God's Word for Me Today
Saturday, December 8, 2001
Unwrapping a Christ-Centered Christmas!
A note about online study
Introduction to God's Word for Me Today
A “Merry” Christmas or “Mary’s” Christmas
Today we start a new week of studies in our series: Unwrapping a Christ-like Christmas. Our subject for the coming week will be the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. As we study various passages in Mary’s life, we will see the amazing faith she displayed, the constant obedience she lived, and the great turmoil she endured as the one who gave birth to the Lord of the universe. Mary’s first step of obedience was her willingness to carry the Messiah, Jesus, even though she was a virgin. The virgin birth is often contested among more “enlightened” circles in our day, and passed off as a myth. However, much in the life of Jesus is unbelievable by modern, scientific standards. From start to finish Jesus’ life was one of amazing events. Mary was there from the beginning to the end of Jesus’ earthly life. She experienced every exhilarating high, and every devastating low. In it all, she remained humble, faithful and obedient.
While much of the Christmas season is devoted to merriment, and deservedly so, taking this week to reflect on the life and faith of Mary will do much to help us unwrap a Christ-centered Christmas this year!
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, as we start a new week of study in this Christmas season, I thank You for Mary, who was willing to face public ridicule in order to be obedient to You. I thank You that she gave her life into Your service, and as a result was able to give us the greatest Christmas gift ever—Your Son, Jesus. I pray for the same kind of faith and obedience this day. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may be all You call me to be and do all You call me to do. Live in me and through me that others may see the simple faith and obedience You provide in my life, and may want to give themselves to You as well. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God's Word for Me Today: Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! " 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 "Don't be frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for God has decided to bless you! 31 You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" 34 Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin." 35 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she's already in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God." 38 Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." And then the angel left.
Questions for Reflection
What is the most unbelievable thing you ever heard that later turned out to be true?
When has God revealed Himself the most vividly to you? How did you respond?
Questions for Exploration
(See tomorrow’s study!)
Questions for Understanding
(See tomorrow’s study!)
Questions for Application
In what area of your life do you most need to bow in simple faith and obedience right now? Ask God to empower you to trust and obey through the Spirit.
Look again at today’s reading from Luke 1. What one action or response made by Mary serves as the best example for you to follow in seeking to be faithful to God today?
Mary, A Life Filled With Miracles!
Have you ever considered how many miracles Mary experienced and witnessed during her life? While she undoubtedly had many “routine” days, Mary’s faith and obedience resulted in her life being one series of miracles after another. From the moment that the angel Gabriel first appeared to her, Mary’s life, which must have seemed quite ordinary up to that point, was anything but ordinary. When Gabriel appeared, he greeted Mary, told her that she had found favor with God, and that the Lord was with her. Mary’s response was fear, disturbance and confusion. What had she done to deserve the visitation of an angel? Was the experience real? Was she hallucinating? Gabriel’s message would only get stranger by the moment as Mary listened. God was requesting that she bear His Son, the Messiah, this despite the fact of Mary’s virginity and her being engaged to a man named Joseph, who undoubtedly wouldn’t be thrilled about the news.
In spite of the confusion, in spite of the absurdity of the message—a virgin giving birth to a son—Mary’s response opened the door to a lifetime of miracles, “"I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.” How would we have responded in such a situation? No one before or since Mary has ever had this exact opportunity, but every day all over the world, God is seeking those who will respond to His call. Every day God looks for humble, willing servants who will say, “I belong to You, and I will accept whatever You want.” Mary’s life was forever transformed in that moment, and so can ours. What we learn from Mary, if we learn nothing else is that God chooses to work through human beings, and God works through human beings who are willing to submit their wills to His. As we will see through this week, along with the miracles came much pain and hardship. That is always true, for when God breaks into a fallen world, the resulting redemption is not received without much pain in the midst of the joy!
To view the studies for other days, visit the God's Word for Me Today calendar.