The book of Zechariah gets lost in biblical obscurity, but it shouldn’t. It has a powerful message that note only spoke to people returning from exile in Babylon 2,500 years ago but also speaks to our generation. There is much we can gain from the fourteen chapters of this little book, but I’d like to share three with you.
(1) Learn the lessons of the past. Winston Churchill said, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Both Zechariah and I agree. Why not learn from the failures of previous generations? We should, but we seem to be bound and determined to make those same mistakes ourselves, pay the same price, and wonder why it didn’t work. Wise up! Learn from the past.
(2) God is waiting for you to return to Him. We don’t have a God who is itching to slap us down at the least provocation. He hates our sin, but He loves us. He calls us to come back, and when we do we find He is there. Just as the repentant prodigal son found a loving reception from His Father, we too find our God is waiting to lovingly receive us.
(3) God is not satisfied with half-hearted, empty religion, nor should we be. A.W. Tozer wrote, “The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long in vain.” Just showing up in a church on Sunday mornings does not impress God. He sees the heart. He knows our motives. He is not lacking anything so He doesn’t need us, but He desires us heart, soul, and body.
Be Transformed 