And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”- Luke 1:46-55 ESV
Warrior;
We can learn a lot from Mary, our Lord’s, earthly Mother. Mary is no worthier of our praise than any other human being, however, she was blessed in a way that no other was blessed- she got to have the deepest intimacy with the MAN-JESUS. Remember, Jesus was FULLY man and FULLY GOD. He is the God-man! In the opening chapters of Luke’s gospel, we learn much about Mary, the fleshly mother of Jesus. In this section of scripture, we hear her famous song, The Song of Mary- The Magnificat. Mary’s Magnificat teaches us something about Mary, how she knew Jehovah and understood God works through those that honor Him. We see how she is blessed by this and how she reflects that blessing back to God to magnify the Lord. Do you do similarly? When God blesses you, do you magnify Him or do you steal His Glory?
Leader, this song has many parallels with the Song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2, and indeed Mary is another member of the many woman who are selected by God to play a mighty role in the unfolding of His covenant. Mary is a nobody, a lowly, Hebrew teenager, a virgin whose child will be God Himself. Mary’s child will be the long-promised “seed of the woman” who will crush the serpent’s head. And this is why she is blessed, not because she has special merit in herself but rather because God chose to use her as a vessel to bear the Christ. Do not downplay God’s way He chooses to use you. You might not birth the SAVIOR, but He might have you birth a NEW BIBLE study, or a NEW ministry, or a NEW HEART, BODY and SOUL!
Conduit, Mary was described by God as “highly favored” (Luke 1:28). The phrase highly favored comes from a single Greek word, which essentially means “much grace.” Mary received God’s grace. Grace is “unmerited favor”; that is, grace is a blessing we receive- despite the fact that we do not deserve it! Mary needed grace from God and a Savior, just as the rest of us do. Mary herself understood this fact, as she declared in Luke 1:47, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” This is why the GOSPEL is GOOD NEWS! This is why we give GIFTS, during the season of CHRISTmas. For God so loved the world, HE GAVE A GIFT. Because He gifted us, we GIFT OTHERS! Remember the REAL GIFT cannot be given or received in a box for it was given in a MANGER! This gift can only be received in our HEART! When we receive this gift, we have 2 choices; REPENT or REBEL! Choose well, because this is an eternal exchange! Amen.
Way of The Warrior- A Daily Devotional 