The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 21 December 2019 – The Blessedness Of Righteousness
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TOPIC: The Blessedness Of Righteousness
READ: LUKE 1:1-26 (NKJV)
- Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,
- just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,
- it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,
- that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
- There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife [was] of the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elizabeth.
- And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
- But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
- So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,
- according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
- And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
- Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
- And when Zacharias saw [him,] he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
- But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
- “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
- “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
- “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
- “He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
- And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
- And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.
- “But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
- And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.
- But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
- And so it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.
- Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,
- “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on [me,] to take away my reproach among people.”
- Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
THE MESSAGE:
This Bible passage is the familiar story of a priest named Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth. Both of them were advanced in age and were without a child. Despite all odds, there is something very remarkable and revealing about them: they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly (verse 6). In other words, both of them were faithful in their walk with God even in the midst of their difficult moments. They would not give up on their services unto God. And because of this, God was not finished with them even though they were advanced in age.
While serving before God in the temple, a divine message was delivered to Zacharias through the Angel Gabriel that he (Zacharias) would become a father and that his wife, Elizabeth, who was called ‘barren’ would bear a son who would be called John. God indeed remembered them by blessing them with the fruit of the womb. They were blessed for their righteous living and for walking faithfully with God.
Can we be found faithful in the sight of God to the point of attracting His blessings? Do you know that God can make dry bones in your life and ministry live again? God can change that mess into a message; that test into a testimony and that gory into glory. Walk with God henceforth and you will forever be blessed.
PRAYER: Lord grant me the grace to walk righteously with and for You in Jesus Name. Amen.
