The Necessity for Believers to Rise to Their Challenge of Faith as exemplified by Mary!

Luke 1:38.         And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Only ten more days before the Big One friends, so you had better get your priorities straight and then accomplish them as quickly as possible, before time runs out on you. But please, don’t forget that the current most important priority is remembering that the incarnate birth of Christ is the reason for all the celebrations. That’s what we must keep uppermost in our minds as we go about our business this Christmas season. 

And there are many interesting stories about Christ’s birth, but my favourite is the one that began it all. We’re talking about the visit of the angel Gabriel to Jesus’ mother Mary, informing her of what was about to happen. The Bible tells us: ‘And in the sixth month (of John the Baptist’s mother, Elisabeth’s pregnancy – Luke 1:5-25) the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city called Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused (betrothed) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail (rejoice), thou art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind (considered) what manner of salutation (greeting) this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 

And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS (Yahweh is salvation). He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (Most High): and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.’ (Luke 1:26-33) 

Now, just imagine you are a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old Jewish girl, in some backwater town of Galilee called Nazareth, recently engaged to be married, and this angel suddenly appears and confounds you with all that unexpected, mind-blowing information. What would your reaction be? But the Lord chose wisely, for Mary was a levelheaded girl and didn’t faint or hold her head and bawl in fear. 

The Bible continues: ‘Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (Most High) shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (one) which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin (relative) Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:34-37) 

And if Mary was astonished and confused before, the information about how she would be impregnated, through no human agency, and that she would bear the Son of God, sinless but totally human, and that her relative, Elisabeth who was previously considered barren was now with child, must certainly have thrown her for a loop. 

Even the most precocious female back then, or now, would probably have gotten  angry, tried to argue, or just sent Gabriel away, dismissed his tale as a joke, because all that he had said was so outlandish and out of this world. And furthermore, if Mary was to get pregnant without being married…what a bam bam that would cause in little Nazareth. 

But you know what, as we said before, the Lord in His infinite wisdom knew whom He was choosing to bear His Son. He didn’t pick just anybody, but someone who would not freak out and decline His outrageous offer. And Mary lived up to the Lord’s expectations, for the Bible relates: ‘And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.’ (Luke 1:38) 

Now some people might look on her response as being rather stupid or foolhardy, and to a certain extent they would be right, for just consider all the problems a pregnant, unmarried teenage girl would face in a small Jewish town. Even today, in some places, pregnancy without marriage is still looked upon as wrong and shameful and can lead to serious consequences, so can you imagine how it would be construed two thousand years ago. 

But the truth of the matter is that Mary showed great faith, accepting such a problematic role at such a young age. And I guess the knowledge that Elisabeth, her cousin, who had been barren for so many years, but was now six months pregnant in her old age, might have had some small effect on her decision. The point though, is that she did not back down from what under the prevailing circumstances seemed like an unwise move, but allowed her faith to rise up above the serious consequences a positive decision would undoubtedly bring. 

And that’s the kind of faith the Lord is looking for in these evil and ungodly times. He’s looking for people who are not afraid to lay it all on the line for His cause. Unfortunately though, the numbers who are willing to go out on a limb for Christ are rather small, when compared with the overall total of supposed believers. But we’re not giving up, for in Jesus’ kingdom there is no giving up, just rising each time we fall, and continuing in His awesome journey. 

And since we’ve been instructed to come boldly, but humbly to the throne of grace for help in times of need, let’s do that right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Friends, the problem is now in our hands. Our prayer says that God has promised to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways, so what are waiting for eh…if we truly desire divine aid? Much LOVE!

…when the Lord calls us to action…our faith ought to rise to the challenge…like Mary’s did… 

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Prophecy in the Believer’s Life!

Luke 1:37.       For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Now, it’s definitely not a good morning on which to begin our work week; a cold, wet, cloudy Monday, with a promise of snow later on in the day. But dem’s the breaks. That’s the kind of climate we live in at this time of year. But we can break that negative scenario with a positive one; that of Jesus’ birth, as we celebrate it in this Christmas season. What a joy and privilege it was, when His awesome birth brought a season of peace and goodwill to all men. And we all know how Jesus’s birth was foretold by the angel. 

