Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul”
Our Bible verse for today: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Jesus sets your soul free”
Luke 4:18-19 has been the inspiration for untold numbers of sermons, Bible studies, and devotional messages. First and foremost, the meaning is that Jesus preaches the good news of forgiveness for our sins and He sets us free from the oppression of Satan and from the imprisonment of an eternity in hell.
He also sets us free from a lifetime of imprisonment now. I once had the opportunity to work in partnership with a ministry called “Set Free Ministries”. Its focus was to assist men and women who had been “set free” by Jesus from a lifetime of imprisonment to drugs and alcohol. Jesus certainly does help us to achieve victory over such things.
But I think one of the many multi-layered applications of this passage also applies to the soul. Far too many of us go through life with souls that are effectively imprisoned. Either the soul is neglected and ignored as the individual lives on a very superficial level, or the soul is imprisoned by the past. In this case the individual is enslaved by past hurts, betrayals, and regrets. In either case, the soul is not free to be all God intends.
Jesus came to set the soul free. In John 10:10 He made it clear that He came to enable us to have life and to have it in all its fullness. In John 15:11 He said He wants us to experience the joy that He Himself has. In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul gave us a list of fruit from the Holy Spirit that should be evident in our lives and it includes things like love, joy, peace, patience and more.
When we pay proper attention to our soul and do the things necessary to ensure it is healthy, the soul is effectively set free to live in all the fullness of Jesus. That’s tremendously liberating. We’re not haunted by our past or enslaved by the pressures and expectations put upon us by others in the present. We feel no need to construct a false self or to wear masks that are not the real us. Instead, we’re comfortable and confident to simply be who we are in Christ. And we find ourselves empowered to live like Dallas Willard described, “We must ruthlessly eliminate hurry and anxiety from our lives.”
Yes, Jesus will set your soul free. But you do have to let Him set it free. You have to place yourself in a position before Him everyday whereby He can nurture your soul, break the chains of bondage to the past, and give you the confidence and courage to live free in Christ now. I encourage you to allow Jesus to set your soul free.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 