Thursday, 15 December 2016

The Birth Of Jesus – Mary’s Encounter & Sacrifice

It is worthy of note that the Christmas miracle, Jesus Christ, was conceived like every miracle of God. Of a truth, God does not circumvent His process. If it is going to be permanent then it has to be done properly. So, God sent His word as a seed in the womb of Mary who was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit whilst the seed was planted, making God the Father, Holy Spirit and The Word of God (God the Son) active participants in this miracle as with any life transforming or enduring miracle. There is no doubt that God is painstaking with everything He does. He works and then checks to ensure that everything is done properly. He was involved in the miracle all the way, speaking to Joseph, leading Mary, preparing Elizabeth and ensuring that everyone else, including Simon and Anna, who had a part knew what to do. God surely knows how to and guards whatever He conceives until it is birth as long as we stay in line. His miracles in our lives only get aborted when we, the carriers of the miracle, get out of line. Satan cannot abort God’s miracle. He can’t even reach it because God guards His seed jealously but we must then be careful to ensure that we remain in line.

Jeremiah 1: 12AMP “Then said the Lord to me, you have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over my word to perform it.”

Isn’t it wonderful how Mary heard and believed all that the angel said to her? Though nothing like what the angel described had ever happened on earth, Mary was willing to participate as long as it was of God. She allowed God make a demand on her yielding absolutely that His pleasure may be done. The angel’s story was so strange that Mary asked how all he had said would happen. I would have been shocked if his response made sense to her; it did not but she believed God enough to yield to His will. From the number of times the bible records that Mary pondered things in her heart, she was certainly a deep thinker; but when it came to accepting the will of God, she just yielded. She trusted God enough to yield without thinking it through. Anyone who always wants to understand and explain God’s instructions to them and/or workings in their life, may never work in the miraculous. It is impossible to attain to the heights that God ordained for us if everything always has to make sense to us for us to engage. God does what he does and that notwithstanding how His method is perceived. Faith is relying on Him with even when we don’t understand; being confident that He is in control and will accomplish that which He has spoken and starts.   

Luke 1: 38AMP “Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said.”

Isaiah 55: 11AMP “So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void 9without producing any effect, useless), but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

God makes promises and then time seems to pass and nothing happens; the wait then begins to seem endless and then when we have almost lost faith, God without warning, brings it to pass. The coming of Jesus had been spoken of by different prophets and for a long time He did not appear. Israel had been looking out for the Messiah to the point where they started to feel that their hope was going to be disappointed. They had even gone for years without a word from God but then Jesus Christ shows up on the scene suddenly. There was no re-announcing to remind the people of His coming; He just showed up. Unfortunately, many of us lose our miracles because it did not come at the right time (i.e. that time that man decides it should come) when God has His own timing and we often do not check for His timing when He makes promises to us. God is the Master of the Universe and the Governor amongst nations; He is in full control and determiner of times and seasons. He decides what time is best for a miracle. We cannot afford to be weary. We must continue to renew our hope and strength so that we don’t kill the miracle like the Jews who were tired of waiting and thought He wasn’t coming anymore. Isn’t it amazing how they searched so hard for Him and yet missed Him? The miracle that is Jesus happened suddenly and without warning. That may be God’s way of giving you your miracle which is too costly to lose. We need every miracle that is ours and we can’t afford to lose any.

Genesis 18: 14 “Is anything too hard or too wonderful for the Lord? At the appointed time, when the season (for her delivery) comes around, I will return to you and Sarah shall have borne a son.”

Genesis 21: 1 “The Lord visited Sarah as He said, and the Lord did for her as He had promised.”

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