Luke 1:59-80
Wednesday, 10 November 2021
“What kind of a child will this be?” - Luke 1:66
The circumstances surrounding the birth of John is our meditation today. Very often as parents, we get concerned about what our children would turn out to be in this perverse world. Looking at all the strange happenings that surrounded the birth of John, the people who witnessed it had the same question running in their minds. But surprisingly Elizabeth and Zacharias were quite clear about the vision and the mission of their son, seen in the words that Zacharias prophesied about John in Luke 1:.67- 79.
Elizabeth and Zacharias not only prayed for John but also lived a righteous and holy life (Luke 1:6) that would have had a great impact on John. Do our lives impact our children to follow Christ?
As parents, we need to come to terms that one day our children would step out into the world, and it is then we will see if they would abide in the Word implanted in them or become one with the world around them. Let’s learn from the life of John today the two aspects that made him so different from all the other children in his neighborhood. If our children would yield themselves to these truths, they are sure to make a difference in their generation just as John. May we as parents be the first to follow these truths, which then they are sure to follow.
The Lord’s hand was with him (Vs. 66)
The first thing we need to pray for our children is for the Lord’s hand over their lives. Very often we spend a lot of time, effort and money to invest so much of the worldly qualities in them so that they would achieve prosperity and success in the world. We fail to realize that the 2 things for our children’s success is found in 1) the Book of Joshua 1: 8 & 9 – to meditate on God’s word then we will be prosperous and successful 2) James 4:10 – to humble under the mighty hand of God- He will exalt you. Are these the truth that we are trying to inculcate in them? For the many hours of study and personality development activities we encourage our children to pursue, do we also encourage them to learn to wait in the presence of God in Bible reading and prayer? Do they see us as parents being an example for them to say: “Surely the Lord’s hand is upon my dad/mom.” When they see us passionate about God and God’s favor over our lives, they will surely start relying more on God and less on themselves.
Grew and became strong in the spirit (Vs.80)
Do we parents pray for our children to become strong in their spirit? We nourish and feed their physical bodies lest they become weak and sick. But are their spirits strong enough to counter the worldly trend and its patterns? The only way our children can become strong in spirit is when they learn to walk with the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:5 talks about the importance of setting our minds on the things of the Spirit and not the flesh. Our children are living in a world that is compromising and diluting the Word of God. Why should our children walk in the Spirit?
John 14:16 –The Spirit of truth will help us and be with us forever.
1 John 2:27 – The Spirit of God will teach us all things.
May we as parents continue to seek God to help raise up a godly generation, and may we make a difference for Jesus ourselves as we live out our faith first to our children and then in this generation.
Quote for the day: Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. ~ Charles (Chuck) Swindoll
Listen: ‘I want to be just like you'
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