Christmas Gift that Leads To Overcoming Joy by Babs Kincaid

“And behold, you will conceive and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus,… Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord!  Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”Luke 1:38

       What would make Mary, a young betrothed Jewish teenager want to face all the giants in her life without any resistance??? The giants in her life would be her scolding family, her shaming friends, and her convicting temple condemning her for conceiving a baby and out of wedlock! Ouch, that is quite a stacked deck of hostility against her! In the Old Testament, this is what the law required of such a predicament: “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” Deuteronomy 23:24-25 Mary was a virgin and faced quite a firing squad but her response was not resistance but overcoming joy!

Joy,… had Mary truly lost her mind to believe her joy was going to save her from inevitable death by stoning???  Wow, process what Mary didn’t say to the angel Gabriel:

v “Wait a minute, how is this going to work when all my family, friends and temple disown me?”

v “Can I get back to you tomorrow, after I have had time to process this heavy-duty declaration?”

v “Surely I am too young for such a formidable task!”

v “Certainly, I haven’t had enough education to pull off such an upscale religious task?”

v “Are you for real? You are kidding me right?”

v “I have no qualifications to pull off such an intimidating mission!”

v “There must be a mistake? I believe you found the wrong Mary!”

      How many teenagers do you know that have so much trust in God to say, “Let it be…according to your word.” Luke 1:38 Seriously, she said, “Let it be…?” I can’t even begin to imagine saying that as a teenager! I was so full of myself and hung up on fitting into the crowd. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize my status and stand out as pregnant!!! I would have been hung up on the word conceive, but Mary obviously was focused on God and her glorious joy!  Mary held onto God’s promise, “For with God nothing will be impossible!” Luke 1:37 No wonder God selected Mary as she believed God’s word above her circumstances!

       Because of Mary’s faith in God, she was filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy that could overcome her challenges! Consider this as an anchor for your battles: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and  are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy.”1 Peter 1:8 Mary lived a lifestyle that matched this verse: “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17 I am still a work in progress for that verse to match my lifestyle! Mary had communion with God on a regular basis and her relationship with God was strong that obstacles did not defeat her. Check out this promise: “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11 That is the joy I want to stay focused on and yielded to!

Merry Christmas …and if your joy and relationship with God seems faded today I pray:

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:12 and if you don’t know Jesus as your Savior and LORD I pray: And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Acts 2:21 Jesus will give you His overcoming joy!