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Are You Blessed?
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“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has
said to her will be accomplished!" (Luke 2:45)
One of the least heard voices at Christmas is that of Elizabeth.
Remember Elizabeth - the second cousin of Jesus and the mother
of John the Baptist. These words spoken by her to Mary are words
that I hope can be spoken to each of us this holy season.
Mary and Elizabeth had a special bond. Both cousins were
expecting and they knew that both their children would be used
by God in a mighty way. Both were willing servants and both felt
blessed to be used by God in His Kingdom-work.
Mary visited Elizabeth and stayed with her for three months.
When she first arrived, Mary wondered why she was so favoured
that the mother of her Lord would come to her. Elizabeth knew
that Mary’s child would be her Lord and Saviour! She knew that
Jesus was the long-expected Messiah.
Four times in Luke 2:42-45, Elizabeth uses words that are
translated as ‘blessed’ or ‘favoured’. To be blessed means to be
happy, to be favoured by God and/or to be consecrated by God for
a special purpose. Mary was blessed in all these meanings.
While God is the one who blessed Mary, she played an important
role in receiving this blessing. Mary ‘believed that what the
Lord had said to her will be accomplished.’ Mary knew that God
had spoken to her through the angel Gabriel, she believed the
word of God and she believed that God would use her and
accomplish her purpose through her.
Do you consider yourself blessed? As a disciple of Jesus Christ,
you are favoured by God and He has consecrated you for the
purpose of bringing the presence and the message of Christ into
this world. That is a fact.
However, to experience the fullness of this blessing, you need
to believe that God will use you for His purposes and you need
to make yourself willing to be used as Mary did.
My prayer for you this holy season is that you will rejoice in
the privilege of being His child and renew your commitment to be
God’s humble servant in the coming year.
Then Elizabeth can say to you, “Blessed is ___ who has believed
that what the Lord has said to ___ will be accomplished!" (Luke
2:45) |
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