Sing praises to the Light that has come to bring us out of the darkness

Verses: Luke 1 : 67 - 80

My thoughts about the verses:

There are many promises given to us through this part of the scripture.  You have to imagine that Zechariah had plenty of time throughout the pregnancy of Elizabeth to think about what the angel had told him.  Not being able to speak for over 9 months would make anyone that could speak think about the future and the past.  Zechariah knew that the promised Messiah was at hand.  He also knew that his own son would play a very important part in spreading the word.

So as soon as he could speak the first thing that he did was offer praises to God.  To thank God for keeping the promise that was giving to the ancestors of the Jewish community.  He also predicted the future of his son.  That John had come into the world to prepare the people for the Messiah.

Zechariah understood that the salvation that the people were waiting on was not what they thought they were being sent.  He understood that the people would be given an opportunity to worship the Holy God.  He also understood that the Savior that was coming would free them from the enemies that surrounded them daily.  The enemy was not the people that ruled their community, but rather the things that kept them from praising the savior.  You can see this when he tells John that his job will be to prepare the people for the arrival of the Messiah.  What they needed to do was to ask God to forgive them of their sins.

The same promises exist for us today.  We are living in the time that our Messiah is to return to claim those that are his children.  Jesus has already passed and those that trust in him and ask forgiveness for their sin have been blessed with eternal life.  John came to prepare the way so that all the prophecies of old would be fulfilled.  It is now our time to think about what we need to do to welcome Jesus's return.

It is time for a new beginning.  A time we walk out of the darkness into the new light.  To accept the fact that God wants us to be part of the chosen children.  The fact is that the Light that came into the world still shines bright.  We need to ask God to forgive our sins.  With this simple act we are able to start again and leave our past behind.

Prayer:

Thank you God for sending the light to the world.  Thank you for cleansing us from our sins.  We ask dear God that you help us accept the new beginning that you have sent to us.  Help us bring praises to your name.  Allow us to be the prophets that share the news of the Savior that has come to set the world free.  In the name of the Most High we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you given yourself to Christ?  Have you moved from the darkness to the light?  Are you willing to sing praises to God?  Will you be Jesus to someone today?

John's Destiny

Verses: Luke 1 : 57 - 66

My thoughts about the verses:

John's birth led to the start of people wondering what he would do when he was older.  There were many things that happened in his first days of life.  He first was a surprise birth for many because many did not know that Elizabeth was pregnant.  The family was very happy and when it came time to be circumcised they asked Elizabeth what his name should be.  She told them that she wanted to name him John.

They were shocked no one in the family was named John.  He should be named after his father.  So they turn to Zechariah and ask him what to name the baby.  He signs for paper and pen and writes John.  At that very moment his voice returned.  Those made people wonder what John would become.  They also felt the spirit that came from John.

I can only imagine the stories that started that day.  No wonder when John went out in the wilderness proclaiming the Messiah was here did people come to repent and be baptized.  People had often thought that the prophets would come back.  When they saw the way John acted they were sure that he was one of the prophets.  Yet, what we know that he was filled with the spirit before he was ever born.  He was destined to spread the news that the Messiah was coming.  His Spirit was on fire with the need to share the good news.

Now take a moment and think about your destiny.  Each one of us has a destiny.  Some of us fight the destiny while others feel the fire that John felt.  They know that they must share the Good news. Nothing can keep them  from this destiny.  Their whole spirit is filled with such a desire to serve God that they must do that over anything else.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for sending John to prepare the way for Jesus.  We thank you for choosing us to spread the good news.  We thank you for loving us so much that Jesus died on the cross.  Dear God we ask you to surround us with your loving arms.  Help us go out and spread the good news.  Help us accept the destiny that you have for each and every one of your children.  In your Holy name we pray. Amen

Questions:

Do you feel your destiny calling you?  Have you stepped out in faith to do the things that God has called you to do?  Are you willing to let go of anything that is holding you back from fulfilling your destiny? Have you accepted Christ into your heart? 

