Guest speaker Yan Hadley spoke last night on the theme ‘Saved For Success.’ It is wonderful to know that God offers salvation to all, but we are also saved for a purpose. Is 61:1-6 looks at some of the ways in which God saves us for success, offering healing for our brokenness, revelation for our blindness and freedom for our bondage.
God’s purposes are that we:
1. Stand firm
Isaiah 61:3 says we shall be ‘oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord.‘ Oak trees can stand firm for centuries through storms and wild weather:
We often feel unsteady and unstable, but God wants to make us oaks of righteousness, standing firm in Him. We need to turn from compromise or sin in order to be sturdy in God.
2. Are stirred into action
Motivation is so important in life. God wants us to be passionate and excited about living for Him. Is 61:4 reminds us that there are purposes in God for us to achieve: rebuilding, restoring and renewing all that has been destroyed. The enemy seeks to erode all that is good. We live in a society where our Christian heritage is under daily attack, marriage no longer being honoured (and compromise even coming into the church if we are not careful); children’s innocence being attacked and persecution for our Christian faith on the increase. God wants us to be stirred into action to proclaim His truths. It starts with being stirred to pray, repenting of sin and pleading with God to move in our nation. (2 Chron 7:14)
3. Shine as trophies of His grace
Matt 5:16 reminds us that Jesus wants us to shine for Him. We can only do this as the glory of God fills our lives and we live each day with a sense of His presence. Is 61:6 says that others will call us priests of the Lord and ministers of our God. The church is here for healing and to be a prophetic voice. We are ambassadors for God. (2 Cor 5:19-21) Often we feel a failure in this regard, but Paul reminds us that our failures are not barriers to God, for Jesus can forgive, set us free and help us to live for Him. (see Rom 7:19, 24)