“But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.” (Luke 1:13 KJV).
While performing his lifetime dream to burn incense as a priest at the great Temple in Jerusalem, God surprised Zecharias with a great news. The angel of the Lord brought the revelation of fulfillment of God’s divine promise — the coming of the Messiah. Zecharias, along with his wife Elizabeth, are chosen to play crucial roles in His great endowment of grace. Zecharias, in performing his penultimate duty as the priest to burn incense in the inner chamber of the great Temple in Jerusalem, encountered the heavenly messenger who visited him. The angel Gabriel revealed that he and Elizabeth would have a son. Despite being well advanced in age to have children, God answered their prayer in a supernatural way. The messenger told Zecharias to name their son, John.
The name John, in biblical times, carries profound symbolic significance to convey a person’s divine mission and purpose. In Hebrew, the name John means “God is gracious”. This child is born to herald God’s salvation plan by grace for mankind. This points to the coming rule of grace upon our lives, by Christ Jesus. As believers in Him whom John the Baptist heralds, having been saved by faith through grace and not by self-effort of performance of the law, that's where we are today. By total dependence in the risen Lord Jesus Christ, we now live in grace. Scriptures affirm: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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