FROM TODAY’S READING (12/14/2021)…
CHRISTMAS THOTS…
Luke 1:38 (NLT) Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
“How fascinating to see a young girl, certainly not out of her teens, unhesitatingly accept Gabriel’s promise of a Virgin Birth. Zechariah, a godly and aged priest, had doubted the same angel’s promise of a far less wonder!
Mary is certainly one of Scripture’s most appealing characters. She reminds us that finding favor with God and having faith in God do not depend on age, theological training, or high religious position. The youngest and the simplest of us can have a vital faith in God and be loved deeply by Him”
Lawrence O. Richards (1931-2016)
The 365 Day Devotional Commentary
Luke 1:26-38 (NLT) In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.
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. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.”
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Image: CC (Unsplash.com)
