Great in the Sight of the Lord

November 4

(Luke 1:13-15 NIV) ““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 call him 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 before he is born.””

(Luke 1:5-6 NIV) “In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. {6} Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.”

(Matthew 11:11 NIV) “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

What kind of God declares in advance that the one to be born will be “great in the sight of the Lord”? Only a sovereign God could say this. God’s angel made some definitive statements about the baby to be born to Zechariah and Elizabeth. His name was to be John. His birth would bring joy to many, and he would be a delight to his parents. His righteous parents were instructed to teach him never to take wine or other fermented drinks. There would be no recovery groups in this man’s future. He would be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment of conception. God would dwell in him from birth until death, and he would be “great in the sight of the Lord”. Will God say that about you? None of us will likely measure up to John, but in Christ we can be filled with the Holy Spirit, be declared righteous, and be great in the sight of the Lord. Are you in Christ? Does He live in you? Believe! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day