- araratchurch
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”
Matthew 1:18-25 NKJV
On “Day 5” of “Advent at Ararat 2025,” we discussed the fact that Mary said yes to the plan of the Lord for her life.
To reiterate, the only question Mary asked, was concerning the logistics of how she would conceive, being that she was a virgin. Surprisingly, nothing recorded in the biblical account indicates that Mary was concerned about what Joseph might think or do. But make no mistake, Mary certainly could have had reason to be worried; adultery and fornication were punishable by death.
Perhaps Mary knew that Joseph’s character was not such that he would want to do her any harm. Indeed, we see in our opening scripture that, “Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.”
Not much else is said about Joseph going forward after he decided to stay with Mary at the angel’s reassurance. In fact, the last we see of Joseph is when he—being warned by an angel—moved his little family from one place to another to keep the Christ child from being killed.
“Now when they [the wise men] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.””
Matthew 2:13 ESV
Though Joseph’s part in the narrative of the life of Jesus was brief, the part he played was essential. As such, the Lord made sure that he was well-informed of the plan. Mary didn’t have to worry about what she would say to Joseph; the Lord did her explaining for her.
For today, meditate on the faithfulness of our Lord. Truly, He works out all the details for those who trust Him enough to follow His plan. As well, examine whether or not you become anxious and worried over how things are going to work out, even though you may be walking in obedience to the Lord.
I recently became aware that I was still trying to handle daily difficulties by my own mental energy; I was trying to anticipate all the contingencies I might face. That is exhausting, and is not pleasing to the Lord. Now, I make every effort to ask the Lord’s guidance and favor concerning EVERYTHING I do. I then walk in obedience to what He wants, while trusting Him with managing the contingencies. Only in doing so can we find true peace.
As I’ve said so many times before, trusting the Lord does not mean that we don’t plan. It does mean that we submit everything to Him and follow what He says. Then, we trust the Lord to manage all the moving parts.
Remember, the Lord sees from an eternal perspective. So, trust Him! Be obedient to Him! Remember, He’s working out the details!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
“And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.””
Luke 1:46-55 NKJV
There is no way of knowing exactly what Mary’s life was like before God called her to be the Mother of the Savior of the world.
We can only guess that Mary was a respectable person in her daily life, devoted to God and His word. Case in point: her immediate acceptance of the Call. Notice, in her “Magnificat,” Mary references herself as “His maidservant.”
Indeed, Mary’s previous life may have been uneventful, or one peppered with turmoil and sadness. We just don’t know for sure.
What we do know about Mary is that God saw fit to choose her to be the Mother of our Lord.
Make no mistake, from the moment Mary received and accepted the message delivered to her by Gabriel, what her life had been before, would be overshadowed, swallowed up, by what her life was now as a chosen vessel of the Lord.
Significantly, Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s praise of her was a beautiful hymn, returning all glory to the Father.
Whatever Mary’s life-song had been to this point, she now had a new song; nothing would ever be the same again.
My mind recalls the words of David, regarding a “new song.”
“I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, The One who gives salvation to kings, Who delivers David His servant From the deadly sword.”
Psalms 144:9-10 NKJV
Notice, David’s new song was to the Lord. Why? David knew that any of his victories, all the times he was saved from his enemies, were made possible by God and God alone.
For today, let’s meditate on this question: What is our life-song?
Does our heart beat to the rhythm of a “somebody done somebody wrong song”? Is our life-song sorrowful? Is it filled with regrets and hurt?
Remember, no matter what your song was BEFORE accepting God’s call through Jesus Christ, it should now be a song of gratitude and joy for the great things He has done.
Additionally, our life-song should look forward to the great things God has prepared for us as we rule and reign with Him throughout eternity.
Child of God, don’t allow the enemy of your soul to have you still singing the song he wrote for you. Allow God’s Spirit to fill you with a new song; you have been chosen for the life of Christ to be formed in you!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
“And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.””
Luke 1:46-55 NKJV
There is no way of knowing exactly what Mary’s life was like before God called her to be the Mother of the Savior of the world.
We can only guess that Mary was a respectable person in her daily life, devoted to God and His word. Case in point: her immediate acceptance of the Call. Notice, in her “Magnificat,” Mary references herself as “His maidservant.”
Indeed, Mary’s previous life may have been uneventful, or one peppered with turmoil and sadness. We just don’t know for sure.
What we do know about Mary is that God saw fit to choose her to be the Mother of our Lord.
Make no mistake, from the moment Mary received and accepted the message delivered to her by Gabriel, what her life had been before, would be overshadowed, swallowed up, by what her life was now as a chosen vessel of the Lord.
Significantly, Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s praise of her was a beautiful hymn, returning all glory to the Father.
Whatever Mary’s life-song had been to this point, she now had a new song; nothing would ever be the same again.
My mind recalls the words of David, regarding a “new song.”
“I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, The One who gives salvation to kings, Who delivers David His servant From the deadly sword.”
Psalms 144:9-10 NKJV
Notice, David’s new song was to the Lord. Why? David knew that any of his victories, all the times he was saved from his enemies, were made possible by God and God alone.
For today, let’s meditate on this question: What is our life-song?
Does our heart beat to the rhythm of a “somebody done somebody wrong song”? Is our life-song sorrowful? Is it filled with regrets and hurt?
Remember, no matter what your song was BEFORE accepting God’s call through Jesus Christ, it should now be a song of gratitude and joy for the great things He has done.
Additionally, our life-song should look forward to the great things God has prepared for us as we rule and reign with Him throughout eternity.
Child of God, don’t allow the enemy of your soul to have you still singing the song he wrote for you. Allow God’s Spirit to fill you with a new song; you have been chosen for the life of Christ to be formed in you!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!