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Mary’s Shocking News
Scripture:
I posted 2 years ago about Mary in great detail. To get a better grip on Mary in this life stage, read/listen to the post here.
We heard about Elizabeth in a previous blog post. The same angel that visited Elizabeth, Gabriel, now visits Mary. The shocking news had Mary in a quandary about the whole situation.
It’s time for the Savior of the world to come as a man and live out His earthly ministry. We heard in and throughout the Old Testament about a Savior, the Messiah, coming to save us. He’s the long-awaited messiah.
Poor lowly Mary is only a teenager. However, she’s been promised to Joseph in marriage. His betrothed. Neither of which has had intimate relations. Virgins. Mary being a virgin is a main factor of God having favor with her. She’s a good Jewish girl.
She was dumbfounded at the concept of becoming pregnant since she is a virgin.
You read the interaction between Gabriel and Mary in the scripture. Gabriel tells Mary that she’ll conceive of the Holy Spirit. In v. 35 it says this:
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:26-38
Mary couldn’t argue with that. She accepted it. But, she added this at the end of their interaction in v. 38:
“I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Mary had some doubts. Who wouldn’t? That’s a pretty major thing; become pregnant while still a virgin. I’m sure she also had major concerns being not fully married to Joseph, yet.
How would you feel if it were you going through that situation? What would be going through your mind?
It’s scary, to say the least. In those times, they stoned/crucified people for offenses. Betraying a spouse to be… that’s infidelity. They didn’t take that very lightly. Read the Bible for yourself and see. Don’t take my word for it. It’s all there in black and white.
So, the big news… The Messiah is coming! That’s exciting! Joyous! How does that make you feel? Me?
If I lived in that time where I could encounter Jesus in person… I’d fall face down at His feet honoring, praising, and worshipping Him.
But, before he’s grown I’d try to find a way to get to Him to meet him in person. I’d definitely be one of the women who followed Jesus throughout his ministry. The ones who experienced things just out of arms reach of everything.
Your turn! Go!
Prayer:
Dear Abba Yah, Adonai, I lift up every reader, even the brief visitors, of this blog. I pray that even if just one sentence, or one word, is written that the reader will be so blessed that they don’t want to leave Your word and Your presence. I pray they are blessed beyond measure and their needs are met. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Repaid Good for Evil!
Scripture
Read the full context here: 1 Samuel 24
This story of David, Jonathan, and King Saul is amazing. Here David had the chance to take out King Saul. But, he did not. David didn’t feel like it was right to kill Saul. He spared Saul’s life in the cave.
What I’m taking away from this is this:
~ Even though there are situations and opportunities to get revenge or get payback when I feel I deserve better than what I’m experiencing; don’t do it. It’s not worth it.
~ God has something better in mind for me. Even if I don’t know or understand it.
How does this apply to our lives today? How do I apply it to my life? Here are my thoughts:
- Be obedient to God and the Holy Spirit.
- He knows best.
- Pray about everything, always.
- God often shows us better through the Holy Spirit in prayers. (True story!)
- Be in His word every single day.
- If you don’t have time to be in the Word and spend time to pray, you’re too busy with the world. Something needs to give and be sacrificed. You’ll be glad you did! I promise! So does God! His promises never fail us!
- Be in fellowship with your church body.
- Keeping yourself isolated from everyone and everything is not healthy.
- There is a difference between isolation and solitude.
- Isolation means: the action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things or being set apart (separated).
- Solitude means: freedom from disturbance; tranquility; mentally calm.
- There is a difference between isolation and solitude.
- We need the fellowship to allow the Holy Spirit to feed our spirits and to lift each other up in the Lord.
- Keeping yourself isolated from everyone and everything is not healthy.
Dear Adonai, Abba Yah, I pray for the readers of this blog in that they will seek You fully and surrender fully to You. I pray that these words will be a balm for their soul and spirit to give them peace about any life circumstances that are putting them in strife. I pray also that they allow You to use them for Your glory and honor in life to help others who need it. Thank You, Yah, in advance for hearing and answering this prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Justice From Heaven
Scripture
Read the full chapter here: Psalm 11 It’s 7 verses long.
Well, this scripture is loaded. What I gain from it is this:
- God still rules from His Temple in heaven.
- God observes everything.
- God loves justice.
- Just people seek God.
In this Psalm, David’s struggle with and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God and seek within himself with indirect means for his own safety in a time of danger. His life was in danger by King Saul because the king was jealous of David and Jonathan’s relationship. Read more here: 1 Samuel 20.
Life is filled with struggles and triumphs. Sometimes it seems like more struggle than triumphs. During the struggles, human nature tends to seek within itself to work things out on our own.
God knows our struggles. He allows us to struggle because it builds our faith and trust in Him. It’s best to seek Him and take our struggles to Him and leave them there. He’ll deal with them justly. We may not get it. But, it’s not for us to get.
How does this apply to our lives today? How do we apply it to our lives?
This is what I think and believe:
- Even though we’re going through tough times; God is with us and knows.
- We don’t have to go through the struggles alone. God is with us, all the time.
- We need to seek Him, not from within ourselves.
- PRAY always!
Dear Abba Yah, I seek You. I bring all my struggles to You and leave them at the foot of Your throne. I pray this for the readers of this blog as well. I lift up the spiritually ill as well as, physically ill, Yahweh. We need You, always. I love, adore, glorify, and honor You, Adonai Yah. Thank You, in advance, for hearing and answering this prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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God of Mercy!
