"He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:15b-17
Just as the passage we looked at yesterday, the angel of the Lord is spelling out what John's role and purpose will be. These verses get a bit more specific, and they also include some instruction. The instruction given is reminiscent of the same Nazarite vow that Samson was to take. He was to abstain from wine or other fermented drink. He was to be set apart for the Lord. The purpose of His life was to bring the hearts of the people back to the Lord.
The angel let Zechariah know from the beginning that his son had a purpose, but that there would be sacrifice involved. You can't just live your life as you please and still expect to be used to reconcile people to the Lord.
My dad a motto that he taught us kids growing up: "Others may. I cannot." He was basically giving new words to 1 Corinthians 10:23. There may be things that are permissible for us a believer, but they are not constructive or profitable to someone who desires to be set apart for Him.
With the kids: As a mom, I have to continually remind myself to direct my kids daily lives in the direction of their purpose. For example, if I don't see that sports are a big part of what God has for their future, should I sign them up for every sport just because they are boys and all their friends do every sport?
Proverbs 22:6 gives us our charge as parents to help our kids figure out their purpose and direction when they are young, so they won't be wandering around trying to figure it out later. Our ability to do that can start really young. It starts with what we teach them to focus on and what we push them toward or away from.
Can you think of any changes you might need to make to help line up your kids activities and training with what God is telling you He has planned for them?
Memorizing: "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. I Corinthians 10:23
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