Luke 1:46-47
“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Magnify: to make bigger, to increase, to make great, to get glory and praise We all magnify something or someone at any given moment of our lives. It is as if each of us as magnifying glass that we carry around within us, carefully choosing what or who to increase. Mary chose to magnify the Lord. She could have easily used the opportunity she was given to attempt to receive the glory herself. She did indeed carry the Saviour of the world inside of her for 9 months. As He grew within her womb, we have to conclude that she grew spiritually. Her only desire was that she be used for His glory. She knew that in her dwelleth no good thing but Him. Luke 1:48-49 “For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.” Nothing that we do or try to be could ever justify us magnifying ourselves. May we choose today to magnify Him alone. Mary’s choice to magnify Him caused her to rejoice. When we desire for others to see Him instead of us, we too can rejoice that He is glorified in us. Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Psalm 34:3 “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Bible Reading: Hosea 1-3 | Psalm 130
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Matthew 1:18
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” From the beginning, God knew that His Son would one day be born of a virgin, named Mary. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise…” This is how God had planned for everything to occur. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that when things do not make sense to us, the Lord has everything under control. He knows and He alone has a plan for how He sees fit to bring His will to pass. Joseph found out about Mary’s condition before he understood the whole story. Matthew 1:19 “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.” Isn’t his reaction just like we react sometimes? We often begin to consider what we should do and how to handle a situation before we have all the details. Matthew 1:20-21 “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Just as an angel had appeared unto Mary, the angel of the Lord appeared unto Joseph. The angel knew he was fearful to take Mary as his wife and informed him of the great purpose the Lord had for the Son she would bring forth. Matthew 1:24-25 “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” Joseph displayed patience and grace when he had just cause to refuse to be a part of the Christmas story. His willingness allowed him to be the one to call His name Jesus. He was the first to speak the Name above every name after He was born. Philippians 2:9 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” God had chosen him, a carpenter, to be the earthly father of the One Who would one day carry a wooden cross to save His people from their sins. Sometimes we need to be patient as we wait to see God’s amazing plan for our lives unfold according to His will. Bible Reading: Daniel 11-12 | Psalm 129 Luke 1:38
“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” What if we always responded to what the Lord would have us to do the way Mary did? “…be it unto me according to thy word.” May this be our response to anything and everything He tells us to do. Mary was willing to bear the burden of carrying the Saviour of the world. She was willing to endure the pain that would come in His birth. She was willing to accept the sorrow that would come in His death. What if we knew how it would end beforehand? Would we still be willing to endure the suffering He had in store in order for us to be more like Him? When she submitted to what God would have to take place in her life, she knew how it would end. Yet, she was still willing. She went from questioning… “How shall this be” to proclaiming “be it unto me”. She humbly desired for the Lord’s will to be done in her life. “according to thy word” Her fear turned to faith because she believed what the Lord had said. Luke 1:45 “And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” That is true faith. No wonder she was highly favoured. Decide today to take the Lord at His Word and be willing to follow His direction. Bible Reading: Daniel 9-10 | Psalm 128 Luke 1:36
“And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.” Elisabeth was the cousin of Mary the Mother of Jesus. God used her as an example to help Mary see that the Lord was about to do what was considered impossible. Mary conceived as a virgin. She conceived in her old age. Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” This verse is often quoted in reference to Mary, and although the Truth of the verse certainly applies, the context refers to Elisabeth. Her testimony helped Mary believe that if God could do the impossible in Elisabeth, He could do the same in her. Mary resorted to the safety of Zacharias and Elisabeth’s house in her time of need. Luke 1:41-42 “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” A baby was the first to rejoice over the presence of Jesus. She was overwhelmed that the mother of her Saviour was in her house. Luke 1:43-44 “And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” She went from barren to overwhelmingly blessed. Elisabeth is a humble example of how the His presence changes everything. Bible Reading: Daniel 7-8 | Psalm 127 Luke 1:34
“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” Mary’s response to being told that God had a purpose to do a work in and through her is much like how any other person would react. She immediately questioned and deemed it impossible. “How shall this be” Whenever we feel God prompting us to do something for Him, our first reaction is often to make excuses out of doubt. The patience of the angel is clearly seen as they explained how the Lord Jesus would be conceived. Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Mary had nothing to do with this miracle, The Holy Ghost would do the work within her. She was simply the vessel that God chose to use. Isn’t that just like anything the Lord does within us? He uses us in spite of our doubt and questions. Are you full of doubt today? Do you have questions even though the Lord has made His direction clear? Look within the pages of the Scriptures to find the Truth. He may not answer with as much detail as He did Mary, but the Answer is there. Matthew 17:20 “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Mark 9:24 “…Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Conquer your unbelief today by choosing to have faith over the fear that is fueled by your flesh. Bible Reading: Daniel 5-6 | Psalm 126 Luke 1:30
