Not A Time Of Our Choosing

“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years…. 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… And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years..”  – Luke 1:5-7, 13,18

I heard a comparison made between the encounter that Zacharias and Mary had with the angel, Gabriel. Gabriel is one of the primary archangels and as considered the Angel of Revelation in Islam. (Are you surprised that the Muslims know about Gabriel and angels? Read about Isaac and Ishmael in Genesis 21.) Both Zacharias and Mary were confronted with God’s plan to use them when it was an impossibility from a worldly perspective. It was not possible for a virgin to conceive and it was unheard-of that a man and woman of a very old age could conceive when their bodies no longer functioned as they once had. But  God, the One who created all things, is not limited by his creation – 

God did not intervene because Mary and Zechariah had sought Him out for His favor and their benefit.  He was intervening because He chose to on behalf of the whole world – all of creation. The conception of Jesus had to happen without the seed of Adam – which was corrupted by sin – but not so for the conception of John the Baptist – Jesus’ cousin.

“And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” – Luke 1:41

There was a spiritual connection between Jesus and John the Baptist – a divine purpose the predated their meeting in the River Jordan.  What about you?  Do you think that there might be a divine, spiritual purpose for you? 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:8-10

Think about your conversion – your new birth. You and I were saved, but not at a time of our choosing. Do you see that your conception had to happen apart from the seed of Adam? That the Spirit is in you today and before your professed your faith, He was not? That it was something that God did and not man.  We have been created, born again, for “good works” not just so we had a guarantee of eternal life. We are a new creation – yet we are still living in the same world – facing the same issues of life.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

While we are living on this side of heaven – we have a God-given purpose. To represent Jesus to a world that believes it doesn’t need Jesus. Christmas is upon us.  People are more concerned with what gifts to buy than the fact that we celebrate the birth of Jesus – well at least in this country they are. We live in a country that argues about the rightness of displaying a manger scene at the courthouse. The Christian faith is losing its influence in this culture – but it must not lose its voice. Like John the Baptist – we must a voice crying in the wilderness. Not in an offensive way, but by living our lives that reflects our faith.

The best gift you can give your family is your life dedicated to loving and serving God and loving others (that does not mean liking what others do.) If you are not certain how you do that – stay tuned for tomorrow’s devotion.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone