Lord, and our passion for the lost who need to know the Lord.

PRAYER: “Father, I am amazed how much You, Your Son, and Your Spirit love me. Help me live thankful for such love.”

QUOTE: “Preach the Gospel daily to yourself if you want to keep a heart aglow with the love of Him who is the Gospel”