Daily Devotional For Monday, December 23, 2024
The word of Christmas we are focusing on today is the word FAVOR. When the angel greeted Mary in Luke chapter 1, he said this in Luke 1:30, “The angel said to her, `Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God’” (NASB). That word, “favored,” is the Greek word [χάρις, charis], and it means “graced with grace, enfolded with an abundance of favor, and made acceptable.” The word is found only two times in the whole Bible. The first time, it describes Mary. The second time it is used,it describes you. In Ephesians 1:1-2, the Bible says:
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: (2) Grace to you and peace from God our Father band the Lord Jesus Christ” (NASB).
We praise God for the glorious grace that He favored us with and by which He made us accepted in the beloved. What happens to highly favored people? The angel explained it to Mary. He said this in Luke 1:35, ““The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (NASB). The phrase, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you” also appears just twice in Scripture. And just like the phrase, “favored,” the first time it’s about Mary, and the second time, it’s about you. In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (NLT).
The same Spirit-power that was promised to Mary, the highly favored one, at the conception of Jesus, was passed on to us, the highly favored ones, by Jesus at the conception of his church. What kind of person does God favor? Upon what kind of person does God pour out His Spirit? You don’t need any advanced theological training. You don’t have to jump through any hoops. You don’t even have to write a paper. A simple yes will do.
Mary just said, yes and this in Luke 1:38 — “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true” (NLT). And her, “Yes,” changed the world. Because Mary said yes, Jesus was born into the world through her. Because Mary said yes, God was able to accomplish his will for the world. Because Mary said yes, the power of his Spirit was released in and through her life.
Have you said yes to God? The promise of God to you and to all of us who call on the name of Jesus is that you also, like Mary, are highly favored, graced with grace, and accepted in the beloved. And God is ready and willing to birth something of the life of Christ through you, by the power of his word and his Spirit if you will just say “Yes.”
Mary’s yes set the miracle in motion. Her yes changed the world. Your yes can change the world too. You already have God’s favor. He has already accepted you. Now He waits for you to say yes so that the Holy Spirit can come upon you in power. If God can create life in the womb of a virgin who said yes to Him, simply by His word and His Spirit, what can He do through your life if you say yes to the Holy Spirit every day?
We don’t know anything about Mary’s life before the angel visited her. Why? Because it doesn’t matter. Mary didn’t come from some privileged class. She hadn’t been to seminary. She hadn’t even read, “The Purpose Driven Life” or “My Upmost For His Highest.” Mary was just an ordinary girl on whom God showed His favor. Mary’s past didn’t matter. Neither does yours. So if you think you’re just an ordinary person, then you are just what God is looking for. All you have to do is say yes to Him, and the Holy Spirit will come upon you. And there is nothing more powerful than a man or woman who is fully surrendered to the Spirit of God.
Many years ago, King George VI of England addressed the British commonwealth on New Year's Eve at a moment in history when the whole world stood on the brink of uncertainty. Despondency and uncertainty filled the air. The king's own body was racked by cancer. Before that year was over, his life ended. Unaware of his own physical maladies, he uttered these memorable words: "I said to the man at the gate of the year, 'Give me a light that I might walk safely into the unknown.' And he said to me, 'Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God. It shall be to you safer than the light and better than the known’” (Source: King George VI).
Whatever God is asking you to do, no matter how hard, challenging, and even painful it may be, would you say as Mary did to God, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Saying “Yes” to an unknown is something most of us do not like nor want to do. Afterall, even Jesus told us “to count the cost” (Luke 14:28). For Mary, this would be a whole future of many unknowns. We love this story and even have our Nativity Displays to prove it. But what Mary reveals is what is real. We cannot be favored by God if we do not step out in faith with Him. Hebrews 11:6a says, “It is impossible to please God without faith” (NLT).
Questions To Consider
- Mary was just a simple, poor, slave girl in the Roman Empire. There is really nothing outstanding about her by the world’s standards. Why do you think God chose her and said she was “favored?”
- If you like to control, then trusting God with the unknown will be difficult for you. Mary had no idea what it would mean to carry the future Messiah and raise Him. She had to eventually accept that her Son had been born to die. If God actually gave you complete and absolute control over everything in your life – including your future – would you really want it? Why or why not?
- The Book of Acts says, if you are a child of God, you are favored like Mary was as well with the gift of the Holy Spirit. What does that mean to you in terms of being “favored?”
- If you have children and/or grandchildren, explain to them the word”‘favored” and then ask them to explain to you how you “favor” them.
Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 5:12, “For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Almighty God, your plan of redemption was advanced when one simple peasant girl said yes to You. It was a yes that would change the world. There was no complicated ritual involved. Just the trusting words, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Lord, may it be the same in my life. Help me to cooperate with Your plan for the world by saying yes to You. Even now, I say yes to You, Holy Spirit. Come upon me so that the life of Christ may be manifested through me to the needy world around me. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly