Tag: John

Zechariah ‘Sings’ of Provider God!

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Zechariah was overcome by the power of God when he ‘sang’ forth these prophetic words. Only God knows the future and these words about John and the coming Messiah are amazing.

Luke 1:76-80 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

When I mediated on these words, I was overwhelmed by God’s gracious provision for us. He provided John to announce the coming Messiah. It had been 400 years since the last prophet Malachi had delivered a message to God’s people. They were hungry for word from God and needed to be turned back and tuned towards Him! The Messiah to come would bring salvation, forgiveness of sin, and light to a dark world. He would show God’s tender mercy towards His children by shining light on their pathways and guiding them in the way of peace. What a wonderful provider God is!!

God is our Provider. God provides for every creature He has made. He feeds the birds and gives us our daily bread. God gives us strength and goodness through the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit to enable us to live for Him. Isaiah 40:29 “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. I love Romans 8:28 and the truth I can claim about His power of goodness in my life. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” He provides a way out of temptation and protects us from evil. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a key verse to claim,“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” David knew the protection of God first hand as he claimed it in Psalm 140:1-2 “Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men 2 who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually.” God provides salvation through our faith in Jesus and He assures us that we cannot be snatched away from Him!! John 10:28“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” God’s provision of His Son was His greatest gift to us. Paul describes this gift in 2 Corinthians 9:15“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

When you look at all these provisions past and future, you can only marvel at the power and love of God!

Linda

They Were the Talk of the Hill Country! Faithful God comes Through

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I love the account of John’s birth and naming. What a joyous scene with the family and neighbors gathered sharing in the circumcision and revelation that the son’s name would be John. Nobody in your family is named John they said but Elizabeth and Zachariah insisted which signaled the release of Zachariah’s tongue! He could now speak!

Luke 1:57-66 “ Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

The attribute I chose for this portion of our Christmas Story is faithful. God was faithful to keep His promises to both Elizabeth and Zechariah. God knows and loves each of us, and He will do all that He has promised. He has a plan to restore us to himself and we know God is true to His own plan. He is always faithful to forgive and uphold us no matter the circumstances. His plan brought His Son Jesus to save and restore us. Hebrews 10:23 is one of my favorite verses about God’s faithfulness, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” We know we can trust in God’s faithfulness. He keeps His promises.

The angel Gabriel had told Zechariah that he would not speak until the child was born and named. How does this event affect your belief in the faithfulness of God? Scripture says the people there were fearful, as in awe of God and His power to keep Zechariah from speaking until that moment and restoring his voice. They were the literal talk of the town as all who heard about it would have marveled that the faithfulness and power of Almighty God. They knew that the hand of God was upon John and wondered what he would accomplish for God. (We are fortunate to know the rest of the story as it unfolds for us in scripture.) Zechariah and Elizabeth were profoundly moved, marveling at God’s hand upon them and the blessed responsibility to raise John as the angel had ordered.

How have you seen God’s faithfulness in your life? Have you seen His provision, guidance, assistance in times of trouble or forgiveness? Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,” God is eternal and His faithfulness does not end. Lamentations 3:23-24 is a good verse to claim for God’s faithfulness. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Know that faithfulness is a part of God’s character and He will always be faithful. The same cannot be said of us, in 2 Timothy 2:13 “if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” Praise God even in our moments of faithlessness, like Zechariah in front of Gabriel, God remained faithful to him. He will do the same for each of us!

Linda

Are You Willing and Able?

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After Peter and John left those who had put them in jail and told them not to talk about Jesus, scripture says in Acts 4:23 they went to their people (other believers) and told them what had happened. Peter and John said the religious leaders had told them to stop telling others about Jesus. They had said, NO! We have to speak of the things we have seen and heard. After further threats they had let them go.

When their friends heard what had happened, Acts 4:24 describes their response,“they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,” They continued praising God for how Jesus had been conspired against by the leaders both religious and governmental. All of it had been done in ways God had decided beforehand to allow. Verse 28, “to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” They acknowledged that God was totally in control then and He was in control in their situation too. Their prayers continued as they asked God for future provision and power to continue witnessing. Acts 4:29-30 “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” They did not want to just do an average job but to witness boldly with conviction and power.

I love God’s immediate response. Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

These believers did not ask to be spared from persecution but to have the ability to witness boldly. They wanted to show God’s power and might and proclaim the name of Jesus so that as many as possible would come to know Him. God answered their prayer with the ability, and courage to witness boldly for Him.

We can take a lesson from the prayer of these early believers. Ask yourself- do you pray with conviction? Do you ask for the ability to witness boldly? It takes courage and great conviction to pray as they did. Will you take this as a challenge in your own prayer life? Jesus has the power if we are able and willing.

