There are two passages assigned for today!

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 11
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him– the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord– and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. [Isaiah 11:1-3]
Isaiah has been describing God’s people like a vineyard – a neglected and weed-infested vineyard.
But God will raise up a new vine, from the line of King David, the messiah who will prune and weed and restore God’s vineyard – the true vine that produces good fruit [John 15].
What will make this messiah unique is that He will be energized by the Spirit of God; the power of God will flow through Him to forgive the guilty and free the captives and heal the sick and comfort the distressed.
By His Spirit He will transform them into a new kind of people, who produce good fruit – the fruit of the Spirit.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. [Luke 4:18-19, quoting Isaiah 61:1-2]
Jesus applies the words of Isaiah to Himself, claiming to be the One upon whom the Spirit is resting – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
He is the God-energized “shoot” that has emerged from this weed-infested planet to restore God’s garden by producing good fruit, by the power of the Spirit.
This is why Jesus is good news – for a world filled with crisis, corruption and cruelty.
This is why Jesus’ followers are, or ought to be, good news – empowered by His Spirit they are filling the world with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. [Galatians 5:22-23]

As His followers live this way, in Jesus’ Name, He becomes a banner that rises above the chaos of the battlefield, rallying people to Himself and His kingdom.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. [Isaiah 11:10]
All over the world, people are rallying around Jesus, committing themselves to His kingdom and being enabled by His Spirit to produce the fruit (the life) of this kingdom.
All over the world we see evidence of this new Vine popping up – dramatic examples of grace in the most unlikely places.
This is how His kingdom comes, this is how God’s garden (vineyard) is restored.

Practically speaking, this means for me that the Spirit of Jesus is in me, prompting me to demonstrate His fruit wherever I am, whatever happens – at work, at school, here at the coffee shop, on the highway, in the office… and so on.
How does the way I speak, the way I live, the way I relate to others, reveal the goodness of Jesus?
This is how His kingdom comes in me, through me – by the Spirit of Jesus!

PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, I need Your Spirit power to love the people I meet today, to be patient, to have joy, to exercise self-control, etc. May I feel the fullness of Your Spirit power in me, and may I act accordingly!