Luke 1:26-46 Now
Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a
city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted
Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,
that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and
said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the
voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for
joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a
fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
Continuing Pastor Kyle
message on “Divine Favor” from the last post, the third example of what Divine
favor looks like on the inside is “faith”. We need to trust God and have faith
that the Lord Almighty could and would fulfill anything that He wills to. Like
Mary and Elizabeth, we must choose to say “yes”, and that the Lord says “yes to
us when asked rightly. James 4:2-3 says, “You lust and do
not have … you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not
receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your
pleasures.” But, we must also choose to have faith when God answer’s “no
yet” or “no, I have something better for you”.
Luke 1:47-56 And
Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has
rejoiced in God my
Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For
behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who
is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His
name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from
generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has
scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has
put down the mighty from their thrones, and
exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good
things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped
His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He
spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.” And Mary
remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
The fourth example of what
Divine favor looks like on the inside is praise before, during, and after the
storms of life. Praise means to commend; to applaud; to express approbation of
personal worth or actions of almighty God. To extol in words or song or prayer;
to magnify; to glorify on account of perfections or excellent works of the Lord.
To express gratitude for personal Divine favors. There is true power in prayer
to God in trouble times. Praise God when times are getting tough. I always
wonder what the Lord is going to teach me in every trial that I begin, knowing
that He will be with us in the storm, equip us and walk us through it, to the
other side and will be better for it.
Jesus said in Luke
14:11, “For whoever exalts
himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The fifth example of what
Divine favor looks like on the inside is “humility”. Humility consists in
lowliness of mind; a deep sense of one's own unworthiness in the sight of God,
self-abasement, penitence for sin, and submission to the divine will. It is an
act of submission. God is able to take humble beginnings and use them for His
glory. Ask yourself: What if my current “humble” status is not really holding
me back, but actually positioning me to be able to impact others for the Lord? Matthew
5:5 says, “God blesses those
who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.” Be humble.
The sixth example of what Divine favor looks
like on the inside is a growing spiritual appetite. Jesus said in Matthew
5:6,“Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Empty
stomachs, God satisfies. You can have everything that this world can offer and
not be satisfied. You can have all the money and material possessions and feel
empty inside. True soul satisfaction comes through the Lord Jesus Christ and
His ministry, not temporal earthly and mortal desires, pursuits, dealings or ownership.
Don’t chase the wind, but increase your spiritual appetite for righteousness
(that which is “right” in the eyes of the Lord).
Eternal matters are what
really matter. You have found favor with God, so be truly filled.
In Christ, Brian
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