And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on 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 for those who fear Him from generation to generation. ... He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever." (Luke 1:46-50, 54-55)
Mary sang for joy when Elizabeth greeted her and confirmed everything the angel had told her. Who wouldn't sing? She was carrying the Messiah, Jesus, our Savior. All of God's wonderful promises were about to come true. And she herself would play a role in it, humble though she was. How could she stop from singing?
If you believe in Jesus, God has looked on you as well. He has chosen you Himself and given you to His Son Jesus, as He says: that He might "give eternal life to all" (John 17:2b). Because Jesus gave His life for you, you are a part of God's family, one of His own children; and because Jesus has risen from the dead, He continues to carry out His work in the world—partly through you. You have the amazing privilege of serving Jesus through your words and actions, representing Him to those around you—your family, your friends, your neighbors—even your enemies! Like Mary, you play a role in God's good work—and you are blessed.
WE PRAY: Lord, thank You for choosing me and blessing me with a way to serve in Your mission. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* What do you do when you are happiest and want to express your joy!
* Does it surprise you to know that God the Father chose you for Jesus?
* In what ways, big or small, do you serve Jesus in your life?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Zechariah 13-14 Revelation 3-4
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"