According to Your Word

Luke 1:26-38, “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.'

'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'
The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’…‘For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.”

I'm so grateful that Mary had the faith to go along with God's plan. Following His plan often leads us to places we wouldn’t ordinarily go. Doing the Lord’s will is not always easy and often it requires something extraordinary of us. It demands faith and obedience, devotion and trust. It asks us to view the situation through the eyes of God and invites us to see the Lord’s mighty Hand at work—both in us and through us. Following the Lord’s plan unlocks untold blessings for us and very often everyone around. Following His plan encourages us to step out of our comfort zone and into the wide unknown, where spectacular things are bound to happen. Knowing and believing God enables us to confidently say, “let it be to me according to Your Word.”

This is a picture of the church in Nazareth that is built over the spot where this miraculous event occurred.

#Devotions #HolySpirit #Savior #SonofGod #Christmas

Thankful

Thanksgiving is a mindset that's meant for every day of the year. It never goes out of season. God showers us with blessings and provisions not just one day out of the year, but each and every day that passes. Our thanksgiving to Him should pour out in grateful response as we praise His holy Name. Let's see how many blessings we can thank Him for today.

Psalm 9:1, "I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."

#devotions #thanksgiving #gratitude #blessings #seaofgalilee

Persist

God is so good to us! Just as He did for the folks of long-ago Bible times, He shares with us the secret to strength and courage; He gives us instruction for successful and prosperous living:

Be careful to obey all of His Word and live according to His ways. Keep His Word in your heart and on the tip of your tongue; meditate on it night and day. Let it sink deep into your soul, directing the course of your life. And remember that the LORD your God is always with you, wherever you go! Whatever battles you face, you never face them alone. God is with you every step of the way. Sometimes He'll tell you to simply be still and watch as He takes care of your battle all on His own; often times though, He'll require that you get some skin in the game, and put in effort too—building your character, endurance, and persistence in the process. Keep your eyes on Jesus and on the heavenly prize! Persist with Jesus in mind. We have a powerful weapon that the people of the Old Testament didn't have—the Holy Spirit inside! 

Joshua 1:7-9, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”