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The angel was telling Zechariah about what his
not-yet-even-conceived son John would do:
“He will make peace between parents and their children and will bring
those who are not obeying God back to the right way of thinking, to make a people ready for the coming of the
Lord.”
People who are sinning and disobeying God are not thinking right, the angel said. That comes straight from God. Yet over and over, humans try to say that it’s
not sin – it’s personal choice.
Unfortunately for them, God doesn’t agree. We can’t just decide for ourselves what’s
right for us and what’s not, because it’s not all relative. God sets the standards because He knows what’s best for us. We don’t.
We only think we do.
Fast forward nine months, and Zechariah gets to finally
speak again after his son, John the Baptist, is born. He said, “Let us praise the Lord … because He
has come to help His people and has given them freedom. He has given us a powerful Savior … He said He would do this … He promised He would save us … He said He would give mercy … and that He would remember
His holy promise. God promised Abraham,
our father, that He would save us from
the power of our enemies [including
the worst enemy of all – Satan] so we could serve Him without fear, being holy and
good before God as long as we live.”
God doesn’t want to be seen as a punisher. He desires to be an enabler if we will let
Him – enabling us to live a life
that honors Him through our obedience by bringing us back to a right way of thinking.
Doing so gives us freedom,
for we won’t be having to look over our shoulders worrying about whether our
sins will be found out. He’s a God who loves us even more than we love
ourselves.
Father, thank You for correcting our wrong-headed
thinking. The world tries to tell us
freedom comes from being able to do anything
we could imagine or desire. But You tell us the truth. Thanks for correcting
my thinking. Please don’t stop. I need Your wise counsel for the rest of my
life!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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