2005-12-09 - Mary, Did You Know?

Advent Series 2005, Part 2

Many of you have probably enjoyed the lovely song, written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene. The words include "Mary, did you know that your baby boy was Heaven's perfect lamb?"

Have you ever thought about the Christmas story from Mary's point of view? Do you think she fully understood, when Christ was born, that He wasn't really her baby boy, but rather the sacrifice for all our sins? Did she understand, as she cradled her newborn, that she would have to relinquish Him to God's purposes?

In a smaller sense, we all have to give up the people and things in our lives, don't we? We go through life, thinking that relationships or material items are ours to do with as we please. But in reality, they are only ours to borrow. Rather than proprietors, we are actually stewards of our relationships with our children, spouses, friends, and of our cars, houses - everyone and everything in our lives. They are all given to us on loan, to be used for God's glory and purposes.

Every relationship we tend, every decision we make, every purchase we make should be made with this in mind.

Take a mental inventory of your relationships.What does it say about your attitude? Do you feel you own your children's future, that you should make the decisions about their careers, rather than them taking their God-given initiative and using their gifts? Do you feel you own your spouse's time? Take a look at your checkbook register. What does it say about your stewardship of God's resources?

Whatever lay ahead, Mary's Luke 1:38 response to the angel was: And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (NASB)

A bondservant is someone who is "...obligated to serve without wages." (Free Online Dictionary) As people whose salvation is bought by our Lord, we are obligated to serve Him, with no expectation of reward (though He often does reward us). Everything we are, everyone in our lives, everything we own - it all belongs to God.

Mary had it right. Do you have it right?

Comments or Questions,
Jan

rijan@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org