We are taught that we must become upright people who, in God’s sight, are blameless and fully keep His commandments. “In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly” [(Modern Translation: “When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the division of Abijah, and his wife Elizabeth also came from the family of Aaron. They were righteous before God and faithfully kept all the Lord’s commandments and regulations without fault”)] (Luke 1:5–6). While meditating on this passage, I would like to draw out the lessons given to us: (1) The author of Luke’s Gospel, Luke, first wrote to Theophilus about John the Baptist’s parents. The father’s name was “Zechariah” (meaning, “The LORD remembers...
Success, Fulfillment, Satisfaction, Happiness, Insecurity "Success is accepting God's goal for our lives and becoming what He has called us to be by His grace (see Josh.1:7-8; 2 Pet.1:3-10; 3 John 2)." "Fulfillment is discovering our own uniqueness in Christ and using our gifts to build up others and to glorify the Lord (see Matt.25:14-30; Rom.12:1-18; 2Tim.4:5)." "Satisfaction is living righteously and seeking to raise the quality of the relationship, services and products we're involved with (see Prov.18:24; Matt.5:5; 2 Tim.4:7). "Happiness is being thankful for what we do have, rather than focusing in what we don't have - because happy are the people who appreciate what they have (see Phil.4:12; 1 Thess.5:18; 1 Tim.6:6-8)." "Insecurity comes when we depend on things that pass away rather than on things that last forever (see John 10:27-30; Rom.8:31-39; Eph.1:13-14)." (NEIL T. ANDERSON, "OVER...