There's Something About Mary!

Every time I read the story about the birth of Christ, there is one character that impresses me like no other. This person was a young virgin girl, visited by an angel, with an assignment from God. One of the most fascinating people in the Christmas story is the woman who carried Jesus in her womb. There is something about Mary!

Read Luke 1:26-38 below.

26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

See what I mean? What an amazing story! Although Mary was uniquely chosen to carry the baby Jesus in her womb, we all in a similar fashion, are called to carry Jesus in our hearts. Many throughout history have deified Mary for her prominent role during the birth of Christ, but we must remember that she was just a normal human being like the rest of us. Since Mary was a human being, there is much we can learn and apply to our lives in regards to her calling, faithfulness and obedience to God.

As we examine the life of Mary in the Christmas story, there are four things we should never forget about the birth of Christ as we carry his message in our hearts and declare it to the world.

1. The birth of Christ gives us an opportunity to be born again.

What does it mean to be born again? It means that all those who repent of their sins and put their faith in Christ can now see and enter the kingdom of God (John 3:1-16). It means we get to trade in our sinful nature for a righteousness nature. It means that the Holy Spirit now fills us and comes upon us so we can live by the power of God. It means we become new creations and now have a new hope of a new future centered in God’s good, perfect and pleasing will. The fact that Jesus was born with flesh and blood and became the perfect sacrifice for our sins makes all this possible.

2. The birth of Christ means, that by God’s grace, all who put their faith in Jesus are highly favored.

Ephesians 2:9-10 says: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”

God not only saves us from our sins, but He also makes us the children of God by His grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. The fact that grace is unearned and unmerited does not tell us everything about grace, because it does not tell us what grace does. A more practical definition of grace could be "God's life, power and righteousness coming to us, the undeserving, as a gift. Just like Mary, God saves us, calls us and empowers us to do His will.

3. The birth of Christ proves to us that God is with us.

Matthew 1:22-23 says: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” No matter where we go or what we face, we can be secure knowing that our God is with us. God will guide us, guard us, and govern us as we faithfully obey Him.

4. The birth of Christ reminds us that nothing is impossible with God.

A young virgin conceived a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. The angel pronounced that Elizabeth, the relative of Mary was going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren was in her sixth month (Luke 1:36-37). The Christmas story should encourage us that we are never to young or old to be used by God for His purposes. Our physical limitations and current obstacles are no hindrance to God. All we have to do is believe in Christ and trust Him with all of our heart.

If we are going to carry Christ in our hearts, and declare Him to the world, it is essential we know that we have a new nature, are highly favored, God is with us, and nothing is impossible for God. Why? Because the story of Christmas teaches us that, just like Mary, we are going to face adversity during our journey with the Lord.

Let’s examine the trials of Mary during the birth of Christ, and remember we will face similar ones also.

1. Fear

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:29-33

9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:9-11

Both Mary and the shepherds were initially afraid when the angel of Lord appeared to them with the good news of Jesus’ birth. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have to quickly overcome our fears if we are going to live for Him and boldly declare Him to the world.

2. Relational Strife

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:18-19

Mary was excited to give birth to the new baby Jesus, but she had to deal with the misunderstanding of Joseph and the relational tension of his plans to divorce her. Fortunately, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him how Mary had conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit. However, the point is that quite often people don’t understand what God is doing in our lives. In fact, sometimes those closest to us give us the most trouble when God is birthing Jesus inside of us.

3. Inconvenience

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:4-7

When God designated Mary to give birth to Jesus, He did not make it convenient for her. She had to travel pregnant while at full term, and because of a census, the towns were crowded and full. This meant that there was no room in the inn for Joseph and Mary, and therefore, Mary would eventually have to give birth to Jesus in a manger. As a husband, I can’t imagine asking my wife to give birth in a manger. If we are going to carry Christ in our hearts, and declare Him to the world, it will not be convenient.

4. Spiritual Warfare and Opposition

13 When they (Magi) had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” Matthew 2:13

The star over Bethlehem was clear for all to see that the King of kings and Lord of lords was getting ready to be born. Threatened by this new king Jesus, Herod issued a decree to kill all the boys under two in Bethlehem and its vicinity (Matthew 2:16). The demonic forces working through Herod were trying to prevent the reign of Christ’s kingdom coming to earth. Similarly, we will face spiritual warfare and opposition as we spread the good news of the gospel of Christ.

