You Have Been Anointed

# 119 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: "Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over His inheritance? (1 Sam 10:1) The servant having been sent ahead, Samuel and Saul are alone, and Samuel begins to speak the Word of God to Saul as it pertains to him. This “word” must be clearly understood by Saul, and Samuel begins the process by anointing Saul with oil. As he anoints him, he makes it clear what the act is all about. “I'm doing this to you because God has set you apart from other men to be the leader of His people.” Anointing with oil is a physical picture of a spiritual reality. In this instance the spiritual reality is that God has chosen Saul to be separated for service unto Him. This anointing was and is closely related to the Holy Spirit's presence in the particular circumstances where the oil is applied. His presence is absolutely necessary for sanctification, (that is, setting apart for service to the Lord.) In the Old Testament the anointing was meant to point to the perfectly Anointed One, the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God who would be perfectly filled with the Holy Spirit and perfectly set aside for service to the Father. In the New Testament the “anointing” refers to the individual believer who has received the Holy Spirit directly from God as it is stated in 2Co 1:21,22, “ Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. And also stated in 1Jo 2:27 “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you,” As a believer, you have been anointed with God's Holy Spirit, set aside for service to Him, just as sure as Saul was set aside. He is God's Helper, given to you to help you in carrying out kingdom work. May we all learn to more fully yield to Him, that we may be about our Father's business.