Say YES!!!

Thursday, December 22 nd, 2011

Today's Passage: Luke 1: 26-38
Memory Verse: Luke 1: 38

God, the Sovereign One, the Greatest Being of all  time.  Creator of the universe and everything we see and know.  Can you imagine the thought of Him NEEDING anything from us?  And yet, when you give it a little thought,  it's easy to see how much stock God places in our agreement with His plan.  All throughout the Word, God presented His plan to His people, going on faith that they would say yes.  

Abraham agreed with God 's command to change his ways and begin to worship Him, and we are the result of his decision.  Saul agreed to stop persecuting the church, and half of the New Testament is evidence of his obedience.  Rahab, a prostitute, wanted more out of life and therefore lined up with the children of the One True God.  Because of the choice she made to do this, she became a part of the lineage of King David.  Ruth, Boaz, Elijah and Elisha-- the list goes on and on of examples of decisions made about total devotion to the Lord.  But every time I come to the story of Mary and Joseph, the gravity of our choices became so clear.

What if Mary had decided that the risk of being rejected and possibly even stoned by the people of Nazareth was too great?  What if her words to the angel were the opposite of what we read today?  What if Joseph, who knew this was not his child, decided not to stand with Mary and give her respectability by marrying her?  God would no doubt have had to wait another few hundred years for someone else in the lineage of David.  But this couple was perfect for what God had planned, and they trusted the Sovereignty of His ways more than the circumstances surrounding their destiny.

The question of the day is this: how will WE respond to God's request of our services when He calls on us? Jesus' birth was the most awesome undertaking since the creation of man, but as long as we are on this earth and the enemy is allowed to roam freely, God will continue to search for willing vessels whose lives will bring Him glory in opposition to satan.  And we could decide, like all the others, to agree or not to agree.  Free will is part of what we were created with, so the Father would have to keep searching.  But what an amazing testimony it is when we say YES!  Everything falls in place, just like it did with Mary and Joseph.  We pray this week that you surrender your life completely to the Father's will, and that this Christmas holiday will be one of the most special for you and your family.

Prayer: Father, You have a plan, and I want to be a part of it today.  In Mary's words, let it be unto me according to Your words.  Let Your plan be fulfilled in my life, and may my obedience be complete .Thank You for sending Him to bear my sins on the cross.  I'll forever live to serve You.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.