December 23 – Righteous before God – Luke 1
Zacharias and Elisabeth were chosen by God to be the parents of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Every Christian would like to know their purpose on earth and fulfill this purpose while pleasing God. Zacharias and Elisabeth prayed for a child many years, seemingly without an answer. It was only when it seemed too late, when they were too old, that God gave them a child. God had a timetable that He was following. God chose them to parent the child, John the Baptist, to preach to prepare the people for Christ’s coming. For this to happen, they had to be patient and trust God. How do we know they were patient? They continued to serve God. This is an outward action mirroring their inward commitment to Christ. It was important that God find righteous parents to raise John the Baptist. Righteous defined in simple terms is “doing right.” We parents make a common mistake when we make sure our children are “doing right,” but fail to toe the line ourselves. We must first make sure we are righteous before God, before we can expect our children to follow. The question parents should ask themselves is “are we righteous in the eyes of God?” If you really want to help your child, then serve God with an obedient heart. It is good to pray for your children, but it is better to be righteous before God.