Yes, what a most remarkable story, where the angel Gabriel appears to Jesus’ mother, Mary, when she was just an engaged teenager, and greets her thus: ‘Hail (rejoice) thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ (Luke 1:28) Obviously Mary was puzzled by this unexpected enthusiastic greeting. But the angel says unto her, ‘Fear not Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. And behold,  thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.’ (Luke 1:30-31) 

And then he tells her about all the great things Jesus would do. (Luke 1:32-33) But Mary doesn’t seem to pay much attention to that, for her next question is, ‘How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (the Most High) shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (One) which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.’ (Luke 1:34-35) 

Can you imagine Mary’s consternation at the predicament the birth of a child while still unmarried would put her in. But then the angel explains that her cousin Elisabeth, hitherto barren, was now six months pregnant, ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:37) But the best part of this whole story is Mary’s final answer to Gabriel. ‘And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. and the angel departed from her.’ (Luke 1:38) 

Wow! Can you imagine that teenaged girl simply accepting the angel’s message without any trepidation or apparent thought for what would certainly be an untenable situation in that rigid Jewish society. However, as Gabriel had said earlier on, nothing is impossible with God, and He fixed the situation. When her betrothed  Joseph discovered she was with child and they weren’t yet married, the Bible says: ‘being a just (upright) man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily (secretly). 

But while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived (begotten) in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS (Saviour): for he shall save his people from their sins.’ (Matt. 1:19-21) 

Oh friends, don’t you just LOVE how our God orchestrates things that seem impossible to us. Instead of having Jospeh put away Mary, He has him marry her just like nothing was wrong. The Bible then shares with us the important prophecy of this occasion foretold long ago. ‘Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled  which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet (Isaiah), saying, Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted  (translated) is, God with us.’ (Matt. 1:22-23)  

That reminds us of the prophetic power of our God, or as Bruh Paul says: ‘who quickeneth (gives life to) the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.’ (Rom. 4:17c) It’s like He said through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else ; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:’ (Is. 46:9-10) 

Oh, my people, there is certainly none other like our omnipotent God, who went about fulfilling prophecy from the very beginning of time right up to now, with many other prophecies yet to be fulfilled as the world spins. Now, here’s an interesting commentary on the subject. It asks, ‘What does it mean to call things that are not as though they were?’ Then answers: ‘By embracing the power of speaking God’s truth over others, believers participate in a spiritual dynamic that acknowledges God’s creative power, trusts in His faithfulness, and activates the transformative impact of the word of the gospel over others.’ 

Yes friends, we can also be a part of God’s prophetic world if we acknowledge His truths and His power. And one of the most powerful and important prophesies to mankind is that spoken by Isaiah, concerning the birth of Jesus, who was to bring salvation and forgiveness to the people! 

‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is. 9:6-7) 

And this Christmas season we’re about to celebrate is only the fulfilling of the first part of the prophecy, so let’s wake up and make sure we’re living under the protective umbrella of Jesus, before the last part of that prophecy unfolds. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to improve our world and our particular circumstances. 

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now, let’s remember that no divine aid will be forthcoming unless and until we humble ourselves before the Lord, seek His face and turn from our evil ways! Much LOVE!

…Jesus is the reason…for the Christmas season…let’s remind the world of that…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 December 2019 Luke 1:34.

Luke 1:34.    ​Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)?
 

Oh friends, there’s nothing more annoying, frustrating and depressing than waking up excitedly to greet the new day only to find a fresh coat of snow on the ground! Chuh! And it only gets more annoying, frustrating and depressing when you look out and see the small, weightless, white flakes still falling effortlessly to God’s great earth! I’m chuckling here, but you know that once the white stuff flies, lives will undoubtedly become more serious and dangerous, because it looks good when it just covers the land, but it can certainly be the devil’s associate when you have to venture out in it. 

