Others!

Luke 4:18-19

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

¹⁹ To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

There are many who seek to be anointed but no matter how hard they try to get the anointing they never have it. Could it really be that God is denying them of the anointing or could it be that there is something that needs to be checked in their lives?

For the purpose of this article, I will refer to the anointing as God’s manifested presence in and through the life of an individual, making such individual to prosper in ministry or secular work. I will draw a parallel from the life and ministry of Jesus to clearly illustrate my point.

In the text that we read, Jesus clearly defined His mission before the audience gathered at the temple, and His mission was the reason for the anointing that was upon Him. The anointing upon Jesus wasn’t for a show, neither was it there because He was the son of God. While I agree that you as a believer have received an anointing from God, I dare say that you will not see that anointing manifesting as it should until you embark on the mission that God has assigned you. Certainly, you wouldn’t dare say that you desire the anointing for a show or for fame, but that desire may be lurking somewhere in your heart. You may desire the manifestation of the anointing so that you can be revered, or so that people can serve you, or even if it is just to prove to your enemies that you serve a living God, but all these are not the purpose the anointing will manifest in your life.

James 4:3 says Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

We live in a world where everyone is interested in an open display of power, same reason why many political leaders abuse state powers just for a show, but this wasn’t the sort of example laid by Jesus. In Luke 4, scripture records that Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread after fasting for forty days. Certainly, Jesus was hungry and He could have done that to make a statement, and then go ahead to have something with which to break His fast, however, Jesus resisted. The temptation was beyond what it appeared normally to be, it was a temptation for self-gratification by the anointing, an act so popular among many ministers and believers alike today. But later on in Luke 9, when the multitude that had been with Him were hungry, Jesus, by the same anointing, multiplied the loaves of bread to feed them. He could have as well turned stones into bread to feed the multitude, but not to feed Himself.

The anointing is there to serve people, not to serve your self-interest. Many who claim to be anointed today will soon fizzle out and go extinct because they are serving only their own interest and that of their family. My friend, I challenge you today, if you ever desire to see the anointing manifesting in your life’s work, then let your sole interest be the service of others. Rise above parochial interest and seek to fulfill only the interest of God’s kingdom – others; whether it be to preach the gospel, heal the broken hearted, deliver the oppressed in the society or any other thing to impact society.

I leave you with this short story on William Booth, which I first came across in the December edition of BVOV magazine about 8 years ago.

It was Christmas Eve, 1910. General William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army in London, England was near the end of his life. His health was poor, and he was going to be unable to attend the Army’s annual convention. Booth had become an invalid, and his eyesight was failing him. No one knew that he would not live to see another Christmas.

Somebody suggested that General Booth send a telegram or a message to be read at the opening of the convention as an encouragement to the many soldiers of the Salvation Army that would be in attendance following Christmas and their many hours of labor ministering to so many others through the holidays and the cold winter months. Booth agreed to do so.

Knowing that funds were limited and desiring not to use any more money than necessary so that as much money as possible could be used to help the many people in need, General Booth decided to send a one word message. He searched his mind and reviewed his years of ministry, looking for the one word that would summarize his life, the mission of the Army and encourage the others to continue on.

When the thousands of delegates met, the moderator announced that Booth would not be able to be present because of failing health and eyesight. Gloom and pessimism swept across the floor of the convention. Then, the moderator announced that Booth had sent a message to be read with the opening of the first session. He opened the telegram and read the one word message:

OTHERS!

Signed, General Booth.

 “The extent of your influence depends on the depth of your concern for others.”

 “Others”

“Lord, let me live from day to day In such a self-forgetful way That even when I kneel to pray My prayer shall be for others. Others, Lord, yes, others let this, my motto be: Lord, let me live for others That I may live like Thee.”

N.B

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