“Give me understanding
and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart.
Make me walk along the path of your commands for that is where my happiness is
found” (Psalm 119:34-35, NLT).
Mary, the mother of
Jesus, was called to a great work. The angel, Gabriel, came to her and said,
“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.” Mary trembled at the news, but she replied, “I am the
Lord's servant.” (Luke 1:36-38). Do you realize, like Mary, you are also called
to fulfill a purpose?
Mary had a heart to obey.
She never walked away from God's calling. Don't walk away from what God has
called you to do for the sake of time or personal need or even fear. The desire
of His heart is for you to know Him completely, to be fulfilled in your
calling, to have a pliable heart, to know the power of His presence, and to receive
what He has promised. The promise is realized when you allow Him to work in
your life, and give Him the gift of a surrendered and obedient heart.
Have you let go of the
precious gift of His calling for the sake of your own personal need or because
of fear? Long ago I did. There was no joy in placing my desire before His
calling. At the time my decision seemed so right, because my need seemed so
great, but I learned later I had lost so much of what He had promised. And my
greatest loss was in failing Him. I lost so much believing I was making the
best decision, when all He wanted was for me to allow Him to be in control. He
just wanted my obedient heart. He longed for me to trust Him to bring about
what He had promised. And what it cost was the loss of His purpose and
presence. Never again will I turn from His will for my life.
“For my thoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my
thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV). Mary realized the
omnipotence of a great God, and the importance of what He asked. She realized
that He was higher in every way than she could ever be, that His purpose and
vision in every way surpassed her own. If He has promised you something allow
Him to bring it to pass in His time. His vision is sometimes beyond your human
understanding and comprehension, but trust Him for His promise. He will give
you a heart of understanding. If you will obey His instructions–following the
path He has created just for you, you will discover a happiness you never
thought possible.
Jesus is the reason for
this wonderful season. Christ was born for you and me, and He died for us. His gift
came at the greatest cost—His pure life for our sinful one─His unconditional
love for our rejection─His pain for our stubbornness. And what will it cost us?
A repentant, and obedient heart. His will instead of our own. Give Him the gift
of a surrendered and obedient heart this Christmas. Give Him all of you.
© 2017 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com
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