Thoughts on Mary, Luke 1 & 2

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Have you ever taken the time to notice what the Bible says about Mary, the mother of Jesus?  You almost have to read between the lines, because there are only a few comments here and there... often overlooked when you read the Christmas story.  {At least I overlooked them.}  A few years back, I began to notice those little one-liners about Mary that Luke mentioned in his Gospel.

Luke 1:27 "... a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary." 

Virginity is laughed at in our culture today-- but a person's virginity is very precious to God.  If Mary had been a "loose" girl, God never could have chosen her to bear the Son of God!

Luke 1:28  "And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

What does one have to be like to be  highly favored?  Righteous. Holy. Submissive spirit. Pure in body, mind, and heart.

Luke 1:29  "But when she saw him,{the angel} she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was."

Mary was troubled at first. She was scared!  She knew she would be giving up her flawless reputation.  She took the news patiently, with faith.

Luke 1:34 'Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”'

She wasn't afraid to ask a question.  She wanted to fully understand what was going on.

Luke 1:38 "Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her."  Mary trusted the Lord with all her heart.  Her heart of submission to the Lord was beyond compare.

Luke 1:45 Elizabeth blessed Mary for her faith in the Lord to carry out this honorable task. "...Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Luke 2:6-7 "So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

Mary gave birth in a barn! {or a cave}.  Is there any documentation of complaining here?  NONE!  She was so patient and trusting.

Luke 2:16  "And they {the shepherds} came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger." Mary was very gracious to allow all these strangers to come visit her new baby immediately after the birth.  She seemed to understand that He was not "her" child, but belonged to the Lord and all mankind.

Luke 2:19  "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart."  

She didn't call her friends.

She didn't tell everyone.

She didn't even tell her husband!

These things were part of her relationship with God.

Luke 2:22-24  "Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Luke 2:39  "So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth."

Matthew 2: 13-15   "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Joseph and Mary were obedient to the law of the Lord.  Just think... they could have been proud and thought, "This is God in the flesh... these rituals for man are not necessary." but the thought never crossed their minds.  They obeyed without hesitation. Had Joseph not obeyed and immediately fled to Egypt, we may not have had a Savior at all!  God knew that Joseph and Mary were the ones whom He could trust to properly care for His only Son!

Luke 2:51  "Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart."  Imagine having a son who obeyed in all things?  Pride could have easily crept in at that point, too, but Mary always knew that He was God's Son, and she was only the vessel for Him to carry out His plan.

John 2:1-5 "On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”   

Mary always believed He was God.  Though He had never yet performed a miracle, she knew He was capable of anything.  She was His number one fan!

There is so much we can learn from Mary!  She is a model of Christian womanhood and motherhood.  She is an inspiration to me: to be a better, more focused mother; to be the "biggest fan" of all of my children! One who ponders things in her heart, rather than blabbing to all.  One who obeys in all things, out of my love for my God, and as an example to them.  Mary is an example for our young daughters, too!  Protecting her virginity, keeping her heart and mind pure.  Waiting for God's calling, and willing to obey whatever He calls them to do!

I hope the next time you read the Christmas story, you, too, will see Mary in a different light.

Judy  Linked Up at Raising Homemakers

Psalm 118

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A lot of the psalms repeat the saying, "His Mercy endures forever".  I've read it many times, but this time it really struck me.  Maybe I was especially in need of mercy.  Maybe it just never really sunk in.

His mercy endures forever.

Heaven is forever!  Forever in heaven I will reap the benefits of His mercy!  FOREVER!!!   Wow!  What did I ever do to deserve that?  That's the best part... nothing.  There has never been and will never be anything I could possibly do to deserve heaven.  Its a free gift for the taking.

When Jesus willingly died on the cross for our sins, He took my {our} punishment.  He was buried.  He rose again on the third day, to give us life. {1 Corinthians 15:3-4}  He ascended into heaven to live eternally and prepare a place for those of us who believe. {John 14:1-6}

Believe.

