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After the baptism of Jesus in the Jordon River and the temptations in the wilderness that followed, Jesus came to His hometown of Nazareth and entered the synagogue on the sabbath. The scroll of Isaiah was handed to Him, and he found the place where it was written; “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, And freedom to prisoners…” Is 61:1.

Have you yet to receive this amazing gift from Jesus?

The ministry of Jesus Christ continues to be described in the next few verses. He desires to comfort those who mourn. He desires to give a mantel of praise for the spirit of heaviness, so we will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. (v.3)

It is time for planting, for God to plant oaks of righteousness within this Town of Farmville. Will you be one of them? God has good news for all of us, He came to minister healing to the brokenhearted. Is that you? To comfort and bring gladness to all who mourn, is this your need? To replace your spirit of heaviness with praise, is this your desire? If you said yes to any of these, you may be the perfect candidate for the planting of the Lord, an oak of righteousness.

An oak is a strong tree that can weather many storms through many different seasons of life. This is desperately needed in our town today. In a culture of shifting sand, changing goalposts and the lying tongue, the picture of an oak tree, whose roots are anchored deep into the living, active Word of God, is a great treasure. For any of this to be a possibility, we must first receive from the Lord. It all starts with quieting our blaming tongue, and receiving a repentant heart. It grows with a surrendered heart, instead of a stubborn spirit. All for the glory of God, rather than for praise from man.

My prayer is for joy to once again spill onto the streets of Farmville, for the peace of Christ to reign in our hearts and much courage to face the storms of life, knowing without a doubt, the roots of our faith will hold fast. As our days grow shorter, may we look with anticipation of our homegoing to Jesus.

If you do not know of the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, available to you today, cry out in faith to the Lord, He will surely hear your prayer and forgive your sins.

I am looking forward to the many oak trees that will be growing up in the days to come.

MARV FISHER is the pastor at Calvary Chapel Farmville and can be heard weekdays at 1:30 PM on 105.3 Equip FM radio. He can be reached at pastor@ccfarmville.org.