- araratchurch
- Dec 8, 2024
- 2 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.
What we do know about Mary is that God saw fit to choose her to be 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.
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, and nothing would ever be the same again.
My mind goes to the words of David:
“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
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.
Friend, 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 as 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
- Dec 6, 2024
- 3 min read
“And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.””
Luke 1:41-45 NKJV
After saying yes to being the mother of our Lord, Mary goes to visit her relative, Elizabeth, in the hill country of Judah.
The greeting of Mary to Elizabeth causes Elizabeth to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As well, the child Elizabeth was carrying (John the Baptizer), leapt with joy inside her womb. Interestingly, this was actually fulfilling the prophecy given to John’s father by the Angel, before John was conceived:
“But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”
Luke 1:13-15 NKJV
After Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit, she makes a statement of simple, powerful, truth:
“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
The catalyst for this part of the plan of God to redeem the world and to reinstate our sonship, was the simple act of Mary believing what had been said to her by Gabriel. Thinking of that, I can’t help but wonder how many blessings have been forfeited because of an unwillingness to believe the word of the Lord. How many people have missed God’s plan for their lives because of incessant doubt?
Now, statements referencing missing God’s plan for our lives, may seem confusing. After all, if it is God‘s will for something to happen, will it not happen, regardless of what anyone believes? Simply put, God‘s will, in terms of His overall plan, will be done. However, through whom it is performed, depends on the willingness of His people and/or the agendas of those who are not His.
Let me explain. That our will must co-operate with God’s will for us, is clear. However, another aspect of the irresistible nature of God‘s will is that He also uses the agendas of evil people to perform His plan. Consider what Joseph said to his brothers who had sold him into slavery:
“Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”
Genesis 50:19-20 NKJV
You see, the Lord doesn’t override anyone’s will, but He will work His will through those who are doing things out of their own agendas.
However, with those who belong to the Lord, He will present His will, giving an opportunity for acceptance or rejection. Then, as discussed concerning Mary, it is also our part to trust God to work out the details.
For today let’s meditate on whether or not we may be missing out on God’s best for us by failing to believe His word.
Additionally, in terms of the Lord’s Second Coming, do you also have expectancy or excitement about that happening? Do your actions reveal that expectancy?
Yesterday we discussed saying yes to the word of the Lord. Today we are reminded that to then see the plan/promise fulfilled, we must also believe.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Dec 5, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 6, 2024
“Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”
Luke 1:34-38 NKJV
Mary gets the startling revelation that she has been chosen to bear the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Her question to the angel Gabriel was not one of unbelief, but one of practicality.
You see, Mary knew the facts of life; she knew how babies get here. It was therefore legitimate for her to ask by what means this would take place. For all she knew, the reference could be to the child who would be born from her future union with Joseph, her betrothed.
The angel tells Mary that rather than the Messiah being a child born from a natural union, this Child would come from the Holy Spirit of God! Imagine how startling that revelation must have been to her human understanding!
Next, Mary learns that Elizabeth, her older relative, is in the 6th month of pregnancy with a son (John the Baptist). Then Gabriel says something we often hear quoted with few knowing the context: “For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Extraordinarily, Mary accepts the word from Gabriel without any further questions. She doesn’t even ask what she should say to Joseph, her betrothed. She trusted the Lord to work out the details, and He did.
For today meditate on what your reaction might be if an angel spoke something unbelievable to you, recruiting your participation. Is your heart ready?
Bear in mind, we already have many great and precious promises available to those who will believe and completely surrender to the plan of the Lord. Have you fallen short of any of those promises by failing to believe?
The Lord will soon come again. Perhaps you are being asked to give flesh to the message of the Last Days Ministry: “Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!”
Will you say yes to the Lord’s call to allow your flesh, your life, to be used to bring the last harvest of souls into the Ark of Salvation?
Indeed, all of God’s children are called to be living “billboards” for the goodness of God, reflectors of His glory, lights showing the Way to safety to those who are walking in darkness.
Whatever the Lord may ask of you specifically, remember, all you have to do is accept the call. God will work out the details.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!