Luke 1:26-30 Authorized (King James) Version
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Somehow the body of Christ seems to think that if we are humble we should never desire or even confess the desire to be great. Why is this? Is it because we think or have been taught that to desire such a bold thing is sinful or carnal?
So often in the body of Christ some teacher or pastor says something that the audience thinks is brilliant because it’s provocative or new without knowing whether what was said was biblically sound or not.
Sometimes it’s a simple thing and other times it a deep idea that fascinates people’s interest.
All too often a solid ministry has gone off the rails biblically because some pastor or teacher has an unhealthy appetite for being on the cutting edge of some “New Concept” to wow their audience.
They keep trying to have provocative “New” ideas, resolutions to gain a greater audience or notoriety versus helping people become better followers of Jesus.
Now mind you, some of what the body of Christ has believed for hundreds of years could be wrong and therefore, challenging such ideas with the scriptures may sound original and provocative but in truth it is returning to the original intent God had all along.
Scripture is always our bottom line as believers in terms of how we evaluate new and old teachings in the body of Christ, not our own feelings or desires.
Luke 1:26-30 Complete Jewish Bible
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gavri’el was sent by God to a city in the Galil called Natzeret, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Yosef, of the house of David; the virgin’s name was Miryam. 28 Approaching her, the angel said, “Shalom, favored lady! Adonai is with you!” 29 She was deeply troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Miryam, for you have found favor with God.
In one moment of time, young Mary’s life was forever changed.
As the angel of the Lord spoke about her future, Mary went from an obscure Jewish teenager to the hand-selected mother of the long-awaited Messiah.
Everything changed when she understood her destiny.
Mary didn’t know power or popularity, wealth or fame; we don’t even know her last name.
Yet she was favored by God, chosen above all the women throughout time to bring the fullness and greatness of God’s salvation and healing into this world.
It’s the kind of salvation needed by both paupers and presidents, rich and poor, black, white, known and obscure.
And such healing would become the spark of life in the darkness of dead men’s souls, and bridge the great divide between our lost humanity and a loving God.
Yet her journey was not without difficulty as she had to deal with practical facts:
not fully understanding God’s plan, judgmental people speaking lies about her, her own doubts and fears, and trusting God to vindicate and protect her.
Mary’s story was a trial of faith.
Yet she made it through and so can we.
Because like Mary, we are all, in our own God-ordained way, called to bring something indelibly, extraordinary (the Glory of God) straight into the world.
Matthew 5:14-16 Amplified Bible
14 “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.
But to do so, we must learn from Mary’s experience.
1. Commit to Personal Righteousness
“Personal righteousness” refers to a commitment by believers to live consistent with God’s high calling to carry His light into a lost world.
We must commit to display integrity, purity, honor, respect and holiness. Our lives should be examples for others to emulate – not perfect lives without fault, failure or division, but lives consistent with being on mission for God Himself.
We must hold grace, not as an excuse to sin, but as a motivating force to live honorably before God.
We should neither become judgmental nor a stumbling block unto those who desperately need Christ’s forgiveness.
Personal righteousness is a long drawn out battle that we commit to fight in order to be model examples of God’s love that helps lead people to salvation.
And I believe “personal righteousness” was a significant factor in Mary’s selection to bear the Messiah for mankind:
Luke 1:26-34 Amplified Bible
Jesus’ Birth Foretold
26 Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin [a]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?”
These verses imply that Mary, who was divinely chosen for this extraordinary task, was chosen partly because of her commitment to personal righteousness.
In fact, the Word makes it clear that there is a connection between personal righteousness and God’s decision to entrust great responsibilities to people.
This also directly, decisively, implies our inattention to lackluster personal righteousness limits the effectiveness of their individual in their success.
Hebrews 12:1-3 The Message
Discipline in a Long-Distance Race
12 1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
Anything less than focused commitment to personal righteousness will become a weight that stands in the way of our God-given assignment.
I am convinced if we would fight as vehemently for personal righteousness as we do for social righteousness, or pointing out the sins of the world, we would steadily, but also inevitably, impact the world in much more profound ways!
2. Be Available
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 The Message
26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”
Translation – you don’t have to be great to do great things for God!
Mediocrity is just as acceptable, is just as highly valued by God.
What does being a mediocre mean?
The definition of mediocre is “of ordinary quality,” “merely adequate,” and “average.” Another word that shares the same root is mediocracy, which means “government run by mediocre people” — an all-too-common, daily condition.
Definitions of mediocre. adjective. moderate to inferior in quality.
Notice here what Mary says of herself:
Luke 1:46-55 Authorized (King James) Version
46 And Mary said,
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm;
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats,
and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy;
55 as he spake to our fathers,
to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
“Low estate” means someone who is low in rank, considered vile, or who is humiliated.
It describes a person who is down and out, rejected, despised, overlooked or simply not popular!
Although it can’t be proven, some people believe Mary was the least in her father’s house, as if she were under some particular contempt and disgrace among her family – like the Cinderella of ancient Israel.
