Saturday, December 19, 2015

December 20, 2015

"How will this be,” Mary asked the angel…….”  Luke 1:34

Have you ever had a “How will this be” moment with God?

Perhaps we could paraphrase it to “How is this possible”?

Here we find Mary having one of those moments.

Maybe you are having one right now.

Allow me to suggest a few things you can learn from Mary in her “how is this possible” moment.
First, notice what she didn’t say. She didn’t say, “This can’t be” or “This isn’t possible”. She didn’t doubt God she was just looking for some clarification. That’s a significant difference!

By the way, God answered her question!

Second, she was honest about her limitations but didn’t allow them to limit God! One of the keys to learning what God can do is admitting what you can’t do.

Her humility opened the door to God’s purpose to be fulfilled through her and His power to work in her!

Are you honest to God?

Third, Mary didn’t let her past experiences limit her future expectations. Have you ever heard of a virgin becoming pregnant? She hadn’t either. But when God’s angel announced to her it would happen she was open to the idea.

It’s easy to allow your familiarity with the natural to hinder your faith in the supernatural.

Fourth, Mary understood God calls you to a God-sized task. Anything you can go without Him is not of Him. If you can accomplish anything without Him He will let you do it.

Anything God calls you to do will be impossible to do – without Him.

Finally, Mary cared more about pleasing God than she did about protecting herself. Becoming pregnant out of wedlock was punishable made her subject to death by stoning. If her finance, Joseph wanted to have her stoned he could demanded it. Or, he could have shamed her and humiliated her and then divorced her. Any man in that area would have nothing to do with her after that public shaming.

Her reputation would be shot the moment word of her condition became public. Her marriage plans would be ruined once it was known she was pregnant.

Joseph would be put to shame by her pregnancy as well. He was a local businessman who’s reputation was important in this town.

This was a socially dangerous and degrading assignment God was asking Mary to accept. It would have been easy for her to have chosen to protect herself rather than please God. She chose to please God.

Are you a God-pleaser or a people-pleaser?

The next time you are facing a “how will this be” moment, stop and think about Mary the mother of Jesus.