The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word. And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38).

Have you ever been talked into something by a persistent or persuasive telemarketer? Michelle has. One day recently Michelle hung the phone up and growled, “I hate it when I do this.” Just then her husband Ken walked through the kitchen and asked, “Hate it when you do what?” Turning around to face him, Michelle pointed at the phone and said, “I told myself that I would not pledge another dime to any organization this year, no matter how helpful they are or how much I agree with their mission. Now today I thought I recognized the phone identification so I took the call. It was an organization that supports children with grave diseases. I kept telling the telemarketer ‘no.’ I just should have hung up. I hate it when I give in and agree to do something that I don’t want to do. Now I’m stuck with contributing to them.” Not so with Mary. The angel left and Mary went to the home of her relative Elizabeth. Soon thereafter Mary broke out in joyful song (Luke 1: 39-55) celebrating the goodness of God and rejoicing in her decision to obey. Regardless of the hardships, Mary was willing to do whatever the Lord wanted her to do.

For today: Regardless of the hardships today, God wants our joyful obedience.

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:31-33).

Mary received a miraculous message from Gabriel. She was chosen to bring forth not just any ordinary baby (if there is such a thing!) She was going to bring forth a baby that would be great (this speaks of His ability and authority), called the Son of the Highest (this speaks of His deity), given the throne of David (this speaks of His royalty), reigning over the house of Jacob forever (this speaks of His majesty), and there would be no end to His kingdom (this speaks of His eternality). What an awesome Savior to Whom we belong. Is there anything that you cannot entrust to Him today? I can’t think of anything.

For today: How great is our God! Sing to Him throughout your day, and don’t let anything distract you from His beauty and majesty today.

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph…And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou art highly favored; the Lord is with thee…Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God” (Luke 1:26-28, 30).

In the last few days we have read the account of the angel telling Joseph to “fear not.” Earlier the angel had also told Mary to “fear not.” Imagine what this young teenage girl must have thought and experienced when suddenly Gabriel appeared to her. While the text doesn’t declare this, we can well imagine that she was excited about her engagement to Joseph. As a young Jewish lady, she probably dreamed of her marriage, her hopes for children, her future home, and the determination she had she continued to demonstrate her devotion to Joseph. She would keep herself true and honorable to the young man to whom she was pledged. God was going to do something that would be incredible. She was the recipient of God’s great grace that would propel her into a situation of which she had never dreamed! Let me ask you a personal question. What has been the direction of your life because of the grace of God?

For today: There are many things that could cause me to be fearful. I need to keep my eyes on the Lord today. How about you?

“Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife…Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called His name JESUS” (Matthew 1:20, 24-25).

I have often thought of Joseph. I have wondered how he told his parents. I’ve even wondered if his grandparents were living and how he explained to his grandpa and grandma about all of this. I’ve wondered how his friends reacted. I’ve wondered if he was the subject of whisperings and accusations. Without any record of him arguing or asking for explanations, we find Joseph rising from sleep and doing what the angel said. He “took unto him his wife.” Joseph has always been an example to me and a blessing as I have thought of this man, willing to trust the unimaginable explanation and raise a child that wasn’t his own biological son. How does this text affect your life today?

For today: I want to be a person of trust and obedience, just like Joseph. How about you?

“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:22-23).

Miracle of miracles! God with us! How absolutely miraculous is the plan of our great God. In fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, this virgin shall bring forth a child. An incredible miracle took place in the manner of conception as well as the purpose of the conception—God with us! Here are a few of the encouragements to us today. First, God keeps His promises. Second, His Word is sure and fully trustworthy in every aspect. Third, our Savior is no ordinary person. He is miraculous in every way. Last, while we believers may be lonely at times, we are never alone. Our great God is with us. So whatever you face today, dear friend, take heart. If the Lord could miraculously bring forth His Son, He surely can take care of you and your situation today.

For today: God is with us! Regardless of what we face, this truth will quietly but surely help us today.