THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)
DATE: SUNDAY, 19TH DECEMBER, 2021 (FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT)
TOPIC: EMPOWERED
TEXT: LUKE 1:26-38
26. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27. to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name [was] Mary.
28. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored [one,] the Lord [is] with you; blessed [are] you among women!"
29. But when she saw [him,] she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
30. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.
32. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33. "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."
34. Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"
35. And the angel answered and said to her, "[The] Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
36. "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37. "For with God nothing will be impossible."
38. Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
MESSAGE:
The Angel was sent by God to speak to Mary about what God intended to do with and through her. Humanly speaking, what she heard was absolutely impossible; in fact, it had never been heard. How could a woman conceive without knowing a man? The answer she got is worth considering: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you" (v.35). It was this that enabled the impossible in and through Mary. She eventually had Jesus, just as God said through the angel. This was because Mary was willing to surrender completely to the Lord, even though she did not fully understand.
Today. God is still looking for lives that will "conceive" the life of Christ; lives that will be pregnant with the lifestyle of love and obedience to God, which Christ exemplified. There are still many areas of our world that need the gospel to be "born" in them, areas that need lives that will practically live out the kingdom lifestyle among them as a testimony for Christ. Anyone who will surrender like Mary did; anyone who is willing to say like Mary: "Be it unto me according to your word" (v.38) will certainly be a candidate. By the power of the Holy Spirit today, we still can bear the life of Christ about in our fallen world; we still can be effective witnesses of His life and resurrection power. Will you enlist?
PRAYER:
Empower me afresh, dear Lord
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