Think On These Things – Mary and Elizabeth

It’s another Christmas season- another major reminder of the birth of our Saviour. There is for me an intensity that comes with this time of the year which makes self- evaluation very relevant; not to make anyone feel bad but to facilitate the making of decisions that will take one forward. What would be the point in celebrating the birth of our Saviour if one is unable to tap into the benefits of His coming to earth? We must profit from our Saviour stepping into the world and that not just eating and drinking but getting all that is ours on earth and ultimately, eternity with Him. It will be very sad if all we do at this time is eat, drink and buy new clothes; after all coming down to earth was not the easiest experience for Christ. That would be too much a price to pay just for people to party away.

James 1: 25 “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” 

Whilst it is true that scripture admonishes us to provoke one another to good works, we are also admonished not to compare ourselves with ourselves; the bible says it is not wise to do so. If therefore, we choose to make this a personal stock taking season; the word of God must then be the mirror against which we check our lives. If we compare ourselves with ourselves, we run the risk of getting into unhealthy competition and/or rivalry. These things lead to envy and stir up all sorts of evil emotions. Sadly, it can happen with your best friend or even sibling because it often starts with seemingly good intentions but as they say “hell is paved with good intentions”. These are tricks of the enemy from which we must guard our hearts and apply all diligence to doing so. The sad thing about entering this kind of competition is that you will always play catchup.

Luke 1: 42 “Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believe that the Lord would do what he said.”

Mary and Elizabeth were two different people who realized they were made for different purposes and were content with their God-given roles. Elizabeth could have wished she was chosen to bear the Messiah especially since she faithfully served God for so many years despite that she was barren. She could have argued that it would have been nice for her to have been honored with the privilege of carrying Jesus but instead, she appreciated her role and was content being who she was made to be so that Mary’s visit only provoked good thoughts in her so much so that her baby was impacted. She knew that great honor had been conferred on Mary while she carried a “less special” baby yet she blessed Mary. Elizabeth was happy to bear Christ forerunner; a role that couldn’t have gone to just anyone.  

Ephesians 1: 11 “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”

God made every one of us special and unique. We must never forget that to fulfill our purpose, we must remain in our roles. You have failed if your own role is found vacant. God should be proud whenever He looks at our duty post. There will always be many wonderful people all over the world excelling in their own area but you don’t need to be any of them to excel. All you need to be is the “you” that God made, running your race with the right heart and great love for God. Not everyone will deal with Presidents at the level of Dr. Myles Munroe of blessed memory but you can be known all over the world just because you applied yourself to fulfilling your purpose in caring for the poor like Mother Teresa