Good News for All
It was nice to be home and sleep in my own bed. I have been fighting a nagging cough that has interrupted my sleep this week. I am hoping this dissipates soon.
I did have a follow up appointment with my cardiologist today. The good news is my ejection fraction is at 65% which is even on the high side. This is up from 32% when I was hospitalized two months ago. So I am off the heart medication. I do have some valve leakage and will have another test in a year to monitor that issue.
We picked up our lawn mower that was in for a tune up and we had our lawn mowed this afternoon. (No I didn’t do it)  Spring is ramping up and we are looking forward to the consistent change in weather after a long winter. Driving through the mountains this week, we observed a lot of snow and pray that we have a gradual thaw so the risk of flooding is minimized.
One of my newest ventures is serving on our HOA Board of Directors. I actually missed my first meeting when I was in the hospital in February. But I have several meetings in recent weeks on various issues. One of them for all things is mosquito spraying.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “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,…To comfort all who mourn.. to give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3
This is the scripture that Jesus quoted in the synagogue in Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry. It not only got Him in trouble because Jews associated these verses with the Messiah, but it set the tone for His ministry and purpose on earth.
When Isaiah spoke these words he was addressing God’s people in a foreign land. They were poor, brokenhearted and in captivity. Their sin had caused them grief and suffering. However, God’s discipline was coming to an end. The prison clothes were ready to come off and the Lord was preparing to restore His people to Himself along with their status and dignity.
That is exactly what Jesus going to do for those who were spiritually and materially poor, those who were brokenhearted, under the thumb of the evil one, and those who were in mourning. Jesus Himself was the message of good news, the proclamation of hope and a new beginning.
When you see Jesus ministry, directed by God the Father and empowered by the Holy Spirit that is exactly what he did. He healed to deliver from sickness and disease, He cast out demons to free captives, He raised the dead and gave new life to those in spiritual death. Lepers were granted a restored status and people went away rejoicing. As a result the Lord was glorified. This in turn outraged those of the religious system of the day and they sought to bring Jesus to captivity, and cause Him to mourn and through their actions they broke His heart and His spirit was heavy.
What the Lord promised to His people in captivity, what Jesus did for people through His ministry, He desires to do today. To those who are poor, powerless, captive and broken hearted He offers a great exchange. As you trust in Him He brings good news, freedom, joy, new status and stability. All of this for the glory of God!