“This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them, I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.”
~ Zechariah 13:9
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you look forward to the most when you get out of bed each morning? Do you look forward to seeing a brilliant sunrise coloring the morning sky? Do you look forward to spending time with kid friends? Do you look forward to reading a book? Do you look forward to playing with your toys? Do you look forward to watching TV? Do you look forward to going someplace with your dad and/or ma? Do you look forward to eating? Do you look forward to going back to bed again? Do you look forward to another day of walking and talking with God? Your grandpaa looks forward each day to seeing the morning sun paint the eastern horizon. Your grandpaa looks forward to when he can discuss and formulate ministry plans with other missionary guys. Your grandpaa looks forward to eating. Your grandpaa looks forward to writing this missive. Your grandpaa knows that when he gets out of bed in the morning that he may not see a bright, shimmering yellow globe climbing up from behind planet Earth to make another arc over an itty-bitty speck – who is your grandpaa. Your grandpaa knows that there are days when he gets out of bed in the morning that he will not meet up with any missionary guys who are ready to theorize and strategize with your grandpaa about ministering cross-culturally. Your grandpaa knows that as much as he likes to eat that he needs to be careful how much he eats because it is easy for your grandpaa to put on weight and weigh a lot more than he should. Your grandpaa knows that no matter how much that he wants to write this devotional each day that there are days when it is impossible to do so.
Falling fluffy snow and heavy steel gray clouds kept your grandpaa from seeing this morning the morning sun shyly sneaking over the eastern edge of planet Earth. Your grandmaa and grandpaa in just about an hour are going over to another missionary couple’s house. Your grandmaa and grandpaa are planning to take this couple out for breakfast at an area restaurant. Jeff’s birthday was a couple of days ago so . . . your grandpaa is very much looking forward to eating a breakfast of sausage and eggs. Because this is a Saturday, your grandpaa will not be going to the OC International mission headquarters office to work – which means that your grandpaa should be able to complete and send off this communiqué to you today. Your grandpaa thinks of each new day is being for him the beginning of a new day filled with adventures – as it should be for every guy, gal and kid who is living on planet Earth. Your grandpaa knows what he likes and wants to do each day but . . . your grandpaa also knows that each new day has already been completely planned out for him by his Father God. Your grandpaa wants to in his heart and mind to willingly do each day what his Father God has ordained him to do. As you are getting out of bed in the morning, do you think to ask your Father God what He wants you to do that day? As you are getting out of bed in the morning, do you think to ask your Father God how He wants you to live your lives throughout the day? As you are getting out of bed in the morning, do you think to ask your Father God why He is blessing you by having you at this moment living on an egg-shaped orb – that He created millenniums ago, that is called Earth?
What do you think that Zechariah looked forward to each morning when he got out of bed? Zechariah was a prophet spokesman who God used to give messages to His specially chosen guys and gals who had returned from living in Babylonia to the land that He had promised them that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . Zechariah lived on planet Earth about 2500 years ago. Zechariah’s relationship with His Father God was an intimate, personal relationship. Zechariah was selected by God the Father to be His spokesman to His specially chosen guys and gals about a future period of time. Your grandpaa is not sure what period of time is being referred to when God the Spirit breathed on Zechariah to write what is now found in Zechariah 13. Zechariah wrote in this chapter in his Zechariah Book that a new day will one day awaken which will reawaken the house of David. A new covenant with God the Father would be part of this new day. This new day with the new covenant will allow lives to be cleansed of all of their sins and impurities. Zechariah may have been writing about at this time the pending arrival of God the Son – Jesus, who would live as an incarnated guy on planet Earth about 500 years after Zechariah wrote his Zechariah Book. Zechariah may have been writing about the pending return of God the Son – Jesus, who is going to return someday real soon to claim the guys, gals and kids who God the Father elected – before He created planet Earth, to be His adopted kids. God the Spirit breathed on Zechariah to write about some guys who were going to experience a very scary, helpless future for falsely claiming to be prophet spokesmen for God. These wicked guys will try to cover the scars where they had mutilated themselves to appease their idol gods. These wicked guys will lie and say that they are farmers. These wicked guys will get rid of their goat hair coats. These wicked guys will be ashamed of what they were wanting guys and gals to believe. These wicked guys will have God the Spirit open their hearts and minds to knowing that what they had been prophesying was one big lie. Your grandpaa wonders what Zechariah was really thinking when God the Spirit had him write in verse 9, “This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them, I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’ ”” Your grandpaa knows that God – through the plan that He created for him before He created planet Earth, is reflecting His glory through him back to Himself.
Zechariah 13 (440)