Isaiah 42:1-9 (NIV): "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope."
This is what God the LORD says--the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:
"I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
"I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."
JESUS CHRIST, the ANOINTED ONE, is our REDEEMER, our LORD, and our SAVIOR, but more importantly He is GOD's only begotten SON, and when He walked on this earth, He was GOD the FATHER's SERVANT.
And this is GOD'sWORD from Genesis to Revelation: FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life, for GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON into the world to condemn the world but that the world THROUGH HIM MIGHT BE SAVED, for JESUS is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, and NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER except THROUGH HIM, and we are saved BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH in JESUS CHRIST, the ANOINTED ONE.
Basically, in GOD's MASTER PLAN, JESUS had a divine assignment, a purpose, a plan and a destiny, which He FULFILLED COMPLETELY and PERFECTLY, and that's why He is presently sitting in heaven at the right hand of His Father as our CHIEF HIGH PRIEST, MEDIATOR, INTERCESSOR, CORNERSTONE, and ADVOCATE, for on the Cross when JESUS says, "It is finished," He means HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY, PURPOSE, ASSIGNMENT, and SERVICE, that of SECURING REDEMPTION, SALVATION, FORGIVENESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, and RECONCILIATION for us. And now He ABIDES IN US, and we ABIDE IN HIM, and GOD IS WITH US, GOD IS IN US, and GOD IS FOR US, even until the end of the age.
And now we must write the next chapters in the pages of this BOOK of LIFE, for we, who are the FOLLOWERS, the BODY, and the BRIDE of CHRIST, have been adopted and grafted into the FAMILY and KINGDOM of GOD, and we are now CALLED to be SERVANTS of the LORD, each of us with a GOD-GIVEN assignment, purpose, plan, and destiny to fulfill while we're on earth, for GOD knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us HOPE and a FUTURE, and to whom much is given, much is required, for GOD has CALLED and CHOSEN US to SERVE HIM in this MINISTRY of RECONCILIATION, and we, just like JESUS, have our unique assignments to complete in our allotted time on earth: a gift to give, a word to share, a cross to bear, a mountain to climb, an adversary to defeat, a testimony to give, a song to sing, a story to write, a message to deliver, a life to impact, a duty to perform, a move to make, a family to mend, a heart to touch, and a soul to save, because we are CALLED and CHOSEN to WALK AS JESUS DID--humbly, sincerely, fearlessly, patiently and faithfully--GIVING MORE THAN TAKING and LOVING, HONORING, and SERVING the LORD of ALL--GOD--more than loving, exalting, worshipping, and serving MAN-MADE, FOREIGN, or DOMESTIC IDOLS.
OUR GOD is JEALOUS, and He hates IDOLS--anything or anyone we put ahead of Him or in His place--so He commands us to LOVE HIM with ALL OUR HEARTS, SOULS, MINDS, and STRENGTH. And since OUR GOD is AWESOME and POWERFUL, FORGIVING and MERCIFUL, LOVING and ETERNAL, He is WORTHY of all GLORY, HONOR, and PRAISE.
And this is OUR GOD: GOOD, JUST, and LOVE; this is OUR GOD: SOVEREIGN, LIVING, and RISEN; this is OUR GOD: the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT; and this is OUR GOD: the KING of KINGS, the LORD of LORDS, the SEAL and SERVANT, the REDEEMING SAVIOR and ETERNAL HOPE of us all, for this GOD is the CREATOR, the SOVEREIGN KING, the LOVING SERVANT, and the AUTHOR and FINISHER of OUR FAITH: The TRIUNE GOD of GRACE, HOPE, COMFORT, and LOVE. And this is the SOUL QUESTION He wants us to ask ourselves as professing believers and followers of JESUS CHRIST: Who are we serving--ourselves, the adversary, or GOD?
