Verse:
“[T]he word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
Thought:
Led by our own self-interest, we, society has
become shaped by many things. Driven by economic hope, the marketing
agencies within society have done their best to influence who we are, what we
like and what we will buy into. In fact, a recent commercial suggests
the one way you can really judge a person is by their watch. Their
watch?! Where is the prophetic voice of today? Is it gone or have
we become numbed to the voice and calling of God in favor of the mind numbing
influence of advertising agencies, feeding upon our insecurities, offering a
superficial voice and calling? Where have the Prophets gone?
Hear the Good News, the prophets have not gone anywhere, rather God
is calling more and more people to be a prophetic voice today. Before
John uttered the words out of the wilderness to all who would listen, God
demonstrated his tendency to give His message to a very unsuspecting person,
but expecting him to share the message to the word without doubt.
Zechariah, surprised and amazed at the presence and message received from the
angel Gabriel, does not initially respond to God's calling to be a prophetic
voice, instead becomes silent with doubt. Just as the man with one
talent, often times we are given a gift to multiply, only to bury it for fear
of failure. We must understand that God does not give us gifts that will
lead to failure, they may take us to difficult places in life, but never
failure. He will strengthen us and support us as we follow His call upon
our life. You see, we are the prophetic voice in the wilderness.
When God chooses us, calls us to faith, we are called to share the prophetic
word or message He gives us in that calling. All of us. So whether
our experience in like that of Zechariah or John, we are to share it. "But the
one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and
hid his master’s money." Share the message, don't bury it.
Prayer:
Gracious God, thank You for The Word, as it has changed everything within me. Give me strength to share The Word and be the prophetic voice You call me to be. Enable us all to share the gifts you give, that we might bring us closer to Your Kingdom. I thank You for all You have done in my life and all You will continue to do, for I come to You through Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior! Amen.
Grace & Peace
David Banks
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