Luke 1:74-75 “to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

The ideas in these two verses are so interconnected that for grammatical reasons the Japanese blends them, putting both verse numbers at the beginning of the passage. Here Zechariah is expressing the goal of God in fulfilling His promise to Abraham. We would do well to pay close attention. God’s intent is that we serve Him. As has come out recently because of an absurd statement by a prominent Christian personality, it’s not about us, it’s about God. He loves us incredibly, but sometimes we drift into thinking He’s around to serve us, rather than us Him. We then need to remember that our service is to be holy and righteous. In other words, we can’t serve God by, or while, wallowing in the muck of the world. We live in that environment, but Jesus said that those who believe in Him are not of it, (John 17:14-16) and Paul cautioned us not to compromise with the world. (Romans 12:2) Those who insist they love and serve God, and at the same time insist on their right to worldly indulgences, don’t have their heads on straight. The last point to remember is that this applies to every day of our lives. This clearly rules out “Sunday Christians!” We can’t be “part-time Christians” and we never retire from being Christians. (Actually, I would doubt the salvation of anyone who would want to do that.) The rewards for faith and faithfulness are great, but we’ve got to be in it for the long haul. That’s why the letter to the Hebrews goes on at such length, in chapters 11-13, about this issue. We are here for God, and that’s a good thing.

This is very appropriate, coming on my 66th birthday, when my father died less that two weeks after his 64th. It’s a good time to reexamine why I am here, and the focus of my days. I know from experience that focusing on myself can produce some momentary pleasures, but genuine happiness, peace, and satisfaction never come that way. When I remember that I am here to serve God and not to make me happy, I discover that I am far happier than when I am trying to make me happy. Yesterday in speaking of how God has fulfilled His plans in my life, even when I had planned something else, I was overcome with emotion at God’s faithfulness. There are no words to describe His faithfulness adequately. I have no idea how many more days I will have on this earth, nor what they will hold. I know what is planned for today, but I have no guarantee that will happen. I am to walk in moment-by-moment fellowship with and obedience to my Lord by His Spirit, so that I may indeed serve Him in holiness and righteousness all my days, including today.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s a good birthday present! Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You, allowing Your love and grace to flow through me unhindered to all I am with, for the blessing of us all and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!