Thursday, December 3, 2015

WHEN GOD CALLED MARY, SHE ALONE DECIDED.

When God chose a teenage girl to be the mother of His Son Jesus, He did not inform or consult Mary’s father, her fiancé, a priest or the elders of Mary’s synagogue.

...the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. Luke 1:26-27 (ESV) 

God did not send the angel to Joseph or Mary’s father but directly to Mary, a teenage girl. 

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. Lk 1:31

God did not ask Mary’s parents or fiancé for permission. 

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Lk 1:38 (ESV) 

Young Mary made one of the most important spiritual decisions in the history of the world without consulting any man or older person.

What about Mary’s father? The Holy Spirit did not mention him.
What about Mary’s fiancé, Joseph? God told him after Mary was already pregnant. 

Mary’s response was magnificent. She made perhaps the most important spiritual decision in history all by herself, even though it meant losing her reputation for chastity, risking the loss of her fiancé and her prospects of marriage and making her a social outcast.

Perhaps you have been trained to submit important spiritual decisions to elders, pastors, fathers or your husband. Mary did none of these things and the Bible story commends her for her bold faith and her sacrificial obedience, obedience to God alone.

Suppose God is challenging you to make a decision which could lead to rejection by your church or even your family, is it possible the Holy Spirit wants you to follow the example of Mary? 

If God is really calling you and you know your parents or church leaders would not agree, asking these same people to discern or confirm your call is not obedience, as you may have been taught but actually disobedience to God.

Sometimes it helps to discuss a decision with friends or wise elders but there are times when you have to step out in raw faith and suffer the consequences as well as reaping the blessings.