Blessed is She who Believed
Our Monday Morning Men's Bible Study was attended by 13 men who were still suffering the effects of "springing forward." They were awake, though, and able to have a great discussion of Mary's visit to Elizabeth, which would encourage her and confirm what Gabriel had told her. I believe we were all challenged by God's Word in a personal way.
The main focus of our study was Luke 1:45. It is a prophecy spoken by Elizabeth to her cousin, Mary. It holds a key to understanding why Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. It says, "Blessed is she who believed." Mary was blessed by God, because she trusted what the angel told her. She trusted God enough to entrust herself to Him. (v.38) She was willing to be God's maidservant in all humility. The rest of the Bible is filled with similar instances of faith. God responds to our faith. He does not force us to do His will. We have a choice. When we choose to believe Him, He chooses to unleash a blessing in our lives. Mary had a very special task to fulfill, so that every generation since then has known about what God did through her. God blessed her for her faithfulness, and He will do the same for us, even if our task is not as notable as Mary's. The thing He is looking for is faith.
Don't let people tell you that everything is determined, and it does not matter if you trust the Lord or not. God is pleased when we trust Him. (Hebrews 11:6) He is pleased to bless us when He sees our faith. That is true in salvation and in our lives after coming to know Christ. If we fail to trust Him, we miss His blessing. He will move on to someone else who is willing to have faith in Him. I pray that we will all learn the lesson that blessings come to those who believe, and to believe is to trust the Lord.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 11-13 and Mark 12:1-27.
The main focus of our study was Luke 1:45. It is a prophecy spoken by Elizabeth to her cousin, Mary. It holds a key to understanding why Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. It says, "Blessed is she who believed." Mary was blessed by God, because she trusted what the angel told her. She trusted God enough to entrust herself to Him. (v.38) She was willing to be God's maidservant in all humility. The rest of the Bible is filled with similar instances of faith. God responds to our faith. He does not force us to do His will. We have a choice. When we choose to believe Him, He chooses to unleash a blessing in our lives. Mary had a very special task to fulfill, so that every generation since then has known about what God did through her. God blessed her for her faithfulness, and He will do the same for us, even if our task is not as notable as Mary's. The thing He is looking for is faith.
Don't let people tell you that everything is determined, and it does not matter if you trust the Lord or not. God is pleased when we trust Him. (Hebrews 11:6) He is pleased to bless us when He sees our faith. That is true in salvation and in our lives after coming to know Christ. If we fail to trust Him, we miss His blessing. He will move on to someone else who is willing to have faith in Him. I pray that we will all learn the lesson that blessings come to those who believe, and to believe is to trust the Lord.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 11-13 and Mark 12:1-27.