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“In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.”  Luke 1:5-6

The news has been shocking this Christmas season, hasn’t it? As we go about our business putting up our trees and decorating our homes, choosing gifts for loved ones, and making travel plans, laws are being passed that shake a fist in the face of God. Wrong is being called right, and right is being called wrong. Sometimes we despair of how to teach our children. How will they embrace the truth when wrong has become normalized, even celebrated? It would be so easy to bend to the culture and fit in.

We have strong examples in the scriptures. Let’s take a look at the culture at the time of Jesus’ birth, the first Christmas. God hadn’t spoken through the prophets for four hundred years. The Romans had forced their rule on the Jews. Major forces within the temple were distorting the scriptures. The Pharisees, who considered themselves above the others, drilled their attention on religious law, laying strict rules on the people that they couldn’t possibly keep. On the other hand, the Sadducees, though honoring the law, taught that angels, demons, heaven, and hell did not exist. Both groups were represented on the Sanhedrin, the Jewish tribunal. Satan was surely gloating. How were people to stay true to their God with all of that going on?

Now look at Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. The scripture says they were righteous before God. Look at young Mary and her beloved Joseph, who each made a decision to allow the Lord to work in their lives according to His will, even if it would cause them pain and probably embarrassment. Although they were living in an evil culture, they did not bend. They were all righteous before God, worthy tools in His hand to play a part in the greatest event of history.

There is a spiritual war being fought in our culture, but we are promised to win it. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus himself said, “…I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” What a promise! We will not be stuck in this unholy situation forever. There is a war, and we’re on the winning side. So, dear saint, put on the whole armor of God and take your stand boldly, and having done all, stand firm.

Blessings to you, and Merry Christmas!

Dear Father, You know what we are up against in our human frailties. We pray for this nation, that You would turn it around, and we pray for ourselves, that You will give us strength to stand firm until the end.

For His Glory

Cherie Williams (www.CherieHarbridgeWilliams.com)
TRBC Women’s Life