It’s a good thing we have Jesus yes, that awesome shepherd, who leads and guides His flock with masterful precision…! Give Him some thanks and praise people, for He’s certainly deserving of it! And isn’t it strange, but certainly wonderful, how in the northern climes when the snow flies, that’s when we celebrate the birth of Jesus? Glory be mih brethren! The ole fella’s getting excited…so yuh better hold me back! I need to do like Jeeves says, have a modicum of circumspection… 

Nah, I don’t think so. When you’re excited about Jesus, you just have to let it flow! (smile) So we going to do just that by continuing where we left off yesterday, talking about Jesus’ miraculous virgin birth, His supernatural conception in His mother Mary’s womb, the wonderful incarnation where He, Jesus, God, became flesh (incarnate) to come and dwell amongst sinful man, to personally experience our hardships and then gloriously deliver us from them through His sacrificial death on Calvary’s cross, His triumphant resurrection on that wonderful Easter morn, and then His ascension back to heaven to be our friend and advocate at the Father’s right hand! 

How could it get any better than that eh mih people? No way Jose! We now have another, newer and much better option than his satanic majesty. That’s why it’s so mind-boggling when people refuse to believe in Jesus, and even go so far as to blaspheme His holy name and try to kick Him out of our society! Steups! What stupidity! Anyway, they will get their comeuppance in due time, because as the ole people say; time longer than twine, and when the good Lord ready, in His time, He will make all wrong things right. 

Now yuh see, all yuh get me so excited that I’ve gotten away from what we suppose to be talking about! (smile) And that’s the momentous occasion when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her about her favoured condition with God and the virgin birth she would have. And having listened to Gabriel’s spiel with, no doubt, bated breath, Mary finally found her voice. ‘Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)?’ Oh what a most plausible question, back in those times that is. Today we do that all the time through artificial insemination.  

‘And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (Most High) shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (one) which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.’ (Luke 1:35-36) And so it should be, because the sperm that inseminated Mary was of God the Father, and we characterize children by their fathers, so it’s a no brainer that Jesus should be considered the Son of God. (smile) 

As the scholars explain: ‘1:35. By a process we cannot explain, Mary will find herself with child through no human agency. Conceived by God, Jesus would be of sinless nature, though no less human due to that fact.’ Wow! Both God and man at the same time! How marvellous! That means He could appreciate our trials and tribulations because He also suffered them, though He did not sin! Isn’t our God wonderful and ever so imaginative and far sighted? That’s why his thoughts and ways are higher than ours. 

And to prove my point, listen to this bit of news that Gabriel shared with Mary to boost her spirit. ‘And behold, thy cousin (relative) Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:35-37) Yuh see how our great God moves in mysterious ways? Elisabeth had been barren for all of her life, but like Sara and Hannah, in her old age she was blessed with one of God’s special people, John the Baptist; Christ’s forerunner; the one lighting His way, crying out from the wilderness: ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of God is at hand.’ (Matt. 3:2) 

Yeh friends, our God doesn’t leave anything to chance. He knew that when Mary heard of Elisabeth’s pregnancy, her spirit would be boosted. And in my humble opinion, there’s no more touching, heartfelt and faith-showing scripture than Mary’s answer to the mind-blowing info she’d just received. ‘And Mary said, behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.’ (Luke 1:38) 

Mama Mia! What faith and trust and surrender in such a young woman! Even today we’d have serious problems with such a situation. But can you imagine the negative connotations that held for her in a small Jewish town; betrothed, but unmarried and with child, and supposedly not her betrothed’s child either? But she didn’t whinge and whine; just said, so be it. I do hope that Mary’s story will speak to us today and raise our level of faith, because it’s such a faith inducing epic. 

Now let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us who live and breathe to do His holy Will. As one, in strong voice, believing as we speak: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’ 

Now don’t forget, we’re not to hoard those God-given blessings, but to share them generously with others! Much LOVE!

…what a wonderful world this would be…if our faith was as big as Mary’s…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 December 2018 Luke 1:34.

Luke 1:34.   Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)?
 
So it’s a tad wet, and cloudy and still a li’l snowy from yesterday…so what? What’s the big deal eh? It’s Friday, that’s all we’re concerned about! And Friday in the Christmas season to boot! That means plenty shopping, baking, cooking, singing Christmas songs, plenty lights on trees and all over the place, hugs and kisses a plenty, plus a whole lot of pleasant greetings like: ‘Merry Christmas!’ and ‘Happy Holidays!’ etc. etc. 