By God’s grace, Mary overcame fear, endured relational strife, inconvenience, spiritual warfare and opposition as she carried Christ in her womb and delivered Him. Her faithfulness and obedience to God is worthy of emulation. As we carry Christ in our hearts, and declare Him to the world, we can stand secure knowing that we are God’s children, we are highly favored, we have God with us, and nothing is impossible for our God.

God has a good work for us to do, and He will be faithful to carry it on to completion. But, it won’t be easy. Just ask that young lady from Nazareth, a town in Galilee. There’s something about Mary!

Merry Christmas!

Whose Job Is It To Get Me A Job Anyway?

2012 is quickly approaching and with it a new election year. As Americans prepare to vote for their President one big question still remains: Will Barack Obama be a one-term or two-term President?

While watching most of the Presidential debates this year, and listening to many of the pundits on the news stations, it seems once again American’s are mostly concerned about one issue. Do you know what it is? It’s the economy stupid!

The reporters indicate that people are waiting for the “right” candidate to articulate a job growth plan for our country. I thought the main role of our government is to protect the righteous and punish those who do evil. I thought the main role of the President is to be the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

When did it become the President’s responsibility to create jobs for Americans? It is frightening to me how much we rely on government to do for us. For example, we expect government to educate our children, take care of our elderly, meet the needs of the poor, and create jobs for the unemployed. The more government increases the more we lose our individual liberty and sense of self-responsibility. When this happens, our country fails to prosper because people lack a work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit.

Sure, I understand a President’s policies can affect the economy, and I know there is a financial impact when a President leads a country in war, but it is never his responsibility to create jobs. I think we have made the grave mistake of looking to our President as our Provider instead of God our Creator.

The Parable of the Talents, in Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus teaches certain principles on prosperity. Let’s read a few of them (I encourage you to read the rest of this parable to see what happened to the two who were good stewards, and to the one who was not a good steward).

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money."

First, the parable instructs us that God is the owner of everything. The owner (who represents God) entrusts his property to his servants (us). We need to look to God as our Provider instead of our President.

Second, God gives us the resources on planet earth so we can prosper. We have plenty of materials to create or invent products, sell, trade or invest. It is imperative to understand that our current economic downturn in America is not a resource problem. We still have everything we need to prosper! Our lack of prosperity is a result of poor stewardship!

Third, God gives us ability to steward His resources and make an increase with them. We should work hard and be entrepreneurial with the ability God has given us. It is important to note that not every person has the same ability or the same resources to work with. God never intended for every person to be exactly equal. However, he does expect every person to work equally hard and be a good steward of what he or she possesses.

Lastly, God gives us opportunities to work. As we obey God, He reveals to us our calling. As we steward our abilities and resources well by working hard and bringing increase to that which we have been called, more resources are given, and more opportunities to work are created.

Unfortunately, too many Americans are like the man who received one talent and went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. In other words, he did nothing with what he was given to steward. He was irresponsible, negligent and lazy. Again, let me emphasize, he was not a good steward!

Do we really think that filling in a circle or box in 2012 next to a Presidential candidate’s name and putting it in the ballot box will change the condition of America’s economy? I hope we are not that deceived.

Instead, I suggest we turn our hearts back to God and look to Him as our Provider, repent for being poor stewards, pray, and make a commitment to practice the Lord’s principles of prosperity once again as a nation (Jeremiah 29:11-13). If so, maybe God will be gracious and give us a President who doesn’t want to increase his or her role, or the institution of government, but would rather faithfully fulfill his or her responsibilities while acknowledging the limitations of the President.

I had the chance to visit George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon last week while in Washington D.C. for a winter conference. During the tour, I was reminded of the humility and integrity of our first president. After serving two terms and having the opportunity to become “king” of America, President Washington chose instead to return to his estate at Mount Vernon as a farmer. No leader in history, anywhere in the world, who had led a revolution, had ever relinquished their power. His humble act was unprecedented and set an example that many in government should emulate today. It would be better to get out of the way!

Whose job is it to get me a job anyway? It is not you Mr. President. No offense, but I am going to trust God and steward my calling well by making the most of the opportunities, resources and abilities He has given me!