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Mary's Response Dec 23 2008
"And Mary said, 'Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your Word.'" - Luke 1:38
Picture the scene: An angel had just informed Mary that she, a virgin, would soon be pregnant and, as a matter of fact, will be carrying the Son of God. Not the sort of news a woman hears everyday and certainly not the kind of news a woman in first century Israel would welcome. She knew she would soon face the wrath and scorn of her friends and family and society in general - not to mention the man she was engaged to!
Think about what Mary could have done. She could have run away. She could have had an abortion. And, like many unmarried pregnant women in that time, Mary could have taken her own life. But how did Mary respond? She chose a different path. Folks, if ever you want to see a clear profession of faith, look at the next words from her mouth. Mary said, "I am willing to be a voluntary slave of the Lord. I am willing to be a servant of God. May what the word of God has said, may it come true!" What a woman! What a faith! Truly the greatest woman who ever lived, for nothing any woman has ever done or will do is more important than what Mary did.
So as you think about the significance of the Child she gave birth to and what He came to do - do you believe it? If not, will you choose to believe? Will you choose to follow the example of Mary and believe what God's word says about her Son? Let me assure you, you will never truly experience Christmas until you do.
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6 Comments
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Yes, report it NevermindWow! To be a true servant of God and to do his will often means persecution. But like Isaiah said, " Those who put their trust in the Lord shall not be put to shame. " So as Mary was simply being obedient to the Lord no matter the cost, surely she would have never imagined at that time that her name would be remembered from generation to generation even onto the gentiles all over the world. God is faithful when we are obedient to his will even though we may not like it. I pray that we will answer God the same way Mary did, when he calls us, for he said, " Obedience is better than sacrifice and submission better than the blood of rams".
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Yes, report it NevermindBeing a "bondservant" had specific meaning at this time in history. Paul used the term often to describe his relationship to the LORD.
As I understand it, a bondservant loved and trusted his/her master so much that they would voluntarilly become their "slave". Their ear was pierce to signify this relationship. They literally turned over their lives to their master, trusting them to take care of them and offering unconditional service in return.
Does that describe your relationship with Jesus?
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Yes, report it NevermindGrant, your post is true and so needful in the lives of people today, yet we have so many other things that we allow to come into our lives that we don't see our need of being his servant. I have enjoyed your comments this year. Have a merry Christmas and a closer walk with the Lord next year. God bless everyone and I wish the same for all of you.
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Yes, report it NevermindJerry, thank you. I hope you and everyone else that visits this site is filled with the joy of the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior. No other event in the history of mankind compares to this; "that God the Father sent his Son to become a man, teach us his love for us and offer himself as an all sufficient, once and for all sacrifice for our sins, so that we could be with him for eternity if only we put our faith and trust in him". Hallelujah and Amen!
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Yes, report it NevermindOne question on chronology...
This devotion says she is already with child when the angel visits her...
"Picture the scene: An angel had just informed Mary that she, a virgin, was now pregnant and, as a matter of fact, was carrying the Son of God."
yet elsewhere in the passage (e.g. 1:35) it speaks of her becoming pregnant in the future tense.
Anyone want to help me with this small puzzle? It is not a huge question... but an interesting one to me.
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Yes, report it NevermindI believe that the way the devotional is written is incorrect. Gabriel tells Mary that she WILL be with child. When Mary inquires as to how this can be, since she is a virgin, the angel answers "The Holy Spirit WILL COME upon you, and the power of Most High".(emphasis mine) Clearly, she is not yet pregnant.