Advent Devotions - Dec 7

Today's devotional comes from Upper Room Daily Reflections. And today's scripture text is taken from Luke 1:78-79.

78because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace."

This text is part of a larger passage where John's dad Zechariah "was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied." (Luke 1:67) This is what Zechariah said:

68"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
70as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Zechariah knows that John will lead people to Christ. He knows that John "will be called the prophet of the Most High; for {he} will go before the Lord to prepare his ways". And we know from reading the New Testament that this is what John did. When he grew uphe lived a quiet life until he openly came, prepared to call people to God. He pointed them to Christ. When he baptized Jesus he felt unworthy to do so and only did so because Jesus told him it was necessary. John constantly pointed people to Christ who would baptize them with the spirit and not just with water. John usefulness pointed people to Christ.

Matthew Henry's commentary tells us that Zechariah

uttered a prophecy concerning the kingdom and salvation of the Messiah. The gospel brings light with it; in it the day dawns. In John the Baptist it began to break, and increased apace to the perfect day. The gospel is discovering; it shows that about which we were utterly in the dark; it is to give light to those that sit in darkness, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is reviving; it brings light to those that sit in the shadow of death, as condemned prisoners in the dungeon. It is directing; it is to guide our feet in the way of peace, into that way which will bring us to peace at last.

So it makes me wonder, how am I useful in the kingdom of God. How do I point people to Christ? Does anything I do really matter for the sake of the kingdom? How do I point people to the Christ that I long to see come?

It's so easy to think that I do all the right things. but passages like this really make me think. I have to wonder if I am really doing all that I can. And today, all I can think is that... nope... all I have been doing lately is coping with life, and not doing all I can to show people the way to Christ. Despite how frail and incapable I feel right now, my first allegiance remains to Christ, and I must show others how to find him....so open your bibles folks...Christ awaits you there!