for each of us:
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
The Bible tells us in 1st Peter chapter 2 that we are a chosen generation, we are special in His eyes. He knows us intimately and He desires to meet the innermost needs of our hearts. He teaches us that He knows what we need before we ask, but He calls us to pray to Him and seek Him so that we can gain a greater sense of connectedness to Him. Through our communication with God, we can gain a greater sense of His deep, unlimited love for us. He knows us, He calls us by name, and He wants for us to walk with Him daily.
+++++
We continue today into week 3 of this year's Christmas Advent-ure, with the title of "Destination Bethlehem." We have journeyed through the pages of the Old Testament, making stops at key locations that point to the coming of Messiah, that also contain some lessons for us today. The journey began in Eden, the Garden where humanity fell, indicating our need for a Savior.
We have traveled and met Abram at Haran, Jacob at Peniel, and the children of Israel in Egypt. Our journey has been routed through Jericho, where we encountered Rahab. Twice, the journey has been through Bethlehem, where we met Boaz and Ruth, as well as King David. We have met several prophets - Isaiah in Jerusalem, Daniel in the Medo-Persian Empire, and the city of Moresheth, birthplace of Micah.
Now, we come to the New Testament, and in the book of Luke, we meet a priest and his wife, who were the future parents of a key spiritual figure. They were from the hill country of Judah, or Judea.
We read in verses 13 through 17 of Luke 1:
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
But, apparently Zacharias was doubtful, and the angel - Gabriel - rendered him mute. That is, until the debate over the name of the child, when he took a step out in faith and declared the baby's name would be John. This John was the man whom we know as John the Baptist, who was a prophetic type in the "spirit and power of Elijah." He prepared the way for the coming One, Jesus, his cousin.
It is fascinating, albeit concerning how we become so engrossed in celebrity these days. Just recently, there was a birth announcement that generated quite a bit of attention. The Christian Post, in its attempt to keep up with the birth of the latest addition to the Kardashian family, reported that 35-year-old Kim Kardashian presented the name of the new child born to her and husband, Kanye West, to over 37 million followers on Twitter, but she didn't include an explanation along with it.
The article says that according to E! News, a source close to the West family revealed that "Saint was picked since it's akin to saying he is a blessing because she had such a difficult pregnancy."
The headline of the Post piece questioned if the name Saint might be a testimony to the Christian faith and the article mentioned some of the spiritual activity in which the couple have participated, including their ceremony presided over by Miami pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr., who stars in his own reality show, Rich in Faith.
Hollywood Life reported that the name was connected to Kim's father, whom she regarded to be a saint. It reported that the child's middle name was to be Robert.
OK, enough from the Kardashian universe! But, it is interesting that there has been so much attention centered on this child. Why, the Daily Mail reports that Kim considers her family "American Royalty." Why, it was said she wanted to model her wedding dress after real-life royal Kate Middleton.
But, back to Zacharias and Elizabeth - there were people who were not chosen because of their fame - God doesn't choose people because they are famous; no, He chooses people to make Him famous. And, the name of the their child was chosen by God...and their child was chosen by God. Zacharias was a priest, but not the High Priest, and he and his wife were recognized by God because of their obedience. Now, if a high-profile person desires to follow Christ and to use his or her platform to provide a testimony for the gospel, that's great, but I believe that usefulness is determined by willingness to obey, not the size of one's fan base.
Now, on to the name of the baby - Zacharias was given specific instructions about a baby's name. So were Mary and Joseph about their baby's name. I don't know what the significance of John, as in John the Baptist, or John the Baptizer, was, but that naming of the child actually became a measure of the faithfulness of Zacharias - initially, he was skeptical about the angel's proclamation, but his willingness to speak out when it came time to name the child provided an opportunity for freedom for him. Our names are important, and God used names to communicate certain messages. The names of God can communicate for us valuable information about His nature and character. Words - and names - can have powerful meaning for us. We can be reminded that God calls us by name and wants us to be devoted to His fame.
Zacharias and Elizabeth - they're famous now, but their faithfulness resulted in their being used in a powerful way in the position in which they lived and served. God can use us as we are willing to be used right where we are.
Now, on to the name of the baby - Zacharias was given specific instructions about a baby's name. So were Mary and Joseph about their baby's name. I don't know what the significance of John, as in John the Baptist, or John the Baptizer, was, but that naming of the child actually became a measure of the faithfulness of Zacharias - initially, he was skeptical about the angel's proclamation, but his willingness to speak out when it came time to name the child provided an opportunity for freedom for him. Our names are important, and God used names to communicate certain messages. The names of God can communicate for us valuable information about His nature and character. Words - and names - can have powerful meaning for us. We can be reminded that God calls us by name and wants us to be devoted to His fame.
Zacharias and Elizabeth - they're famous now, but their faithfulness resulted in their being used in a powerful way in the position in which they lived and served. God can use us as we are willing to be used right where we are.
No comments:
Post a Comment