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Mary's Trust - Embrace God's call on your life

So many of use things on a daily basis and trust them to function properly even though we are completely clueless about how they work.  I know very little about internal combustion engines, but I trust my car to crank and drive me to town every day.  I know even less about amps, volts, and watts of electricity, but I know that if I flip the switch my lights should turn on.  And I don't understand how wireless technology and data is communicated, but I trust that if I send a text out that it will make to wherever in the world it is intended to go.  When the angel came to Mary, she likely didn't fully understand what was about to take place in her life either, but she trusted.

Read Luke 1:26 - 38

  • Trust God's Grace and Presence
    • By choosing Mary to be Jesus' mother, God had bestowed His grace on her.  Sometimes we certainly feel like our calling or purpose in life is nowhere near as significant as Mary's.  And sadly, it isn't since the Savior is already born.  But anyone who has accepted Christ by faith and become a child of His is full of His grace as well.  That's me, you, and hopefully everyone you see and encounter.  If not, tell them about this great grace of His.
    • Upon first hearing this news, Mary trembled with fear.  I imagine many of us have had similar reactions before when the boss calls you into his office and asks you to shut the door.  I know I've found myself wondering if this is going to be good or bad.  But everything usually turns out okay.  And it did with Mary because she trusted God's grace and presence in her life.
  • You Don't Have to Understand to Trust
    • Mary knew that she was a virgin and could not bear a child given her current status.  But Jesus would be the Son of the Most High.  He would be royalty and His kingdom will last for all eternity.
    • Mary didn't fully understand everything the angel was telling her, but she believed.  She did not respond to the angel with a doubtful attitude asking, "why," "you sure," or "what."  She sought insight to the plan and asked, "how?"  Like many of us, we look at things the 'normal' way of thinking and we lose sight of what God is capable of through His divine power.  Mary trusted the plan of God, even when it was difficult to understand how it could happen.
  • Embrace Your Purpose - It is Possible
    • Mary did many other things during her life here on earth.  But all know her based on her main primary purpose - being Jesus' mother.  By her willingness to submit and obey the Lord, she gave birth to a king and has impacted countless lives for thousands of years.
    • "Her submission is a very powerful statements.  Her attitude is all the more amazing when we realize Mary would be in an extremely embarrassing and difficult situation because of this news.  Mary surely understood she most likely would be accused of adultery, yet she still graciously submitted to the will of God.  This attitude of willful submission to God also should permeate our lives."
Some of us older millennials have been fortunate enough to see the advances in technology over the last 30+ years from rotary phones, bag phones, to now being able to hold mini-computers in the palm of our hands.  I enjoy the benefits of all the little 'extras' that my phone can do.  But at the end of the day, it's primary purpose to make and receive phone calls and if it can't do that, it's essentially useless.  God has a call on each of our lives, just as He did with Mary - this doesn't mean that we can't enjoy the extras along the way.  But we do need to be asking ourselves:
  • How can we embrace God's call on our life?
  • When can we embrace God's call on our life?
  • Where can we embrace God's call on our life?
Mary trusted and obeyed God's call and look how good that turned out.  What is He calling you to do today, tomorrow, or next year?
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