Regardless, it is clear that Mary felt there was nothing extraordinary about Mary! Yet, God chose her.
Why?
The Word demonstrates she made herself available to God; to be used by Him to carry out His extraordinary mission.
She was willing to make room, in her life and in her womb, for God to use her.
But I would guess if we took a hard look at our busy schedules, most of us would mirror Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus rather Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Luke 10:41-42 Amplified Bible
41 But the Lord replied to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part [that which is to her advantage], which will not be taken away from her.”
Translation – your schedule is packed too full to focus on the things that matter most in life.
At times, our lives get so cluttered, so over-burdened that we don’t have time or mental space to be available for God to use in any significant way.
If that resonates with you, it’s time to reorganize and reprioritize some things; we must intentionally make ourselves available so that we are able to carry out anything He asks.
3. Understand the Purpose of Favor
One of the most memorable words of the angel’s announcement was “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you…” (Luke 1:28).
Many times, we misunderstand favor in our society.
God’s favor is not all about blessing, good breaks and open doors in order to increase personal or social status.
Rather the purpose of divine favor is to allow us to accomplish what God needs done in our lives.
– Joseph found favor with Potiphar,
found favor in prison, and found favor with Pharaoh…because his purpose was to serve as Prime Minister over Egypt in a time of great famine.
– Young David found favor in the eyes of the prophet Samuel, and God touched David’s sling shot with favor to defeat the giant Goliath in battle…because his purpose was to serve as King of Israel.
– Daniel found favor in the courts of the wicked King Nebuchadnezzar…because his purpose was to serve as the prophet of the LORD to the nations.
– Esther found favor in the eyes of the King of Persia…because her purpose was to serve as an intercessor to save her people from destruction.
Favor is not as much for our person, as it is for our purpose.
Even so, when we commit ourselves to God, that favor does positively affect our lives in many forms.
4. Be Willing to Risk Everything
Think of what Mary risked to bring the salvation of God into the world.
Imagine dinner conversation with her parents. Or the angry, hushed argument raging between her parents and Joseph’s parents. Imagine what it felt like to walk to the marketplace, sit in synagogue or look into Joseph’s wounded eyes.
For Mary to fulfill her God-given assignment, she had to release control, risk it all: her reputation, family and friends, her financial security – even her life.
In the culture of that day, she could have been stoned to death for adultery while betrothed to Joseph.
Whatever God entrusts you to bring into the world, regardless of influence, be aware there will be a hefty personal cost.
Jesus did not try to hide this aspect of being His disciple.
Matthew 16:24-27 Amplified Bible
Discipleship Is Costly
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity]. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory and majesty of His Father with His angels, and then He will repay each one in accordance with what he has done.
How was Mary able to accept the high price and high calling of bringing and too, raising the Son of God into the world?
Luke 1:38 Amplified Bible
38 Then Mary said, “[a]Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.
One of the greatest challenges for many of us, especially in Western society, is seeing ourselves as God’s servants.
We forget as believers, we have willingly given our lives over to Christ, and we are no longer our own; rather, we have been bought with an irreplaceable price.
The Christ who created us and redeemed us from death now has the right to direct our lives and our actions in it, regardless of perceived risk to our plans, social standing or financial well-being.
From God’s perspective every person who impacts the world in a significant way for God understands this truth.
For example, you’ll observe Paul in his epistles constantly reaffirms his continuous submission to Christ.
Romans 1:1-4 Amplified Bible
The Gospel Exalted
1 Paul, a [a]bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative), set apart for [preaching] the [b]gospel of God [the good news of salvation], 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures— 3 [the good news] regarding His Son, who, as to the flesh [His human nature], was born a descendant of David [to fulfill the covenant promises], 4 and [as to His divine nature] according to the Spirit of holiness was openly designated to be the Son of God with power [in a triumphant and miraculous way] by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
A “bondservant” was someone who had been purchased as a slave.
At the time appointed for them to be set free, they elected to stay with their master for life and serve them, because of love.
Ultimately, that’s what it takes to bring divine greatness to the world in an impactful way.
It requires we love Jesus so much that, even though we must reprioritize things in our lives to reflect His character, intentionally make room in our schedules to answer His call at any time, and be courageous enough to step out in faith well beyond our comfort zones.
We devote our lives and everything we do to serving Him as our master.
It may seem impossible now, but nothing is impossible with God!
He is greater than our human limitations, and He can, moment by moment summon us, prepare and position us for every good thing He has planned.
Psalm 62:5-8 New Living Translation
5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
The disarming song of Psalm 62 gives us a beautiful invitation: “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
In a mysterious way, being vulnerable and pouring out our hearts opens us up to receive the rock-solid foundation that God’s loving character provides us.
We may not be able to control what happens in our lives, but we always have the invitation to rely fully on God.
No matter what, even if we feel as if we could be toppled, we will not be shaken.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Praying …….
Psalm 46 The Message
46 1-3 God is a safe place to hide,
ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
but Earth does anything he says.
7 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
loving look at me, your High God,
above politics, above everything.”
11 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 