Learning to be humble

Verses: Luke 1 : 46 -56

My thoughts about the verses:

Haven't we all at one time or another thought wow I must be important because something that has happened in our life.  We put our ego first and forget that the blessings that happen in our life come from God.  We are so proud because of our accomplishments.  We get upset when our efforts are not praised. We expect people to give us praise even when we are doing the work of God.

Yet, we need to be more like Mary.  She is humble when Elizabeth tells her that she is extremely blessed to be chosen to have the Messiah.  She sees it as a gift that it isn't anything that she deserved. She admits that she will always be remembered for the blessing that came to her but, actually she was not important.  She wanted to let all of those to come later that she felt blessed by the gift but was still in shock that she was chosen.

She also warns us of what happens when you believe you are as powerful as God.  Those that think they are equal to God will be separated from God.  God will strip rulers or government officials that think they are powerful and proud from their place of authority.  Those that think they are better than others because of their riches will have their riches stripped from them.

Mary also tells those that are humble and respect God what will come to them.  God will feed the hungry.  God will bless those that are humble.  God will bless those that worship and praise the Holy One.  Those that realize the power of God will be shown mercy.

See it is simple we should praise and worship God before anything else.  We should not think we are more special or important than others.  We should rejoice for those that God shows mercy for.  Jesus was sent to earth to fulfill the promise made to God's chosen people.  You may be saying who the chosen people are.  Simply anyone that loves God and worship and praises the Holy One is the children of God.   By being the children of God we should desire to be humble and understand that anything giving to us is a blessing from our Savior.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for choosing to love us.  We thank you for sending Jesus to save us from our self.  We thank you God for giving us this example of humbleness so that we can live like you desire. Help us put you first. Help us do things that will bring glory to your name.  Help us become humble in your sight.  Help us always remember that the blessings given to us are given to us by you.  In the name of the Most High we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Do you think that anyone or anything is more important than God?  Do you believe that you have earned the blessings that have been given to you?  Are you willing to help those in need?  Have you come to understand that God wants you to be humble so that people can see God in you?

John and Jesus meet for the first time

Luke 1 : 39 – 45

My thoughts about the verses:

We often think that Jesus and John the Baptist first meet at the water.  At the moment John Baptizes Jesus, God sent the dove to signify that Jesus is the Son of God.  This is true that the first time that they met after birth was at the water.  John had gone out into the wilderness saying that the Messiah was here. People need to repent and to believe in the Messiah that had come to save their souls.

Yet, this is not the first time they met.  They met their first time when Mary went to her cousin’s house. As soon as Elizabeth saw Mary John Jumped in her belly.  What you have to remember is that when the Angel went to Zechariah he told him that the baby would be filled with the spirit even before birth.  John within the womb felt the very presence of his Messiah.

Elizabeth knew immediately that Mary had been chosen to carry Jesus.  She knew without any doubt that her cousin was carrying her Messiah.  She felt blessed to be there at that moment.  Amazing to think that without anything being said Elizabeth knew through John's response that Mary was carrying the Messiah.

Have you ever thought something would happen but not sure what it would be.  You had a gut feeling that things were getting ready to change in your life.  Let’s be honest when this happens,  the first thing you think is something bad is just around the corner.  We think the worse because we don't think we deserve or should expect good.

Yet, when things go well after that deep gut feeling we worry more.  Concerned that something even worse is just around the corner.  We still do not accept that the good we receive could be the gut feeling that we have.  Yet wouldn't it be nice if we could live like Elizabeth did this day.  Her gut feeling was actually John celebrating being close to his Savior.  She could have thought many things but her immediate reaction was that Mary was carrying her Messiah.

