November 19, 2010 God Shows Up

God Shows Up

Day 4: Luke 1:11-15 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.

JUST going about his day, doing his duties, being a good priest, and BAM! Gabriel shows up. Right there, next to the altar. And in a response that is the same with every biblical character who meets an Angel from God, Zechariah is “gripped with fear”. Others, as we’ll see, are “terrified”. Why?
It is because they are suddenly face to face with their inadequacies, their weaknesses—their sin—before God’s holiness. God’s representatives come straight from the throne of Heaven. They bring heaven’s glory with them, and we sin-dirty humans are terrified. Thank you, God, for your grace that allows us to step out of the fear, past the terror into your peace and hear your voice.
God’s grace is here. God’s grace is Gabriel’s voice telling Zechariah a wonderful gift is on its way. The gift of a son, long prayed for, no longer hoped for, is about to be unwrapped in the bosom of Elizabeth. And the gift is more than a son. The gift is John, one who will bring joy to his parents. And more magnificently, John will bring joy to God.
John is one-of-a-kind. The Holy Spirit will fill him from the day of his conception. John has a special work to do. He is the most fortunate man to ever walk this earth because God has anointed him for a special task in the Jordan River about 32 years from this time.


Pause and Consider: you’re special, too. You are so special God is doing all of this for you.


November 19
Friend or Lord?
Read Ephesians 5

Eph 5:10 and find out what pleases the Lord.

WE MUST stop here. Don’t go anywhere. Sit down. Think about what you want to do today. Think about what your heart is telling you to do today. Is there any conflict?
I have conflict. I think about prayer—the Lord wants me to pray, to connect with him. But my heart’s not in it right now, and I put it off until it never happens.
The Lord turns my heart to give some money to someone in need, but I make excuses and put it off until it never happens. The Lord wants me to call a friend to check in on his challenge with work. But I make excuses and put it off until it never happens.
What’s your Lord telling you? I mean, your LORD. Yes, we call Jesus, “Lord” but say “Later.” or “Not for me, not now, when I get around to it, when I feel like it, when the time’s right, not ever, Lord, Jesus.”
The reality in our response is that Jesus really isn’t our “Lord”, is he? He’s simply an adviser, a confidant, a listening ear, and someone who will forgive our sins. We don’t really have to “find out what pleases the Lord” and really do it, do we?


Pause and Consider: the meaning of the word “Lord” to you.