You may have heard many names given to believers in Christ, but has one of them been ‘prophet’, or a job description of ‘preparing the way for the Messiah and/or Heaven’? In our Scripture today we will be reminded of the miracle birth of John the Baptist, the miracle discipline of Zachariah, and the prophecy shared with the baby, John the Baptist. Stay tuned!
DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2021-07-09
WRITTEN AT: Kingman, AZ
BY: Ed Algreen
SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 1:76-77
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)
BIBLE TEXT: 76 “And you, my little son, shall be called the prophet of the glorious God, for you will prepare the way for the Messiah. 77 You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.
APPLICATION: Like me, you may have also been a part of a team preparing the way for missionaries to arrive; family members to arrive; church evangelistic meetings (Revival); and possibly even political meetings. You know what to expect and what might facilitate immediate action by the arriving party. In God’s ultimate wisdom, He blessed an elderly barren couple – Zachariah and Elizabeth, with a son, John the Baptist. Not only was John conceived miraculously, but he was born with a special purpose in mind – to be the forerunner of Jesus. He was tasked with the job of preparing the way (the minds and hearts of the people) for Jesus and His earthly ministry. Why do you suppose you were created, child of God? After accepting Jesus as your Savior, you might recall having read where Jesus commanded that you now go and tell the world who saved you, and how Jesus could also save them. Does that not sound like a replication of what John was tasked with? If you agree with that, do you suppose that you might have a similar title – Prophet? The Oxford dictionary helps to confirm this by stating as its meaning: ‘a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God. John was told that he was to tell the people how they could be saved from their sin. As a Christian, one of our primary responsibilities we have towards our fellow man is: to tell them how they could be saved from their sin! John was preparing the people for the Christ who would come and share the same message. We should be preparing the hearts of our fellow man for the Day of Judgment when they will be questioned about their sin. For those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, they will receive their just reward. For those who made the choice to remain in sin and remain attached to Satan, they too will receive their doom – eternity in Hell with Satan and his demons. So you see, we have a very similar task as that assigned to John the Baptist. He preached fire and brimstone as he prepared the people for the coming King. What are you doing to prepare the hearts of those in your circle of influence? I believe we will all be asked by God about how well we did with what He assigned to us. May we all be found worthy of that famous saying: ‘Well done good and faithful servant’!
BLESSING(S) NOTED: Like John the Baptist, we too are tasked with the awesome responsibility of preparing the way for unbelievers to see heaven. Hopefully we will hear the Master congratulate us for a job well done!
PRAYER: Thank You Father for Your orchestrated plan to have John The Baptist prepare the way for the ministry of Your Son, Jesus. Likewise, I thank You Lord for tasking your children on earth to also prepare the hearts of unbelievers, and show them how they may seek forgiveness of their sin. Please give us boldness, wisdom and faith enough to move mountains, so that we may be successful in our assignment. Be glorified in us and through us, so that others may see and believe in You. AMEN!