Jesusluvsall's Blog

Whenever I hear the word anointed being spoken by a television preacher, I think-oh here we go again. The reason is the word is presented in a way that conveys the message of if one is anointed, then problems will be swatted away like flies.

Being anointed only signifies that one has been chosen to serve Jesus. If we look at Isaiah 61 we see:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,”

I see wonderful ministry in these words such as heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, comfort all who mourn, and near and dear to my heart-to preach the good tidings to the poor.

However, what we don’t see is a guarantee that those who are chosen to serve Jesus will not face any problems. There are many examples of those chosen for ministry facing hardship and problems. The ultimate example is of course Jesus.

Think about what Jesus experienced as he ministered to the people. He was rejected. He was arrested. He was tortured and then crucified. He endured suffering for us.

Paul is a great example of how those sent out by Jesus can face problems. In 2 Corinthians Paul shares his “resume” for ministry:

“Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”

Paul endured all of these hardships in his calling to bring the gospel to the world because of his love for Jesus and for those he was called to bring the good news to. I think it would be safe to say that those who serve Christ in the western world do not face the difficulties Paul faced.

The reason I wanted to share these things today is because of blogs I have read. From reading many blogs I am aware that many are enduring hardships as they seek the serve Jesus. When we face problems in life serving Jesus, we can start to feel disappointment and doubt if we are actually called by Jesus. We can start to doubt ourselves when in fact, we should take heart.

We should take heart because Jesus is with us. Our circumstances do not define us. Our trials do not decide if we are called. The opposite may very well be true in that our difficulties can actually be a sign that we are called to the ministry God has placed us in.

My friends if we are coping with a chronic illness, trying to heal from past abuse or trauma, facing financial problems, feeling misunderstood, or feeling discouraged because of problems, it doesn’t mean we should quit serving. Paul might say welcome to the club. It doesn’t mean God hasn’t called us. Let’s remember the words of Paul in Galatians 6:

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Let’s spend time with the Lord to renew our strength so we can pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and get started again each day. We will have problems in this life, but we know our redeemer lives and the problems we are experiencing may very well be equipping us to serve others as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Thank you for reading. God Bless.