The Obedience of Love
My First paragraph with bold text.
Day 10 The Obedience of Love
Luke 1:26-38, NIV 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 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[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
In the gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel visits Mary and presents her the news that she will give birth to the Son of God, and she will name Him Jesus. Mary experiences anxiety and fear, as she is a virgin and does not understand how this can be true. Yet Mary acknowledges the angel Gabriel in verse 38 saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Mary’s immediate obedience may come as a shock to most of us, especially after receiving such strange, yet exciting news. However, Mary displays exactly how each of us must respond in moments of God speaking to us and encouraging us to a higher calling.
Throughout my life, I have been in many different group settings where gossip was the only topic of conversation. In every situation where this occurs, I immediately feel out of place, uncomfortable and guilty, even though I do not participate in gossip. God’s way of calling me to a higher standard was providing me that internal feeling that I was singled out. The gossip should not have been happening, and I soon realized that keeping the people around me accountable in our faith journeys, regarding gossip, was what God sought for me to do. Although I felt uncomfortable speaking up about what was occurring and stating how it was wrong, this made me worry about what my friends would think of me. I wondered, would I lose them? If I left, would they begin to speak of me privately? I didn’t know. But I confidently knew that God was calling me to a higher standard and that I would act as a vessel, communicating His Word through myself to others. In the same way, Mary feared what others would think of her sudden pregnancy, while she was yet to be married. She feared who would believe her if she stated she was to give birth to the Son of God, yet she was obedient to her God, knowing that she was a servant of the Lord. What He called her to do, she would do to the very best of her ability, no matter the outcome, circumstance, or the opinion of others. In the same way, we must be obedient to the Lord, understanding that we are servants of God, each called to a different path that we must follow and be obedient to. Although this could be uncomfortable or scary at times, God is always near, waiting for you to call on Him for help and strength, for God’s love is everlasting and working for the good of those who love Him.
Reflect: Can you think of situations where you felt encouraged by God to do something out of your comfort zone? How can you ask God for guidance to be obedient to His love?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come to you with humble hearts, yearning to receive your peaceful presence. We thank you for this time of prayer and our ability to call on you at any time. God, we ask that you may strengthen our hearts to be obedient to what you have prepared for us, enabling us to be vessels of your word. We pray we might be confident in times of uncertainty, while trusting that we may follow through with our obedience to you, supported by our discipline within each of our individual faith journeys. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, all God’s people said, Amen.
Bella Bruce