Zechariah 1- 3; Luke 11

Who was Zechariah:
a priest and a prophet
instrumental in inspiring his fellow Jews to rebuild the Temple
means "Yah has remembered”
11th book of the twelve minor began prophesying during the same year as the prophet Haggai prophecies came from visions that showed God's power, God's judgment of sin, the importance of spiritual strength, and the promise of things to come, including the promise of the Messiah
concerned about the religious purity of the people and the morale of Jerusalem's leaders. To that end he attempted to inspire them

So he was in tune with God and wanted to inspire others. I think that is secretly or not so secretly what I want to be..... an inspiration to guide, point, INSPIRE people to seek YOU for themselves.

The journey is so worth taking, the humility though momentarily painful and for me repetively so…. .....BUT in the humbling YOU hold me, anyone who truly seeks YOU for YOU, not for appreciation or success or ……..whatever (we can't hide it..... YOU know it’s in there)….the humbling takes you to places you could never go on your own.

The point of the journey is to want what God wants MORE THAN ANYTHING.

In admitting to You repeatedly my …........or is it YOU revealing to me my constant desires??? That’s probably closer to true……I didn’t know, couldn’t know how all about me I AM without Your Spirit revealing that to me…..and in the revelation where I expect condemnation is GRACE…over and over again overwhelming GRACE.

Zechariah 1: 1-4 In the eighth month of the second year in the reign of Darius, God's Message came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo: "God was very angry with your ancestors. So give to the people this Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: 'Come back to me and I'll come back to you. Don't be like your parents. The old-time prophets called out to them, "A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: Leave your evil life. Quit your evil practices." But they ignored everything I said to them, stubbornly refused to listen.'
5-6"And where are your ancestors now? Dead and buried. And the prophets who preached to them? Also dead and buried. But the Message that my servants the prophets spoke, that isn't dead and buried. That Message did its work on your ancestors, did it not? It woke them up and they came back, saying, 'He did what he said he would do, sure enough. We didn't get by with a thing.'"

Luke 11: 27 While he was saying these things, some woman lifted her voice above the murmur of the crowd: "Blessed the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!"
28 Jesus commented, "Even more blessed are those who hear God's Word and guard it with their lives!"

Even more………simply in the guarding of the Word……..it’s that important?? In order to guard it I have to be seeking it and in the seeking of it in my life I become blessed……WOW…….for a God who owes me nothing that sure sounds like a lot!!!

And then this so simple and believable and real…tears come to my eyes and my heart just swells with believing it….Luke 11: 33-36 "No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It's put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they're going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don't get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room."

The only way to keep my wide eyed wonder is to keep Your Word in my heart….to trust and believe that through IT you are speaking to me……because let’s face it I WANT to be a light pointing people to YOU….

Luke 11: 46 He said, "Yes, and I can be even more explicit. You're hopeless, you religion scholars! You load people down with rules and regulations, nearly breaking their backs, but never lift even a finger to help…..

IT'S NOT ABOUT RELIGION……be it Emergent or Christian or Catholic or Baptist or………it’s about Him and His Word……His word keeps us open to Him…….not to read it for legalistic purposes but because it is what HE GAVE US TO KNOW HIM……and through it and HIS SPIRIT guiding us…….all we want to DO is know HIM……..The point of the journey is to want what God wants MORE THAN ANYTHING…..maybe He just wants to be known………and then, well THEN HE takes care of everything else…….but I kinda wonder if knowing HIM may take the rest of my life and right now this moment….that’s worth living for…….