Scripture
Read the full context here: 1 Samuel 14:38-46
Even when all odds are against me, God still has control. God’s grace and mercy… What an awesome and amazing God we serve!
Even though Jonathan and his armor-bearer were outnumbered God still caused them to have victory in the battle. Even though Jonathan sinned and ate the honey, God saw fit to allow Jonathan to live.
Jonathan trusted God. Do you trust God to help you through tight spots in life’s circumstances? I struggle with this on occasion. I trust God more and more every day.
How does this apply to us today? How can we apply this to our lives today?
Here are my thoughts:
- Stop getting caught up in all the drama surrounding us.
- Yes, I know that people do their best to suck us in.
- Yes, our emotions can run amuck with situations.
- All these things are choices we make.
- It’s also about the attitudes we choose.
- We need to make better choices for our lives to avoid getting sucked into other’s drama.
- When something involves us, we need to choose to control our emotions.
- Decisions made out of an emotional situation never end well. Our emotions are fickle. We need to remain calm, clear, and level-headed.
- We also need to pay close attention to our attitudes.
- Attitudes toward situations determine the outcome of said situation.
- Pray over all things and situations all the time.
Dear Abba Yah, Adonai Yeshua, I lift each reader up to You. I ask that You guide their hearts, minds, soul, and spirits in a God-honoring and glorifying way. Show them the direction to take. I lift up the sick, injured, and spiritually hurting, Yahweh. I pray they will find peace of mind and body in You. I pray healing over them, in Jesus’ name. I thank You in advance for hearing and answering this prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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A Vow
Scripture
To read the full text of this scripture go to Judges 11:29-40
A vow is of vital importance. That’s one main reason why vows are also used in a wedding ceremony. God’s word holds vows to a high standard.
Deuteronomy 23:21-23 says this:
“When you make a vow to the Lord your God, be prompt in fulfilling whatever you promised him. For the Lord your God demands that you promptly fulfill all your vows, or you will be guilty of sin. However, it is not a sin to refrain from making a vow. But once you have voluntarily made a vow, be careful to fulfill your promise to the Lord your God.
Jephthah was no different. He kept his vow. His one and only child, his daughter, accepted and was ok with the vow her father made. She made only one request and he granted her that request. He waited for her return home before he fulfilled the vow he made to God.
My friend, Andrea, and a bible reading group member, made an astute observation and insight on this scripture reading. She said, “I think God wanted us to understand what it was like to sacrifice one’s only child through this story. Jephthah’s daughter was his only child and a virgin. She was also willing to die. It’s kind of a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ.”
God will work out His plan in our lives’ with or without us being on board. Jephthah’s daughter was on board. What a great child. Jesus was also on board. He was willing to give His life for the salvation of all people of all time. Not everyone will accept that free gift. But, that is also part of God’s plan. How has accepting Jesus’ free gift of salvation affected your life?
How does this apply to our lives today? How do we apply it to our lives today?
Here’s what I believe:
- We must take God seriously.
- He’s not just some fairytale that we tell stories from.
- He’s real; He’s alive and so is His word.
- Each time we read His word they must feel like they’re jumping off the pages at us and speaking directly to us. What we read one time and gain insight from may not be the same the next time. He may be telling us something else the next time. That’s how dynamic His word (The Holy Bible) is.
- We must be about the Father’s business.
- We must be so in tune with the Father that we don’t even realize or know anything else about everyone and everything that is going on around us. He’ll meet our needs. Trust Him!
- Here’s a quoted story as an example:
A lady went to her Pastor and said: “Pastor, I won’t be going to your church anymore.” The Pastor responded, “But why?” The lady said “Ah! I saw a woman gossiping about another member; a man that is a hypocrite; the worship team living wrong; people looking at their phone during service; among so many other things wrong in your church.”
The Pastor replied, “OK. But before you go, do me a favor: take a full glass of water and walk around the church three times without spilling a drop on the ground. Afterward, leave the church if you desire.” The lady thought: too easy! She walked three times around the church as the Pastor had asked. When she finished she told the Pastor she was ready to leave.
The Pastor said, “Before you leave I want to ask you one more question. When you were walking around the church, did you see anyone gossiping?” The lady replied “No.” “Did you see any hypocrites?” The lady said “No.” “Anyone looking at their phone?” “No.” “You know why?” “No.”
“You were focused on the glass, to make sure you didn’t stumble and spill any water. It’s the same with our life. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we don’t have time to see the mistakes of others. We will reach out a helping hand to them and concentrate on our own walk with the Lord.”
- What else can you come up with? I look forward to hearing from you.
Dear Jesus, thank You for this great insight. Thank You for the gift of salvation. Thank You for Your grace. I lift up all those who read this post and pray for their needs to be met; no matter what they are. You’re the Almighty, Who can make anything happen. I pray that those who read this devotion with fully surrender to You and fully seek You. Thank You in advance for hearing and answering this prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Acts of the Apostles Bible Study
A few weeks back I began a Bible study with Suzie Eller.
At first, I didn’t realize the importance of journaling or taking notes as I went along. However, it hit me. I then began taking notes each day.
You can find these notes here.
#ActsoftheApostlesBibleStudy
Today, May 7th, I began using the S.O.A.P method of note-taking. It’s more in-depth and you see more from me in my thinking and what my takeaways are from scripture.
There’s also an update on that audio podcast. It’s on iTunes, as well. The audio podcast originates here: Trinity Tidbits. There you can see all the locations, surely there’s one on the list you use or access.
Join in this study in Acts.
If you need assistance, contact me. Form below:
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