“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.” Can you imagine how Mary must have felt to hear that she had been chosen by God? Anything we have the privilege to do for Him should remind us of how unworthy we are to be used for His glory. Luke 1:31 “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.” She was chosen to be the vessel to bring forth the Son of God into this world. The angel then told her a little bit about the Son she would be carrying within her. Luke 1:32-33 “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Fear must have gripped ahold of her tender heart when she heard those words. The devil will try to convince us that any task we are given is impossible or will he will send distractions and discouragement to try and defeat us before the work even begins. Mary needed to realize and be reminded of the favour that God had shown her in order to push out the fear within her heart. Whatever situation that has you consumed with fear, choose today to remind yourself of the favour that God has shown you. You are His vessel to be used by Him for one purpose…His glory. Nothing else matters. He is there with you. He desires to help you. When the devil fights, fight back by choosing to rely on the Lord to strengthen you and do the work in and through you. Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Allow Him to fight your fear with His favour. Bible Reading: Daniel 3-4 | Psalm 125 Luke 1:28
“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.” Out of all the women ever created, God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus. Luke 1:26-27 “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.” She was highly favoured, which refers to obtaining grace. Mary had been found to be graciously accepted to birth God in the flesh. She had not known a man, because the blood of man could not be involved in the redeeming of the souls of mankind. The Holy Ghost came upon her to conceive within her the blood of the Father required to redeem us from our sins. 1 John 4:9 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” God had chosen her to be the vessel who carried the Son of God into the world so that we might have life in Him. We are accepted through the blood of Jesus. He has chosen us to be one of His. Mary was the first to carry the Gospel. The Living Word literally grew inside of her, just as God desires the Word of God to grow within us. May we carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ today to those around us. Bible Reading: Daniel 1-2 | Psalm 124 1 John 4:10
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Before Adam drew his first breath, God knew that He would send His Son as that Baby lying in a manger. 1 John 4:9 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” This is love in its highest and truest form. John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” He loved us first; even though we are so unworthy of His love. 1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.” We love celebrating the birth of Christ this time of year, and we should; but may we never forget the ultimate reason He came. He was born in a cradle was so that He could die on a cross. 1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Bible Reading: Ezekiel 47-48 | Psalm 123 Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Each year we look toward Christmas with great wonder and expectation of what the holiday season will bring. Some focus on what they will get rather than what they can give. Do we do this when it comes to the real meaning of Christmas as well? Sure we say that it’s all about Jesus…but is it really? Many times, we are so focused on what we receive in Jesus rather than what God gave. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He gives salvation and so much more to all who believe in Him. Romans 8:32 “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” It’s hard to imagine what it would have been like to wait in anticipation of the Messiah coming the first time, even though we now wait for His second coming. The Child that was lying in a manger was the Son of God wrapped not only in swaddling clothes, but in human flesh. He was the Messiah that the prophet Isaiah spoke of. Isaiah gave us five names for Jesus Christ hundreds of years before He drew His first earthly breath as that Baby in born of Mary. Yet, because He never changes those Names apply just as much today as they did then. He is still Wonderful. He is still our Counsellor. He is still The mighty God. He is still The everlasting Father. He is still The Prince of Peace. And He always will be. Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…” He was given just for us. Bible Reading: Ezekiel 44-46 | Psalm 122 Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” It had never happened before, it has never happened since, nor will it ever happen again. Isaiah prophesized what would happen long before it did. The sign was Mary, a virgin, having a child. Matthew 1:22-23 “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” God chose to take on a robe of humanity in order to dwell with us. Colossians 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” He dwelt among us so that we could walk with Him. John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Though He is no longer bodily on the earth, He has left us a Comforter to dwell in us and teach us His Word. John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” His Word is with us today so that we may know Him more. This Christmas season, seek Him through His Word like you never have before. Bible Reading: Ezekiel 41-43 | Psalm 120-121 |
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