Luke 1:12-15 (ESV Strong's)
And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been 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 before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
Tag: Your Child Will Be Great Before ...
In the above passage we read a portion of the story of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. The desired to have a baby. Zechariah was a priest and was selected to enter the Holy of Holies, in his Temple service. As he enters, Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, speaks to him to tell him the Elizabeth will become pregnant and that the child will be John the Baptist. A key phrase in the above passage is, “... for he will be great before the Lord.” What an amazing thought. To hear from God, via His chosen messenger, that your child will be “great before the Lord.” Today, if you ask most parents to finish this sentence, what would they say? “I want my child to be great before ___________!” Most might say, the “world.” Some might say, “family.” Others might say, “I want me child to be great before all our relatives.” Zechariah and Elizabeth were informed that their child, John the Baptist, would be great before the LORD! That is what every parent should desire, pray for and teach their child. Being great before the coach on a sport team means the child will play in the game more than others. But, that is not where the child needs to be great. Being great before the teacher for good grades or before the ACT monitors is nice, but that is not where the child needs to be great. Being great before the interview committee for a job is wonderful, but that is not where we want our child to be great. Being the top of their class and being great before the classmates might sound wonderful, but that is not what matters. Being great before God is what matters. That is what these two parents were told. Our prayers and parenting should be to want our children to be great before the Lord.
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