But hopefully friends, underneath all that joyfulness, let’s hope the real reason for Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ surfaces and makes a true difference, not only in outward affection, but also through sincere internal appreciation and true godliness. Amen! 

And there’s nobody singing louder and more joyfully than the ordinary workingman! He’s been on his soapbox from the beginning! ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday in the Christmastime! Blow me down! Christmas is just around the corner! And I don’t care about the shopping and the gifts nuh…cause I have no money to buy any! But who want to put themselves in debt…let them go right ahead yes! 

Me, I only concerned about the food and drink, and the nice time when we playing music, singing and dancing! I might even go to church for the Christmas…if I sober enough. Hn, hn, hn! But putting all joke aside, Christmas is the best time of the year oui: yuh see all yuh friends and family who you ent see for ages…and yuh nice to even the ones and them yuh doh like! Heh, heh! 

Wish it could be Christmas all year round yes! And this year it going to have plenty holidays too, because Christmas and Boxing Day on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Mama Yo! Ah can’t wait to celebrate them two days off from the massa work nuh, where he have to pay we for not working! He face going to be sour like a lime! But thank God for Fridays, weekends and Christmas time oui!’ 

Ah mih people, the workingman does have a way with words and thoughts yes. But he does have a couple of good points, like we even nice to people we don’t like, and oh…if the atmosphere, not necessarily the festive aspect, but the peace and good tidings could be present in our awful society all year round…what a wonderful world this would be! But I guess that’s just wishful thinking. No reason though why we can’t hope for it and have faith that Jesus one day will provide it. 

 Anyway, let’s sing our weekend song nuh, our Friday Chant. It might not be as colourful and imaginative as the workingman’s but it does suit our Christ-like purposes admirably. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. 

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’ 

Yes my Christian brethren, we need to remember that even in our joyful times not to go too far out on the limb, to stay within the borders of rationality, so that we don’t open up ourselves to attacks from the enemy; physical, spiritual and emotional, because he’s just waiting like a beast of prey to attack us on any level he can.

But enough of all of that, let’s get back to one of the most wonderful stories ever told; that of the angel Gabriel informing Mary, Jesus’ future mother, of what was going to happen. 

Remember yesterday Gabriel gave her the whole spiel about; ‘she’d found favour with God,’ she’d have a son. ‘His name would be JESUS,’ ‘called the Son of the Highest,’ ‘given the throne of his father David,’ ‘reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.’ (Luke 1:30-33) 

Now how would any of us good, strong, mature Christian folk, in these modern times, react to that information eh? Either by laughing or being scared to death. But Mary didn’t even bat an eyelid. She merely asked a simple but very practical question to all that info: Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)?’  

Yeh friends, a very sensible and mature answer and question from a teenage girl in a backwater town in very ancient times! How could she get pregnant and bear a child without knowing a man eh? And though her faith seemed strong, she obviously hadn’t expected to be dealing with the Creator of the universe. 

And in like fashion, the angel Gabriel gave Mary a simple and straightforward answer to her million…no billion-dollar question. That’s how expensive and controversial the situation would have been back then. 

‘And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (Most High) shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (one) which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold, thy cousin (relative) Elisabeth (John the Baptist’s mother), she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:35-37) 

Now friends, a lot of us spout that line, but how many of us really believe it and try to action it eh? Not very many! But hear Mary’s response to the whole contrary, mixed up situation: ‘And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord: be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.’ (Luke 1:38) 

Now that’s why I LOVE Mary! After Jesus, she’s my most favourite character in the Good Book. From the get go she was mature and faithful about the very preposterous situation. She didn’t hem and haw like so many of us would have done…even those of supposedly great faith. Even knowing the horrific situation those things would cause in her life, she said bring it on without a fuss. 

Oh my people, my people, I sure hope we can use Mary as a shining example when the Lord calls us to do something that seems difficult and overwhelming. Remember He NEVER gives us more than we can bear, and ALWAYS helps us to complete the task. So there’s no need to be afraid or worried whenever He calls! Much LOVE!

…when the Lord says jump…it’s best to say…how high Lord…the very first time…