What a wonderful feeling would overcome us if we would accept good can be what we deserve.  That God doesn't want bad to fall on us.  That just because you have the gut feeling that things will change that we can imagine all the good that will be coming.  I can tell you from personal experience when you start thanking God for the good things that will occur for you and your family your life will be blessed.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for sending blessings in our life.  We thank you for sending Jesus to help us in our time of need.  Allow us to accept the miracles that you send our way.  Help us rejoice when things are going good in our life.  Help take away our worries.  Help us understand that you want only good things to happen in our life.  In your Holy Name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Do you trust  God to give you blessing?  Are you willing to accept the grace that God gives us freely? Have you accepted that good things can be that gut feeling that you have?  Are you willing to claim that the savior is around you and protecting you?

God will turn our fears into great works

Verses: Luke 1 : 26 - 38

My thoughts about the verses:

The angel comes to Mary and tells her she will become pregnant with the Son of God.    You can almost hear the entire conversation going on in her head.  Am I dreaming?  This is impossible how can I be the mother of God's son? I am not even married?

The Angel knew the multitude of thoughts that were running in her head.  He then tells  her something that is amazing that her cousin Elizabeth is pregnant.  See  no one knew this because she had been in hiding during the pregnancy.  Now Mary knew that nothing was impossible.  She immediately gives herself over to God.  She is willing to serve God because it was what God desired.

Can you imagine being Mary.  A person young and still a virgin being told that you will have a child that will become King of all the people.  Being told your son will be called the son of God.   You would be afraid, but there also has to be that part of you that is overjoyed.  Scared yet honored at the same time.

In today's society we are faced with the same thing.  God asks each one of us to take on a special task. The task may seem small and mundane to us but what we are called to do is special in God's eyes.  Sometimes we are asked to take on tasks that seem impossible.  Yet, God is there to help us achieve the tasks that each of us is given.  The trick is letting God work through your faith.  Your faith will give you the strength to accomplish anything that needs to be completed in the name of God.

Just like the Holy Spirit came to Mary and breathed the life of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit living within each one of us will breathe strength and power upon all we do.  It doesn't matter if it is a task that seems impossible or one that seems small and mundane.  Through the power that we receive from the Holy Spirit our task will accomplish the goal that God has for us.

We are often given more than one calling at the same time.  Mary was challenged in such a way at this very moment and time in the scriptures.  She took upon the challenges and accomplished them one at a time.  We need to realize that we are not expected to accomplish the impossible today.  What we are challenged is to allow God to reveal the plan and work out the desired task in God's timing.

Mary had to wait for the gift to come and then to raise Jesus.  She had to keep him safe and raise him to love God.  Yet, something she didn't comprehend is that God was there the whole time.  That the child that she would bear would be her own Savior.  That she would learn more from him than he would learn from her.

This often happens to us we are called to do something in the process we learn a life lesson.  I know when I was called to be a Deacon I discovered more about myself than I ever knew.  I learned I could handle stress that would have cracked me in the past.  I learned when  needed to say no to things that were outside my ability.  I also learned to be thankful for all the small and big things God has given me.  Even as I have faced the newest chapter in my life I have learned that God is there with me through all the ups and downs.  Staying focused on what God desires has helped me deal with the pain, dizziness, hearing loss, nausea and all kinds of physical ailments.  I know now that God did that so I would refocus my life and take it back to what it should have really been.  Now I love my family and friends more. I appreciate everyone that has given me a helping hand.  Lastly, I have learned that as I struggle all I have to do is turn it over to God and good things will come out of it.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for sending you beloved son to Earth.  We thank you for giving us the faithful example that Mary showed that night when the Angel came to her.  Right now God we ask that you help us turn away from our fears and concerns.  Help us connect with our faith so we can do the work that you have called us to do.  In the name of the Holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you scared of the calling that God has placed in your heart?  Are you afraid you will let the Savior down?  Have you asked for the faith needed to give your  all to God?  What are you being called to do for the Savior?