Linda

The Snowball Effect of the Power of Jesus

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Acts 4 shows the continuing effect of Peter’s healing of the crippled man and Peter’s testimony giving Jesus the credit for this miracle from Acts 3. This healing had a reverberating effect in all levels of society. Acts 4 begins with the Sadducees being upset about Peter and John’s talk of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. They did not believe in resurrection. They seized them and put them in jail and then the next day conferred with the rulers, elders and teachers of the law. They brought Peter and John before them and questioned them, Acts 4:7 “And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Their simple question opened the door for Peter to expound on the miracle and in who’s name they performed it. Acts 4:8-12 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

They reaction to Peter and John is described in Acts 4:13-14 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.”

After conferring amongst themselves, they decided to tell Peter and John to not speak about Jesus anymore. Here is their reply, Acts 4:19-20  “But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” The officials had no response to this and could not make any further threats as so many of the people were listening, believing and praising God.

What do we learn from this encounter with unbelievers? God used a miracle to lead many towards Himself. He gave Peter the words and power to speak the truth about Jesus and show the power of His name. Verse 4 tells us that about 5,000 men heard and believed. Only God can produce such growth and bring about such faith. God empowers his believers to share the truth of the gospel with others. It is not a matter of learning, eloquence or training, but faith in Jesus and the power of His name that made it possible. The leaders could see that these men had been with Jesus. Lastly, we see Peter and John being unable to keep quiet about Jesus. Their faith compelled them to speak the truth of Jesus. There is no way they could have kept silent.

When God provides for us in a miraculous way, do we speak to others courageously? Can others tell that you have been with Jesus? Praising God flows from the believer’s heart and bubbles out and up from our souls. When we love Jesus, we can not stop it anymore than Peter or John could. When was the last time you leaned into Jesus and depended upon the Holy Spirit to empower you to tell others about Him? Step out in faith and feel the joy.

Linda

Praise and Credit Go to JESUS!

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Acts 3 relates the event surrounding a crippled man who would beg each day at the temple gate called the ‘Beautiful’. Peter and John were on their way to say prayers at the temple when the encountered this man. He asked them for money. Acts 3:4-8 “ And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.” The man did not get what he asked for but got something of far greater value- the ability to walk again. The man realized that the power for his healing came from God as he immediately praised God.

As he was interacting with people in the temple, sharing his amazing story, they turned their attentions to Peter and John. Acts 3:11-13 “While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.  Peter and John were quick to point the people to the true source of the man’s miraculous healing = Jesus. Peter then began to explain who Jesus was and what had been done to him at the hand of the Jews. Acting in ignorance of who Jesus was they had killed him. But, hope is not lost as Jesus has been raised from the dead and is alive and present among them through the Holy Spirit.

Peter and John refused to take credit for the work and power of Jesus in this man’s life. They wanted to point people to the source of true power which was the resurrected Christ. How quick are you to point others to Christ? Do you want to wait and take some of the credit for His work yourself? The people didn not know where the power came from and wanted to deified Peter and John. However, Peter and John knew all the power they had to heal was directly from Jesus. What about the man who received the healing? He also needed to know it was not Peter and John, but Jesus in who’s name he had been healed. He was quick to praise and give glory to God but the Apostles did not want him to attempt to worship them for what they had done in Jesus’ name. A good lesson for us today is to be quick to praise God when he works among us and be quick to praise His name as the source of the power and healing. God deserves all the glory. Seek to Glorify Him!

Linda

Jesus is Gone… No, a Pathway to Faith

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We have looked at Sunday’s Road to Emmaus appearance and an early the Upper Room appearance where Jesus came to the disciples, but today let’s go back to Resurrection Sunday morning and visit the scene again with fresh eyes. When you look into the tomb, do you see hopelessness and despair or hope and freedom?

My picture of the empty tomb in Israel.

The post resurrection appearances began at the empty tomb.  This fact occurs in each of the 4 gospels and 3 of the gospels include the appearance of a heavenly being (an angel) interacting with the grieving followers of Jesus.   Since Jesus had been hastily buried due to the need to have him buried before sundown, as it was the beginning of the Sabbath and no one could be buried on the Sabbath, His body was not properly prepared with spices.  It was wrapped but not fully treated.  The women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb with spices intending to anoint Jesus’ body.  The gospel accounts say it was very early in the morning as they walked and talked on the way to the garden tomb.   They were concerned about how they were going to get the stone in front of the tomb removed so they could enter to anoint Jesus’ body.  When they arrived this was the scene:

And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”  Mark 16:4-8

My picture inside the empty tomb at a site believed to be in the garden tomb area.

