No Reasoning Rejoicer, Day 9

Reading, Luke 1:57-66

In this passage we read of John's birth. The people surrounding Elizabeth were rejoicing with her at her miracle baby. However, it's interesting that the people who rejoiced with her challenged her to contradict her husband and the instructions God gave regarding John's name. They insisted it should be a family name. They weren't attempting to be vindictive, but they didn't understand the plan of God in this family. We need to learn something from this.

There will always be people in our lives who will celebrate our victories but remain ignorant of God's purpose in those triumphs. We can be easily swayed in the flesh by their reasoning. I recently read, "Authority points us towards the Author…reason points us towards the thing itself." The question was, would those around Elizabeth and Zacharias reason them out of obedience by the traditions of men, or would they act as a couple under the authority of Almighty God despite their friends' arguments.

Happily, they obeyed the Lord, and when Zacharias reiterated Elizabeth's declaration, "His name is John," Zacharias' mouth was opened. Their obedience released the guard the Lord had placed over Zacharias' tongue, and God's will prevailed. There is something to learn here, too, about the power of agreement between believing spouses. These two came into unity regarding the will of God, and it brought about a miracle in their home.

My question regarding how you relate to others is: are you a reasoning rejoicer, allowing tradition to color your interactions with others in the Body of Christ? Or are you under the authority of God, willing to obey at any cost, despite the opinions of others? John's birth and the miracle that accompanied it put the fear of God in the community, and they began to contemplate God's plan for John, never realizing that John would point the way to God's ultimate plan of salvation for the world – Jesus.