Mary, God's Humble Servant |
|
| 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. — Luke 1:46–49 NKJV In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. — Philippians 2:5–6 NIV Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:6–7 NIV | |
|
RABBI JASON God chose perhaps His most unlikely vessel to set into motion the salvation of mankind: a teenage girl named Mary. Mary thought she was waiting for a wedding to a carpenter named Joseph, but something came to her that was far different — an improbable event she never would have dreamed of. A holy interruption. Much about Mary and her relationship with God is revealed when we read about her response to the angel when she was told she would give birth to the promised Messiah (see Luke 1:26–38). Mary showed tremendous humility of heart — the same humble quality we find in Yeshua (see Philippians 2:6–11). A characteristic of humility is receiving. Probably understanding some, though not all, of the misunderstanding and scorn that would surely come, Mary embraced God's new vision for her life without complaining or sarcasm. First Peter 5:5 tells us that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. — NKJV You want God's grace? Become humble. Mary was humble in spirit. Being willing to decrease so that others can increase is the essence of humility (see John 3:30). It's important to note, however, that I'm not talking about self-abasing. A truly humble person is secure and confident in God's love. They know who they are. - Genuine humility is not thinking less of ourselves. It's thinking of ourselves less.
It also takes humility for us to be completely transparent before others, allowing them to speak into our lives, encourage us, sharpen us if needed, and help us in our own journeys. Notice that when the angel ended his time with Mary, he said, Nothing will be impossible with God. — Luke 1:37 TLV |
|
|
Genuine humility is not thinking less of ourselves. It's thinking of ourselves less. |
Genuine humility is not thinking less of ourselves. It's thinking of ourselves less. |
|
|
Mary needed to be transparent to receive that word and then live by it. She responded by humbly worshiping and magnifying the Lord (see verses 46–55). Think of what obedience meant to this young girl. She needed to confront Joseph and risk a divorce. She had to face her neighbors, whose imaginations must have run wild. She had to confront her parents and Joseph's parents. But through all this confrontation and gossip, she was able to cling to the angel's promise to her and to Joseph's loyalty to her after his own angelic visit (see Matthew 1:18–25). I find it interesting that Mary obeyed without hesitation. Obedience was her delight. Looking back at the times God has called me to do something, I have to ask, Did I react like Mary? Not all the time. There were moments of hesitation. I wonder what blessings from God I lost. Today, we often regard obedience as a weakness. Mary's example should correct our thinking. In Scripture, we can almost see that His will became her will. She willingly yielded to what God wanted for her instead of fighting for her self-defined life direction. As in Mary's experience, faith and humility together will lead us to God's favor. To walk in our divine assignments and sing our unique songs, we will need to seek God's presence, understanding that He is the source of favor to open the doors that only He can open — doors that no man can shut. Humility is knowing that you are in God's control and, when the situation calls for it, having the bold faith to do what God has asked you to do. |
|
|
How can following Mary's example of humility transform your relationship with God? What has God asked you to do for Him? How have you responded in the past? Where in your life do you need bold faith to do what God has asked you to do? |
Excerpted with permission from the 10-Day devotional from The God of the Way by Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel. * |
|
|
Get the 10-Day Devotional for FREE when you join the OBS! |
|
|
How do you think you would respond if God's angel came to you and said He had and entirely new vision for your life? Would it be with humility and immediate obedience? What if we did? Come share your thoughts. We want to hear from you! |
|
|
The God of the How and When Online Bible Study |
by Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel |
The God of the How and When Online Bible Study |
by Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel |
"My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways . . . as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8–9 Friend, let's kick off the new year studying God's word together! Sign up now and join us for The God of the How and When Online Bible Study with Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel. |
|
|
Trusting God When You Don't Know the Details |
|
|
The God of the How and When Bible Study Guide |
|
|
+ FREE shipping on all orders $35 and more |
In this six-session video Bible study, bestselling authors Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel tell the stories of five people in Scripture—Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Joshua, and Mary, the mother of Jesus—who also wondered how and when God would come through for them. Each of them had to step out in faith and obey God without knowing the details of what would happen in their story. As you study their examples, you will discover what it likewise means for you to trust that God's ways are higher than your own—and what it takes to step out in faith. Each session includes clips from The Way oratorios, featuring Kathie Lee Gifford and other well-known personalities, that bring the story of Scripture to life with contemporary orchestral arrangements, powerful narration, and stunning visuals. |
|
|
This study guide includes: - Individual access to six streaming video sessions
- How to use this guide section
- Video notes and a comprehensive structure for group discussion time
- Personal study for deeper reflection between sessions
|
|
|
Shop the full The God of the How and When Collection |
|
|
this devotion with someone who needs it today |
|
|
*Sale price ends on 3/31/23. Limited quantities available. Sale pricing excludes ebooks and audiobooks. Free Standard Shipping for U.S. orders over $35 excluding Alaska and Hawaii. **eBooks purchases are fulfilled by our partner, Glose. Please note that: - To access your eBooks, you can download the free Glose app or read instantly in your browser by creating a Glose account using the same email address you use to purchase the eBooks.
- eBooks fulfilled through Glose cannot be printed, downloaded as PDF, or read in other digital readers (like Kindle or Nook).
- For more information about how to access eBooks purchased on this site, click here for our FAQs.
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment