This post has nothing to do with V-ice, but can I help that he coined the phrase 'Word to your mother' ever so eloquently???
Recently Pastor Jason Pence slapped me right in the face!
well…
his sermon slapped me
I mean…
the Holy Spirit convicted me through his sermon.
Convicted. Challenged. Slapped. You get the idea.
In short, his message was about the mother of all mothers. Mary. The poor, uneducated teenager who, upon learning that she was preggers, was like, ‘cool – whatever you say, Lord’.
Hold up – If Jesus even asks me to sacrifice a few days (okay, hours) without food, my first reaction is ‘get thee behind me, Satan! This can’t be God! I must have nourishment’ (yes, snickers & Pepsi count as nourishment, thank you very much)!
But not Mary. The Bible records that yes, she was greatly troubled/petrified/scared to death, but not once does she whine, complain, or try to get out of it. In fact she instantly began to worship the Lord in acceptance of His plan, no matter the personal, temporal cost. It’s my belief that she had been fervently seeking His plan long before the angel of the Lord appeared to her.
In the face of public humiliation, she focused on God’s plan.
At the potential of losing everything including her fiance, her family, her very life she praises the Lord saying, “For He who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is His name!”
What did Mary have that I don’t?
Trust.
I’m convinced that she was able to immediately accept God’s will for her (and all the pain that came with it) because she loved the Lord more than anything or anyone and had learned how to hear His voice above all the other voices that told her this was coo-coo crazy.
Three truths Pastor JP presented:
1. God uses people who desire to do His will. Seriously ask yourself what you desire to do the most.
2. God uses people who decide to pay the cost. There is a cost. What are you willing to give up to be used by God? Approval of man? Your comfortable life? Your money & time? Are you willing to risk it all?
3. God uses people who dare to trust His promises! How much do you trust God? Enough that you can praise Him when He calls you to do seemingly crazy things like give birth to His Son? Well, that role is already taken, so no worries there!
Let me encourage you to pause today, lean in close to hear the whisper of your Heavenly Father calling you to know & trust His voice above the world’s fearful chatter.
Typically, God’s plan doesn’t lead you down Earthly Easy Street, but remember God’s plan is higher than your plan. {in other words, God is smarter than you!} The rewards for obeying & following His voice are eternal. Yeah, like, Forrrrevverrrrr! That’s why Paul says we are to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. We serve an eternal God and though we may suffer earthly trials, it pales in comparison to basking in his forever glory & riches.
I pray for you today, readers, that you would know your Heavenly Father’s great love for you.Because once you have experienced His unfathomable and undeserved love, a desire will awaken your heart to know, serve & risk it all for this gracious God who has redeemed your soul!
I urge you not to settle for the comfortable life or the so-called American dream of success & happiness. Life is about so much more than pretty decorations, political parties, fashionable shoes, counting calories, and being a ‘good person’!!!! Those things leave us empty and were never meant to fulfill God’s people.
As my mother often says, God didn’t call us to a soft life. (If you need examples, look to the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.) There will be many trials to overcome and many blessings to share. He has blessed us not so we can be comfortable and self-pleasing children, but that we can give more and live the great adventure He has mapped out for us! Just like Mary, your adventure holds many ups & downs but the good news is that He goes with you through each twist & turn and HE HAS ALREADY OVERCOME it all!!!
So I ask you, do you desire for God to use you to further His redemption story in the lives of others the way Mary did? Take a step of faith, surrender your plan, your time and resources and seek Him for the next step…
Then strap on your big girl boots and dig in your heels because God is about to take you on the ride of your life!
Shine On!
This is a great message! Love the 3 truths you point out! ;O) Mary is a good example of how we are to respond to God. I love the contrast between her response and Zechariah’s response when the angel appeared before him: “He was troubled and fear fell upon him.” – Luke 1:12 and upon hearing about his baby-to-be, he doubted the news, therefor was made mute! This response from a righteous, religious leader who should have been seeking and awaiting the Lord’s calling upon his life. Whereas Mary, a mere teenager, says “Let it be to me according to your word.” – If only I were more like Mary and less like Zerariah!
I LOVE this post! Danielle you are so correct. I also think Mary knew she had a special purpose and she just had to be patient and wait for the day to come for God to reveal it to her. I get inpatient if I have to wait for a traffic light to long. Mary was so brave and had unwavering TRUST in the Lord, that agreeing to have His child didn’t seem so out of the ordinary. She could of said no to the Angel Gabriel but she didn’t. She agreed to have a baby that would save mankind and by doing so watch him die.
Whenever I watch “The Passion of the Christ” it rips me apart inside to witness Mary’s compassion for her son. Now that I’m a mother I know what it feels like if my son even scraps his knee. I don’t want him to feel any pain or suffering. Mary watched her son be shackled, berated, spit upon, scoured and crucified. I do not think I’m strong enough to have witnessed all of those things.
Everyday we have to decide if we are going to put our full trust and God. Somedays are easier than others but it is something that I personally need to do more.
Thank you Danielle for sharing the truth with us and reminding us of Mary’s calling and how hard that had to be for her. Yet she never complained! Wow…amazing! Also, for telling us that we need to trust in the Lord more! God Bless you!
Thanks ladies for the great conversation. This is one thing I love about blogging the things that I’m pondering & ‘chewing’ on. It leads others to have their own light bulb moments. I love the comparison b/w Mary’s faith and Zacharias’ faith! What a difference! And Lara, that is one thing that stuck out to me in Passion of the Christ as well – Mary’s great compassion for her son. The actress really communicated a mother’s broken heart & grief for her child who had never sinned. We often turn the Bible into legends or stories – rather than remembering these were/are REAL people with the same human feelings that we experience. If they can put their trust in Him, against all odds, so can we!