The angel, who appeared to be a young man, told them not to be afraid as he had good news about Jesus.  He encouraged them to look and see that Jesus was not there.  He also told them to go and tell the others Jesus had risen and they would see Him again.  The women rushed off to tell the disciples.  John describes their reactions in John 20:3-8. “So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;”

Can you even imagine their joy, surprise, awe, fear or confusion over experiencing the empty tomb, the angel, the clothes that had been wrapped around Jesus’ body empty and the face cloth neatly folded?  The disciples saw and believed.  How about you?  Do you look and see the things God does in your life? How do you explain unusual happenings in your life? Is it the providential care of God? Do these things register with you that God loves and cares about you?  God has a plan for your life just as He did for these disciples. He wanted them to encounter the living God. He wanted them to see and believe! Jesus wants that for us too. Jesus wants us to live with Hope in Him and know He is alive! He wants to dispel our doubts and fears so we may walk each day trusting Him. Open your eyes and see God today. He is alive! He has Risen indeed!

May you encounter the Living Jesus and His transforming power today.

Linda

God Seen in the Arrival of John

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The time for John’s birth arrived. It is recorded in Luke 1:57-66. It as elements of family stresses, nosy neighbors and miraculous happenings all combined to announce John to the world.

57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” 62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

There were elements of stress leading up to the miraculous! Elizabeth’s birthing went well and the neighbors were relieved and joyous over John’s safe birth. The circumcisions party was to be held on the 8th day according to the Old Testament (Genesis 17:12-14) and everyone gathered at Zachariah and Elizabeth’s home. The baby was named traditionally after the father, so all gathered assuming the boy’s name would be Zachariah. Elizabeth stopped this and said he was to be named John just as the angel had instructed her. This announcement caused quite a stir and they went so far as to give Zachariah a piece of paper so he could write down the name he wanted. It astonished everyone gathered that he wrote John also. Once the baby’s name was announced immediately Zachariah’s mouth was opened and he was able to speak. He began praising God for the miraculous son they had been given and how glorious and powerful God was. (Zachariah’s actual praises will follow tomorrow.) All the family and neighbors for miles around began talking about Zachariah, Elizabeth and baby John. They wondered what God had in store for this special child of His.

What do you see of God in this event? First, there is His tender care for Elizabeth and her safe delivery of baby John. Next, the miraculous release of Zachariah’s speech with the naming of the child as they obediently did as God had commanded them to do through the angel. Then we see peoples’ marveling at the power and sovereignty of God in their midst. Even though this is a scene in an ancient time setting we can still relate. When has God shown you providential care? Did he use a neighbor, a skilled doctor, good medicines, or even warm chicken soup? God uses those around us to minister to our needs. Miracles happen all the time. They may not be as loud and spectacular as speech restored after months of silence, but God intervenes all the time in our lives. He heals the sick, provides for our needs when least expected and in unexpected ways. How have you taken advantage of one of God’s provisions in your life to witness for Him or simply give testimony for what He has done in your life? God deserved praises from Zachariah and he deserves praises from us too. Lastly, this story reminds us that God has a special place and mission for each of us in His Kingdom. We are loved and highly valued by Him. Paul gives his testimony of value in Galatians 2:20, could this be yours too? “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.“ Jesus came for each of us and died to make us free from sin and reconciled to Him. God had a special place for John, Elizabeth and Zachariah and as believers He has a place for us too!

Linda

“But What about him?”….

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The post-resurrection appearances continue………Peter was distressed that Jesus questioned him 3 times, obviously he forgot he denied Christ 3 times.  Here at the Sea of Galilee Jesus insisted the answer was “Follow me!”

John 21:17-19 “He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”   Peter was upset at the Lord’s insistent questioning of his love,  and Jesus replied with a prophecy about Peter’s life and death to come,  and how he would bring glory to God.  What Jesus required of Peter was obedience- ‘follow me’!

Peter then asked about John and received this rebuke from Jesus in verses 21-22. “When Peter saw him (John), he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”   Jesus wanted Peter’s focus to be on Him not on the future and what would happen to others.  As Jesus said, He would take care of John,  but Peter needed to focus on following Him.

John 21 22Let us take encouragement from this scene for today.   Just like Peter, we need to focus our lives on following Jesus, being obedience to His Word and walking with Him daily.  We do not need to ‘worry’ about others or question Jesus about their work and walk.  We have enough to do to keep our own focus on Jesus.   This does not mean we are not concerned about others,  but Peter was just being nosy here and wanted to know what would happen to John in the future- is his life going to be better than mine?  Since the Lord’s answer was always “Follow me”, that is what is crucial in our life too.  Obedience to Jesus is what He desires.  We are to keep our focus on Jesus and not compare our circumstances to others.  Later Peter so beautifully 1 peter 1 22wrote in 1 Peter 1:22-23 “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” 

Let us take seriously our walk with Jesus and His command ‘Follow me!” May we let the distractions of the world fall away as we walk forward in obedience with our Savior.

Linda