Monday, December 16th: Guest Writer, Mrs. Lois Ormsby

“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”

~ Luke 1:38

Mrs. Kim’s posts about Mary have been so good, so instructive, so helpful. Her posts reminded me that I once taught my college girls (when I was a dorm supervisor) about Mary’s willingness for and submission to God’s plan. God had created her to be the channel through which He would do the impossible…and she had no clue of His plan until the angel appeared and told her so! Talk about a shock! Because she was already betrothed to Joseph, this fact of her now being pregnant would have caused her and Joseph great shame in the eyes of their community. People assumed they had rushed into things, and even Joseph wondered what in the world was going on with Mary until the angel came to him, too, and calmed his fears.

Can you imagine the emotions Mary experienced from the time the angel came to her, right through the rest of her entire earthly life? She was such a young woman when God told her she was going to give birth to His Son. Although she must have been scared, frightened, and confused, she sweetly, meekly, and wisely said, “…be it unto me according to thy word.”

I honestly do not think I would have walked as honorably as Mary walked. But then, the LORD reminds me that – He asks us to do monumental things in 2013, too. True, one of us is not going to be asked to give birth to the Messiah, as that has already taken place once and for all. But, the question for us today is: are we receptive to do whatever God has each day for us? For you? For me? God honored Mary’s willingness by allowing her to give birth to the Saviour of the world. Will God be able to honor us for our willingness towards His plan, or will He be hampered by our lack of trust in Him?

Scripture Reading for the Day:

Proverbs 16
Ephesians 5