Corona Devo 681

(45) "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"


Mary's Song


(46) And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord (47) and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior... (49) for the mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.  

(50) His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.   ~Luke 1:45-46-47, 49

~~~~~~~~~~


Need a spring in your step and a song in your heart today?


Feeling like an orphan in the family of God--as if we have no "relatives" sitting next us at the "faith family" table of life?


Well, "Blessed is she (and he) who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"/him, because the Lord will. (Luke 1:45).


When Mary (the mother of Jesus) was pregnant with Him, she paid a visit to her relative Elizabeth, who was also pregnant (with John the Baptist).

Mary was led to speak, and to share, and to proclaim about the Lord. It was Mary's voice, but it was the Lord's spirit upon her and even within her (Baby Jesus!), causing her to say what she spoke to her relative Elizabeth.

Mary shared her "song" (Luke 1:45) with Elizabeth, but God shares it with us today through the pages of scripture in the same clear voice.

Hear (freshly) what God is saying to us through Mary's words, as inspired by Him:

His mercy extends to those who fear him... (Luke 1:50).

Are we fearing the Lord today? No--not a cowering fear, but do we revere God? Are we bowing to His authority today? Have we submitted to His will instead of pursuing or pushing our own?

If we will choose to fear God, (or as Mary says: "the mighty One")... His mercy extends to us today. (Luke 1:50).

Mercy is "compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm" (Oxford Languages Dictionary).  Yes, that is precisely what we desire and what we don't deserve from God, the mighty One, and yet He has promised it: His mercy extends to those who fear him (Luke 1:50).

Heavenly Father and mighty One, we need Your mercy today. We clamor for Your mercy today. We accept Your mercy today. Amen.

  ~~~~~~

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.  (Luke 1:50).

We are in the family tree of believers. We come from generations of believers-in-Christ.

I have a best friend who has told me that she is a "first generation" Christian, because she and her husband did not (do not) have parents/grandparents/family/etc. that were (are) active Christ-followers.

I think many of us can relate. It's hard to find adults that were raised in Christ-centered, functional, emotionally-healthy homes.

I can relate, but because of the truth of the Bible and of "Mary's song" as we "listen to it" today, I must disagree that any of us are "first-generation" Christ-followers because God's mercy has been extended to us from generation to generation (Luke 1:50).

If we do not have flesh-and-blood brothers/sisters/parents that have "walked before us" or are standing beside us today in our faith journeys, the Bible reminds us/encourages us/empowers us by our legacy of Biblical-blood-lines that we share with every generation of Christ-followers that have lived before us.

The men and women whose stories play out in the pages of scripture are our Biblical big brothers and sisters -in Christ. Their examples teach us. Their fallibility validates us. Their faith sustains us, and the reality of the Christ they sought, served, and proclaimed proves that His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation (Luke 1:50). We are a part of those sacred generations and we can be strengthened by the example and comfort they provide for us as we seek to serve Christ today, in this generation.

~~~~~

We are not alone in our journey to live for Christ today.  It can "feel" lonely.  The road can seem all uphill, and as if we travel it alone.  

But God's mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation, and we can trace our Christian heredity back to the Bible, the Israelites (his servant Israel) and even to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

If we need a spring in our step and a song in our heart today, Mary's song was God-inspired and it's truth of God's mercy and our heritage in the family-of-God rings out as clearly into our hearts today as it did into the hearts of Elizabeth and (baby) John the Baptist in her belly. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb (Luke 1:41).  

May our hearts leap at the message of our belonging to the family of Christ and that His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.  (Luke 1:50).

We are not first-generation Christ-followers or orphans in the family of God. And we have generations and generations of "relatives" sitting next us at the "faith family" table of life today.

Welcome to the family.


Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com 

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