Never too old for God to use you for the work of Spreading the Good News

Verses: Luke 1 : 5 - 25

My thoughts about the verses:

God will use people of different ages to spread the good news.  God knows that people can do great things if they trust in God.  People have hard time when it comes to God using them when they feel they are past their prime.  Shouldn't the next generation be called to serve?  Haven't I already done enough to help grow the Realm of God?  Why me?

See God doesn't base what you can do on your age.  God Bases his decision on who to pick on their faith.  People of different faith levels are called to serve God in different capacities.  Some are asked to spread their story to their friends and neighbors.  Others are called to preach the word to total strangers.  In this part of the Bible a very faithful older couple was chosen as the parents of John the Baptist.

Imagine being very old.  Knowing that there is no way that you can have a child.  You have tried when you were younger, but it never happened.  You still worship God.  You are a church leader and you are entering the most Holiest place of your entire religion.  As you are performing your task an Angel appears and announces that you will have a son.  You can understand why Zechariah doubted what he had heard.  Then all of a sudden you are told that because of your unbelief in what has been said you will not be able to speak until your son is born.  You still have been chosen.

You then go home and your wife soon learns she is pregnant.  She is rejoicing because no longer will people think something is wrong with her.  Yet, you are not able to tell her what you have been told. You know that this is a fulfillment of what the Angel has told you.  Yet, you still cannot speak until the actual birth occurs.  Can you imagine how much you would want your wife to know what the Angel has said.  You know what this means and that the Messiah will soon come because the prophecy is being fulfilled.

God not only use people of different ages, but different denominations, and different sexes.  The truth is that  God picks those people that can make the largest impact in the lives of people.  As long as you have faith in God you will be someone’s Christ today.  See Jesus lives in us and there is someone in the world this very moment that needs to hear your story.  God leads these people to those that have the same story so that they will see Jesus at work.

We just called a new pastor at out Church.  For numerous years we were led by a Reverend with a very strong influence in the community.  God had decided that it was time for the Church to go in a different direction.  She retired and there were many that thought that the Church would fall apart without her leadership.  What occurred is that the people were asked to step up to the plate.  They were asked to take on different roles so that the Church could grow in a different way.  I would think that many would be surprised with who we chose as our new pastor.  Yet, God sent just who we needed to move us into a different direction.  Now we are faced with reaching a new group of individuals.  People who need to understand that God is there for all people.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for being with us.  Thank you for giving us a chance to be Jesus for someone today.  Dear God we ask that you help us grow the Realm of God.  Help us accept the different task you give us.  In the name of God we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Do you feel too old to do God's work?  Have you accepted the calling that God has placed in your heart?  Are you willing to let God use you to grow the Realm of God?  Are you accepting that God is willing to use you just where you are at?

The need to study the Bible to learn the truth for yourself

Verses: Luke 1 : 1 - 4

My thoughts about the verses:

It  is important for us to understand that the book was written by looking of evidence from other sources and rewriting it in a way to make people understand.  They needed to know that this just wasn't something made up but was an inspired word of God.

There is a very valuable lesson that we can learn from these first few verses.  We must be willing to study the word of God.  To look at the Bible as a book that isn't just read but studied.  We need to look at different text to fully understand what God wants us to hear.

We are blessed with many different study bibles.  These bibles give us an opportunity to dig deeper into the word.  It is important that we remember that each person that writes about the bible is bringing their interpretation of the Bible to the words they write.

We also need to understand that we need to express what God lays on our hearts.  Our thoughts are just important as others.  God inspires each person to understand the word differently.  It doesn't mean that what you hear is wrong when it is different than what you think.  Remember God inspires each person and through studying the word you will come to the conclusion of what God wants you to learn .  Then you can take that message out to others.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for giving us the word to study.  We thank you for encouraging us to study the word and discover what you want us to learn.  Help us God not to judge what people say about the bible.  Help remind us that you use many people to reach those that need to hear the word.  Be with us as we study so that we can learn what you want us to share.  In your name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Do you take time to study the bible?  Have you find what God wants to share with others?  Have you been inspired by something someone has written?  Is it time to share that with the world?