13 May 2010
Passage: Luke 1:1-25
Focus: “Both of them were upright in the sight of God…” Luke 1:6.
This
phrase has caught my attention this morning. It is a description
of Zechariah and Elizabeth who became the parents of this special man
we know as John the Baptist. Zechariah and Elizabeth were
reasonably normal people. No doubt they had their share of bumps
and bruises down through their lives. Elizabeth mentions her
“disgrace” of being barren…something Zechariah no doubt felt as
well. But what sets them apart and makes them candidates for
special service is that, “Both of them were upright in the sight of
God.”
We have just read through the epistles of Peter and James. Both
of them talk about the fleeting nature of life. Peter presents
the illustration that a man’s life is like grass that doesn’t last
long. All his great achievements are like a flower that blossoms
and then withers into nothingness (1 Pet 1:24-25). He also
encourages us to evaluate things important against the promise of
impending destruction (2 Pet 3:11-12). James says essentially the
same thing (Jas 1:10-11) and then goes on to get a little stronger by
saying that our lives are like a mist that appears for a brief time and
then disappears (Jas 4:14).
In addition to these scriptural perspectives, I suppose my age and
physical condition have some influence on my thoughts concerning these
things. I think it is appropriate for me to make some
determinations about what in life is most important to me. I have
kind of concluded that questing for fame, wealth, or great achievements
are not on my list of priorities. Of course, there is the
possibility that if I had the natural ability to gain those things, I
might have a little more struggle removing them from that list.
So perhaps I am blessed by being weak and less than outstanding in my
achievements. That’s what Paul confessed. But I think this
description of Zechariah and Elizabeth is a worthy statement of my
basic desire in life…to simply and fundamentally be “upright in the
sight of God.” To me, that says it all. To me, that’s
important.
“If your room is dark, it could be for one of two reasons…
the sun isn’t
shining or the window is dirty.”