{Merriam-Webster Dictionary}

Intransitive verb: 1 a: to have a firm religious faith

b: to accept something as true, genuine, or real

2: to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something

3: to hold an opinion

Transitive verb: 1 a: to consider to be true or honest

b: to accept the word or evidence of

2: to hold as an opinion: suppose

During His ministry on earth He made it clear that before we believe we must repent.  Luke 5:32  "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Repent:

{Merriam-Webster Dictionary}

Intransitive verb: 1: to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life

2 a: to feel regret or contrition

b: to change one's mind

Transitive verb: 1: to cause to feel regret or contrition

2: to feel sorrow, regret, or contrition for

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not  of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Ephesians 2: 8-10

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There were other verses in this chapter that touched my heart as well.  I have been convicted to teach my children verses about trusting in the Lord during times of fear. I believe this country is facing some serious and drastic changes in our lifetime, and even more so in the lifetimes of our children.  They need verses to cling to.  I remember reading "The Hiding Place", the story of Corrie Ten Boom.  The Ten Boom family were Dutch Christians who were imprisoned for hiding Jews from the Nazis during   World War II.  Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to a concentration camp and clung to Psalm 32: 7 "You are my hiding place, You shall preserve me from trouble"  Psalm 118 also has several verses about trusting in the Lord instead of being fearful:

6.The Lord is on my side;

I will not fear.
What can man do to me?

8. It is better to trust in the Lord

than to put confidence in man.

9. It is better to trust in the Lord 

than to put confidence in princes.

13. You pushed me violently, that I might fall.

but the Lord helped me.

14.The Lord is my strength and song.

and He has become my salvation.

There are people in this country that believe our president has all the answers; that he is moving this country in the right direction.  But we can't place our faith in our government.  There is Someone far above him who is just using our president to fulfill HIS greater plan.  Our Sovereign God is really the One in charge.  Even though it seems like everything is falling apart, it is just part of the plan.  Though it isn't easy, it is an honor to be alive in a time when we can read through the Bible and then look around and see some of His prophesies being fulfilled right now!  We also need not be afraid for the worst part... because... we won't be here for that part, anyway!

Food for thought.

Judy

Homeschooling with laryngitis

Today I have learned a lot about Proverbs 15:1,

"A soft answer turns away wrath,

But a harsh word stirs up anger."

Due to either a cold or allergies, my voice is abnormally soft.  In fact it is only a whisper!  My kids keep saying, "Just try and talk normal."  "I am," I whisper back.  I have had a scratchy voice before, due to a cold or chest congestion, but I don't think I have ever lost my voice so completely!  Ugh!

What I have learned is that if I speak in a whisper, they respond in a whisper.  This has probably been the quietest day we have ever had!  Without having any control over the volume of my voice, I have managed to control the volume of their voices.  Hmm...  I guess King Solomon knew what he was talking about.

For those moments when they still got loud and I needed to get their attention, I was sure glad they are trained to respond to a finger snap or a hand clap!  That sure comes in handy in public when I don't want to shout their names because they disappeared around the corner, I clap my hands.  Or if they are too far away for me to reach in church and I need to get their attention, I snap.  I know, they should be trained to NOT walk away from me at the store or misbehave in church in the first place, but for those times, it works. 

The one thing I wish I could change in this situation {other than NOT losing my voice!} is that I wish I would  have taught them sign language!  I still can, it just won't be too handy NOW! 

I think I'll go drink some more hot tea.  And sleep, I am soooooo tired!

Judy

A Mother's Worry

I have been reading through a book my mother gave me, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, By Joanna Weaver.  Its hard to read much with a house full of kids, but am trying to read a little each day since we are on our summer schedule.  It has been a real blessing.  Yesterday I was talking to someone who was telling me about how much she worries about her children and grandchildren.  I know how easy it is to get wrapped up into worrying about our loved ones! {Spiritual, emotional and physical concerns!}  The section I read in the book today directly addressed this exact topic! {Funny how that works!}

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

Here is an excerpt from chapter 3 under the section titled, "Worry versus concern":

"Concern:                                                    Worry:
* Involves a ligitimate threat                         * Is often unfounded
* Is specific (one thing)                                * Is generalized (spreads to many things)
* Addresses the problem                             * Obsesses about the problem
* Solves problems                                       * Creates more problems
*Looks to God for answer                           * Looks to self or other people for answers

"Pastor and teacher Gary E. Gilley sums up the difference like this: 'Worry is allowing problems and distress to come between us and the heart of God.  It is the view that God has somehow lost control of the situation and we cannot trust Him.  A legitimate concern presses us closer to the heart of God and causes us to lean and trust Him all the more.' {Gary E. Gilley, "think on These Things" newsletter 4, no. 2 (February 1998).}

