By Rick Warren

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19 NIV).

You can’t read through the Gospels without seeing how much Jesus cared about hurting people.

Just look at how he preached. He always started with a hurt—poverty, blindness, brokenness, imprisonment. You can tell a lot about a preacher by how he addresses pain.
Jesus addresses it constantly. Why? Because he came to share the Good News with hurting people.
When people approached Jesus, they always came for one of three reasons: a need, a hurt, or a question. Jesus didn’t blow them off. He never told them they should’ve come for more doctrinally correct reasons. He just met their needs.
In fact, he declared in his very first sermon, as he started his public ministry, that’s why he came to earth.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19 NIV).
Notice the last line of that Scripture: “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” It’s easy to miss, but it’s critically important to understand God’s heart for hurting people.
When God created the nation of Israel, he established the “year of the Lord’s favor,” which is also called the “Year of Jubilee.”
It was a year when every debt would be canceled, every prisoner would be let go, every slave would be freed, and all land that had been bought in the previous 50 years would revert back to its original owner.
But here’s the interesting part about the Year of Jubilee. In the entire history of Israel, the children of Israel never followed it—not once.
This angered God. In the book of Jeremiah, God told Israel he was sending the whole nation into captivity because the people hadn’t obeyed this. While they were in captivity, Isaiah wrote the words above that Jesus preached in his first sermon.
So as Jesus read Isaiah’s words in the synagogue of his hometown, he was boldly proclaiming this: “I’m the Day of Jubilee when everyone’s sin and debts are wiped out.”
Jesus came to help hurting people—whether they’re in debt, in bondage to sin, imprisoned, or all three.
Those same broken people God came to heal 2,000 years ago are still here today. And Jesus wants us to serve them.
Jesus says, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” (John 13:15 NLT).
Are you following Jesus’ example by helping hurting people?
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over

How does knowing the backstory about the Year of Jubilee impact your understanding of Luke 4:18-19?
What do you think it means that Jesus preached his first sermon about his care for hurting people?
How can you help the hurting people in your life?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

Despite tax hikes, Illinois fails to balance budget for 19th year in a row

Here’s a link to the editorial at Illinois News Network.

Most American farmers spent the last week of May and the first week of June either driving through mud or stuck in it. Their two farming partners, Mother Nature and Uncle Sam, were little help; one brought threats of more rain and mud, the other threats of more tariffs and bailouts.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

It was my third straight night at The President.
I wasn’t there for the 24-hour buffet, which occasionally was my home for breakfast after a big evening.

Here’s a link to the column at the Southern Illinoisan.

“The Lord is My Shepherd” Prayer – A Prayer from Psalm 23
By Debbie McDaniel

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:1-6

This well-known Psalm is so rich with peace and blessing for all our days. Yet often we can become so “familiar” with popular verses and chapters of God’s word, that they can almost lose the important message that He is wanting to instill within our hearts. Praying God’s words back to Him, and meditating on them verse by verse, can help us to remember his goodness, and be strengthened by his truths.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” v.1 – He leads us, He guides us, He’s always with us, and we can be assured and feel safe under His protective care.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul…” v.2-3 –
He knows where true rest and blessing are found, and leads us there, He restores, He refreshes, He brings peace and goodness.

“He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” v. 3 – He leads us to walk in His ways, He draws us to stay close to Him and follow Him.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me.” v. 4 – Though life is uncertain and we may suffer with illness, loss, or pain, our God of comfort, our Lord who holds all power over death and disease walks with us. Always. He is the only One who can take us by the hand through life’s darkest moments of suffering, bringing freedom and healing from the pain of this life, straight into glory and the hope of heaven that He has reserved for us. We never have to fear, in life or in death, for He is with us, our constant strength and Shepherd.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.” v. 5 – We have a place at His table, He makes room for us, He wants us to stay close to Him.

Through history, hosts were expected to protect their guests at all costs. God’s protection is real, in the midst of the traps and attacks of enemy forces, we can find security and refuge in His great care. It doesn’t mean that we won’t ever face huge battles, but that He covers us with His Spirit of anointing and power, to live out our days with His strength and blessing.

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” v. 6 – That word for “follow” means “to chase, to pursue.” We can be assured, He chases us today, and all our days, with His goodness and love. And even at the end of all our days here on this earth, He still has more in store, and it’s greater than we could ever imagine.
Dear God,

Thank you that you are our good Shepherd and we can trust you with our lives. Thank you for your leadership and Sovereignty. Thank you for your guidance and care in all our days. Thank you that you restore our souls, give us peace, and bring us hope in all of our tomorrows. Thank you for your protection and strength that surrounds us like a shield. Thank you that we never have to fear. Thank you for your goodness and love that follows after us, chases us, even when were unaware. Thank you Lord, that you trustworthy and able, that you are our Refuge and hope.

In You alone is rest and peace. We praise you for the assurance that we will dwell with you forever.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

By Rick Warren

“Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you” (Acts 27:24 NLT).

Sometimes a setback is rooted in your own actions or choices. You made a mistake. You did something that hurt another person. You disobeyed God.

And now you’re facing a storm because of it.
But often, the storms we face in life aren’t because of something we did. Instead, we suffer because of other people’s poor decisions—or even their sins.
Acts 27 gives us a dramatic example of suffering a setback because of the foolish choices of others. Paul had been unfairly put on trial for crimes he didn’t commit. He was a Roman citizen, so he had the opportunity to appeal to Caesar in capital-offense cases.
On the prison ship heading toward Rome, Paul told the others that they were headed toward disaster. But no one listened, and it didn’t take too long before they hit a terrible storm.
But that didn’t mean the storm sidetracked God’s purpose for Paul—and a storm doesn’t have to sidetrack God’s purpose for you, either.
God’s purpose for your life is greater than any setback you’ll ever go through. An angel told Paul this in Acts 27:24: “Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you”’ (NLT).
Despite the setback, the angel told Paul he’d one day stand before Caesar and share his testimony. God’s purpose wouldn’t be thwarted.
God doesn’t need a Plan B for your life. Hitting a setback—whether it’s your fault or someone else’s—doesn’t mean God won’t work through your life. When disaster hits, God just fits it into his plans.
When someone else’s decision turns your life upside down, God uses it for his glory.When someone else’s mistake puts you in a difficult situation, God works through it anyway.
When you feel like you’ve lost everything, God does the incredible so you can do the impossible.
You can’t sink God’s purpose. Neither can anyone else.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over

What are some examples from your own life of how someone else caused a setback for you?
How have you seen God work out his purposes in the midst of storms in your life?
Why is it sometimes tough to recognize how God is working in the midst of difficult times?

In an effort to attract more visitors, the Illinois State Fair has lowered this year’s admission prices.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Another Illinois legislative session is winding down. So too is another fiscal year when state lawmakers refuse to do the difficult work necessary to right the state’s fiscal ship.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Illinoisans across the state have rightly been focused on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “fair tax” push. That’s the $3.4 billion income tax hike requiring a constitutional amendment to axe the state’s flat income tax protection.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

It’s the final week of May so it’s no wonder that the last-minute shenanigans that are commonplace at the Illinois Capitol this time of year are well underway.

Here’s a link to the editorial at Illinois News Network.