John, Elizabeth and Zechariah

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb.  ... When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ... Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption for His people.  Luke 1:15, 41, 67-68 HCSB

Filled with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit all his life—from the womb to eternity. His parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, were both filled with the Holy Spirit—before their son was born. Filled with the Holy Spirit. The long awaited forerunner of the Messiah. "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:17. "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS….”Luke 1:76.  John the Baptist was a devout and obedient man of God—who we see here as a baby being given a prophetic view of a holy life—no alcoholic beverages. Since wine was a staple in that region of the world and in that era—it would be rare for one not to drink wine. It possibly could have been safer to drink the wine than water. John’s mission in life was to point people to the Lord, to prepare them to be ready to meet the Savior. Being filled with the Spirit would be essential for one such as John so that he himself would be prepared—living a holy life to show others the way to the Messiah. Are we ever like John the Baptist, pointing others to Christ—our Messiah? 

Prayer ~ Holy Spirit, we praise You for Your power in the life of John the Baptist. Guiding him in purity and wisdom, as well as helping him to be obedient to God. May we be obedient, like John.

© 2015 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

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