Mary: A Willing Servant

Christmas Character Series

Luke 1:26-38; 46-55

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A26-38%2CLuke+1%3A46-55&version=NIV

 

God has a habit of using ordinary people to do extraordinary things!

 

Consider Moses, who wasn’t good at talking, but led the nation of Israel out of Egypt. Or David, who was a young, shepherd boy, but became the king of Israel which eventually led to his Messianic lineage.

 

A classic example of this was Mary; a teenage girl, living a hard scrabble life, who got pregnant by someone other than her betrothed, only to give birth to, and raise, the son of God.

 

But if you think about it, God could have chosen anybody that He wanted as the Mother of Jesus. It was His choice to set the criteria for her. If God had only used ZipRecruiter to find the best qualified mother then his ad might have appeared something like this:

 

Looking for a young, mature female with parental experience, either as a current mother or possibly a nanny or au pair. Needs to be able to deal with high stress, emotionally painful and complex situations. Must have the financial means to provide, not only for the child’s material needs, but also for his emotional, educational and missional needs. Should have a spouse who can provide the stability and security of a nuclear family that is necessary for a child to thrive.

 

Instead, God called Mary who was so insecure; so unstable; that God had to send an angel to build her up; to reinforce her; to give her the confidence that she was capable of actually doing the job.

 

²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”      NIV

 

To Mary’s credit, she asked only one question. Following this, she was ready to commit to the job. She was ready to follow God’s calling; to be His servant no matter what it would mean.

 

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”           NIV

 

Are you able to give such an unconditional commitment to follow Jesus? Mary has set the bar high. She has set a great example for us to follow. Despite the fact that, in many ways, Mary was unqualified for the job, she plowed ahead by faith.

 

When God calls you to what seems to be an insurmountable, unachievable task – remember how Mary responded. And then, like Mary, take the first step; say yes.

 

(Here’s a link for the song “A Baby Changes Everything” by Faith Hill. I hope you enjoy it.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y0_wNPSOaw

 

 

 

 

Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

(4^th in a series on Lent)

Matthew 1:1-16 & 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

 (Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1%3A1-16+&version=NIV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Cor.1.26-1Cor.1.31

 

 

Have you ever wondered who your ancestors are? Whether any of them are famous, or infamous? A long time ago, I bought a book called Our Family Tree and did a fair amount of research on my family genealogy. There were farmers, ministers, teachers, contractors, builders; basically just regular ordinary people.

 

Matthew starts his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus. It’s a pretty impressive list of ancestors which includes Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Eventually he adds David who received the Messianic promise fulfilled through the birth of Jesus.

 

But if you look closely, you can read some of their stories which includes lies, manipulation, stealing, power struggles, dysfunctional families, adultery and murder. In addition, written to a male dominated society, Matthew’s list includes five women, of which three were Gentiles; not your typical Jewish audience.

 

Matthew’s genealogy is not exactly the pristine genealogy that you might expect for the

Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham, the son of God. And yet, it is exactly as it should be. It tells us a lot about who God is and how He works.

 

For one thing, Matthew’s genealogy would seem to imply that the Gospel is not just for Jews; not just for men or for those who have power; not just for those who are religious. But it is for all that would believe; for all that have faith; for all that love the Lord your God.

 

You could also infer from his genealogy that God works through the common, ordinary, even sinful people of this world to accomplish His will. Paul wrote this to the Corinthians:

 

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. NIV

 

You may have seen the TV commercial about a little boy who tries to hit a baseball by throwing it up in the air. Each time he declares, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world”! Following his third strike he ponders what just happened and suddenly declares, “I’m the greatest pitcher in the world”!

http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/99-the-greatest

 

Whether that is true or not, is not the point. The point is that he is a normal, ordinary little boy who expects to accomplish extraordinary things. In the same way, God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)

http://lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com/