"Concern draws us to God.  Worry pulls us from him.  I think this distinction is especially helpful for those of us who tend to spiritualize worry, convincing ourselves that it's our duty to fret about such things as the state of the world, our finances, or our futures.  Oswald Chambers put it this way in My Utmost for His Highest:

                   'Fussing always ends in sin.  We imagine that a little anxiety and worry
                   are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indica-
                   tion of how really wicked we are.  Fretting springs from a determination
                   to get our own way.  Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious,
                   because He was not "out" to realize His own idea;  He was "out" to
                   realize God's ideas.  Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God....
                   All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.'
                   {Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (1935; reprint, Uhrichsville,
                    Ohio: Barbour, n.d.), 135}

"That's something we all need to remember when it comes to this issue of worry.  We face legitimate concerns every day of our lives.  But instead of fretting, instead of worrying, we need to focus on discerning what we can do (with God's help) and what should be left entirely up to God.  Even more important, we need to keep our focus on who God is and what God can do." {Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, by Joanna Weaver, Copyright 2002, Waterbrook Press, pages 38, 39}

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I am so guilty of worrying!  I mean, I have 8 children to worry about, a husband who is on the road for 60 hours each week, elderly parents who are prone to falling and forgetting important things, quite a number of unsaved relatives....  "What if robbers come in the night while Dallas is gone?  I don't even have a dog anymore to warn me!"  "What if I am not prepared for {fill in the blank!}"  "What if something happens to Dallas and I am left to take care of this family by myself?"  The list goes on, and on, and on.  The list could go on forever!  But I can't think about things like that, but rather, trust the Lord in all things!  Two of the most valuable verses I memorized as a child is Philippians 4:6-7  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your request be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  I quote these verses to myself often, but not often enough!  I still worry!  This book is such an encouragement to me.  I would encourage every woman to read it!

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Psalm 85

I have been so blessed as I have been reading through the Psalms.  When reading Psalm 85, I noticed some of the promised blessing in the chapter.

In verse 4  "Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You."  Dwelling in His presence is something I find hard to do, only because it is a constant effort.  It doesn't just happen.  Continual repentance and praise is necessary for this.

In verse 5 "Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage."  In and of ourselves, we are just weak.  God wants us to be always pursuing HIM.

Verse 12  "O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!"  For everything (period.)  My flesh wants desperately to live independently of God... only to fall into sin and bring shame on myself!  Trust.  For everything.




Judy

"Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth..."

I was reading in Psalm 78 when I came across this verse.  "Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, And they lied to Him with their tongue;"  {verse 36, NKJV}  The word "flattered" had a cross reference beside it, and I was prompted to follow it.  After all, you don't think of the word "flatter" as being something associated with one's relationship with God.  In the Old Testament, the examples of the Israelites are really illustrations of we, the Christians and our relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The cross reference that lead to Exodus 24:7-8 showed how the Israelites, in the wilderness were moved by the reading of the Law and they said, "All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient."  {Sounds like ME... such good intentions... only to fail, and probably within minutes of saying that!} These were flattering words, after all, isn't that what God wants to hear us say?

The second cross reference lead to Ezekiel 33:31 {I'll admit, I had to really think about where Ezekiel is, I haven't been there very often!}  "So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.  V. 32 "Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them."  {Emphesis mine}

Wow.  This reminds me of... ME and other Christians I'm sure.  We go to church.  We hear the Word preached.  We "Amen" it, whether out loud or in our hearts.  We believe it.  We want to do it!  But when the rubber hits the road, we forget it.

"Dear lord, help me!  I truly want to obey Your Word!  I am just so human and my flesh, too often, runs me!  Give me strength to NOT flatter, but to OBEY Your Word..."

Book Review: The True Story of Noah's Ark

I haven't done this before, but I have found a fascinating book about creation that I just had to mention!  It is required reading for our new history curriculum {Simply Charolette Mason's Genesis through Deuteronomy}.  It has fabulous, detailed art work and it even has a CD that reads the story and has sound effects!  It is written by Tom Dooley, Illustrated by Bill Looney and published by Master Books.

Front cover

The construction of the ark

The animals coming to the ark

A pull-out picture of what the inside of the ark might look like

A book every Christian home should have to teach children about creation and Noah's ark!