A word from the Word

What did Mary have to lay down to be part of God’s redemptive plan?

 

What was one of the most precious possessions a Jewish girl needed for her marriage-- moral purity. “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary… “you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus…” Mary asked the angel, “but how can this happen? I am a virgin.’’ What was God asking of her? To be willing to give to Him her most precious possession, her reputation. “Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”

Quote:

“A prayer makes sense only if it’s lived. Unless they are ‘lived’ unless life and prayer becomes completely interwoven, prayer becomes a sort of polite madrigal which you offer to God in moments when you are giving time to Him.” – Christopher A Hall, Worshipping With the Church Fathers

 

Reflective Question:

 

Are you willing to lay down before God whatever to be a part of His redemptive plan? Jim Elliott said “He is no fool to give to God that which he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Come to God with open hands and say what Isaiah said, “Here am I send me.”

 

Book worth reading:

Jesus The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge PhD, a professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, a Zondervan Publishing, 2009. This beautifully illustrated book will help you uncover the ancient culture and discover hidden meanings. You will see the cultural background for such questions as

1.     How should a father react when his son asks for his inheritance?

2.    What happens when a friend arrives at midnight seeking food?

3.     Was Jesus a skilled storyteller among the rabbis?

 

This book was one of the favorites this last semester among the students at International Ministerial Institute. I believe you will have a hard time putting it down

 

Sincerely in Christ,

 

Jim and Marguerite Logan