Tag: John the Baptist

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, He Sees He Knows He Cares, He Sees He Knows He Cares, LGG Study, Quiet Time

What The LORD Has Done For Me

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Suggested Reading: Luke 1:1-25; SOAP – verse 25

“This is what the Lord has done for me at the time when he has been gracious to me, to take away my disgrace among people.”

Luke 1:25 NET

Do you ever pray and wonder if God is hearing you? Or perhaps you trust that He has heard you but find yourself questioning why He hasn’t answered or at the very least, why His answer was no. From the response of both Zechariah and Elizabeth in today’s story, I picture any or all three of these scenarios running through the minds of Zechariah and Elizabeth. I know they ran through mine every year for eight long years of praying and waiting for a child. I felt the disgrace among the people as more and more of my friends were pregnant while I grew more and more bewildered, hurt, and angry, and less and less hopeful. Then, like Elizabeth, I knew it was Him who had allowed the eventual pregnancy and I was overwhelmed with the graciousness of His gift, and all these years later (33 to be exact) I still see glimpses of what I am certain were and are purposes in His timing.

I was thankful that I read the larger passage, which admittedly I had skipped over since I had read it so many times before (why oh why do we do this? I mean, can we ever read His Words too much). In looking back to confirm who was speaking in verse 25 and what “this” they were referring to, I was blessed by the beautiful story yet again. I was thankful for the reminder that God hears our prayers (13), and of His perfect timing (v25), His grace towards His people (vv14-17) – both as a nation and personally (vv14, 25), and His purposes in every answer (vv13-17). Granted, Zechariah’s prayers that day would have surely been for the nation of Israel but God’s assurance is that His answer would include the child for which I am certain they had personally prayed for. I am equally certain by Zechariah’s initial response (v18), that any hope of this prayer being answered with a child was given up long ago because of their age.

Turning Knowledge into Wisdom

On the heals of the recent study of God’s attributes and the encouragement to turn knowledge (facts) into wisdom (application of facts), I found myself following up my reading today with the question, “How do I take these facts and make application?”

FACTS [KNOWLEDGE]
  • Zechariah and Elizabeth were godly people – faithful servants of God
  • They most likely had prayed for a child
  • They had remained childless into their ‘very old age’
  • They had given up hope of having a child
  • Elizabeth had dealt with disgrace because she was childless

Application of the facts [Wisdom]
  • Live as a faithful servant of God even when life doesn’t go as planned
  • Pray, and keep on praying and believing
  • Know that God doesn’t always say ‘yes’, but that His silence isn’t always a ‘no’
  • Keep hoping, don’t give up on God, He is able to do more than we ask or imagine
  • Recognize the answered prayers of God and acknowledge/praise Him for them
My Prayer Response to God

Father, “ancient words” are often easy to scan or to simply read and lay aside, as I was tempted to read only the SOAP verse You prodded me to look deeper, to see it with fresh eyes and a yielded heart to the Spirit’s teaching of these old but treasured words of truth and beauty. Words, that reminded and encouraged me that You hear the prayers of Your people, even when it would appear to our human understandings that You have not heard our cries. You always answer, your timing is always perfect, and Your actions are always purposeful- with the intention of carrying out Your will, which is good and pleasing and perfect – for the world and for Your people. For this I praise You – in and through the Name of Jesus, my Savior❣️ Amen!

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Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout
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John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Matthew 3:1-12

In our passage today we are introduced to John the Baptist. This isn’t the first reference to John in the Scriptures. As Matthew shares in 3:3, Isaiah proclaimed John would come. Matthew affirms the prophecy with his own introduction of John by introducing him not only as one living in the Judean wilderness but as one proclaiming the message of Jesus. Matthew also paints a picture of John for us by describing his preaching style, the way he dressed, what he ate, and how the people were attracted to him, but even better, how they responded to his message by repentance and turning to God.

People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

Matthew 3:5-6

However, the words that really captured my attention today are found in verses 8 and 9, where John addresses the Pharisees and Sadducees who had come to “watch” the baptism. He calls them out – demanding them to prove with their lives that they have repented and turned to God. He warns them not to think they are safe simply because they are descendants of Abraham.

8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 

Matthew 3:8-8

This is the true message of the Gospel and of the Savior John was preaching, and we would do well to heed the warning. Our salvation isn’t based on whether or not our parents are Christians or if we go to church … Nor does it matter if we attended a Christian school or can recite Bible verses from Genesis to Revelation, and have read through the Bible every year of our life. It isn’t based on our good deeds, bad deeds, or our knowledge of who God is. Salvation is based on faith alone in Christ alone. God’s Word says that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and not by our own efforts or works (Ephesians 2:8-9). No matter how hard or long we try we will never be good enough to earn salvation. Only God, by His grace and His mercy through Christ, can give us our salvation. It is a gift freely given to all who place their faith in Christ Jesus, the only “begotten”, sinless Son of God who died in our place – so that we could become the sons and daughters of God.

May we be careful not to place our hope and faith in what we know, or do, or for that matter what we don’t do – but rather in Jesus alone, the one who came, not to condemn the world but in order to save the world.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:17
Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

Bridge to Everlasting Covenant Week 2, Thursday

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Question of the Day: Who does the phrase, “own people,” refer to in verse 11?

Today’s Scripture: John 1:6-13 (S.O.A.P. John 1: 10-11)

 God sent a man, John the Baptist,[a] 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. 11 He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. 12 But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.