The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Set Free" for Tuesday, 7 February 2017 with Scripture Luke 4:16-21

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Set Free" for Tuesday, 7 February 2017 with Scripture Luke 4:16 Now when he went to Natzeret, where he had been brought up, on Shabbat he went to the synagogue as usual. He stood up to read, 17 and he was given the scroll of the prophet Yesha‘yahu. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of Adonai is upon me;
therefore he has anointed me
to announce Good News to the poor;
he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the imprisoned
and renewed sight for the blind,
to release those who have been crushed,
19 to proclaim a year of the favor of Adonai.”[Luke 4:19 Isaiah 61:1–2; 58:6]
20 After closing the scroll and returning it to the shammash, he sat down; and the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 He started to speak to them: “Today, as you heard it read, this passage of the Tanakh was fulfilled!”
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[Jesus] began by saying to [those in the synagogue], “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”[Luke 4:21 (NIV)]
Israel awaited a messiah that they knew would one day come to liberate them. Jesus shocks the people in the synagogue saying, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” In other words,
Today is the day of your liberation
. Jesus’ words are still true today; his task as Messiah is to set free all those who are captive.
In 2008 on a mission trip to Egypt, I met a young man who had recently attempted to commit suicide by jumping into the Nile River. A woman who saw his intent had cried out to him, “Young man, you can jump and end this life, but what about the other one?” That woman’s question stopped him from carrying out his plan. He decided to try to find God.
After hearing his story, I shared the gospel with him. With tears in his eyes, he accepted Christ. I hugged him, and he told me that no one had given him a hug in seven years. He experienced first-hand what it means to be set free. This could not have happened without his hearing the good news of the liberator, Jesus, who still sets us free today!
Read more from the author, here.
"More from Cristian Istrate"

My name is Cristian Istrate, and I was born in Romania in 1984. This year was the beginning of a dark era in our country. The communism system became even more oppressive, leaving people hungry and feeling hopeless. Many Christian leaders were sent to prison and endured torture for their faith. In 1989 Romania won international attention with the start of the revolution. Our country was tired and we became determined to drive out fear.
People began to protest in the streets. But more than this they started to pray the Lord's Prayer publicly. The night the revolution began I was only five years old, but I still remember the gunshots, the fear, the voices of Romanian people crying for liberty. We didn't know what was really happening, and my father was about to go to his job. I remember that I was afraid that I would not see him again. Thanks be to God he arrived safe home after work. Eventually more than 45 years of communism ended. The year after the fall of communism was a year of expectation and hope. The border of our country was opened and many missionaries came to preach the Gospel. There was a real hunger for God.
As a child I felt God had a special call for me. Every time I went to church I felt a fire of love that burned in me. Later on I dedicated my life to Jesus and served as a missionary in Egypt. I also preached the Gospel on the streets of Romania and in other European countries. The testimonies and the miracles I experienced are so 

many. In the year 2011 I was happy to be part of a committee that founded the first United Methodist church in Romania. Two years later I moved to a Transylvanian city called Sibiu and planted a Methodist church. The name of the church is Light from Light, and we have many mission projects. We are helping poor children, discipling youth, and sharing the Gospel through art and music. You can find more about me and my work here: https://www.facebook.com/lightfromlightumc. I would love to be in touch with you.
Please pray that I will be able to publish a book about my testimony. The book name will probably be The Boy Behind the Iron Curtin. It will be a story about how I was impacted by communism and how I became God's servant. Many blessings.[Cristian Istrate]
Pictured above: Cristian with his wife and their little girl, Cristian preaching at a local cafe
The Author: Cristian Istrate (Romania)
Thought for the Day: Jesus can set me free.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you have the power to set us free. Help us to find rest in your arms. Amen.
Prayer focus: Those contemplating suicide

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