Post by Les Brewer on Jun 9, 2023 15:14:38 GMT
*_FINDING FAVOUR WITH GOD_*
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused 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, thou that 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 what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
- LUKE 1:26-30
The Mercy of God to a man is His unmerited favour to the man. When God decided to favour a man, it is not by merit. So we saw in our text that the Angel said; "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God."
Meanwhile, it is very important for us to consider the beginning of our text in verse 26; "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth."
Fortunately for us, this is the sixth month of the year for us, perhaps by divine mercy, it is your time and my time to find favour with God both for life and for godliness, it is very important to pray that your own sixth month or this sixth month of this year should not pass you by in Jesus Name!.
From the above issue about Mary, there are some character traces that brought Mary into finding favour with God.
In verse 27, we discovered that the Bible says she was a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph. Though the prophecy of a virgin giving birth to a child has been there long ago in Isaiah, the time of fulfilment came, and God might have seen Mary not just a physical virgin but she was pure in heart. Unlike in our time, though Mary was in courtship with Joseph, she was not obsessed with the relationship to the point of defiling herself emotionally with video calls and messages or always being with Joseph. She was not just a physical virgin but emotionally and intense of feelings she was pure. Purity of heart is a critical virtue in finding favour with God (Matt. 5:8).
Another character trace that put Mary in the disposition of finding favour with God, we found it in verse 48 of our text; "For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed."
Humility is another character in Mary that attracted the favour of God upon her, though the favour of God is unmerited, but we can attract His favour upon when we live the lives that the devil can not gainsay. Humility is a powerful virtue that attracts not just God's favour but the presence of God to man's life, being proud even in the sixth month of favour, will make you never to get anything; God resists the proud but give grace to the humble(Psalm 138:6, James 4:6-8, 1Peter 5:5-6).
The next character trace from Mary is in verse 53; "He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away."
Mary was hungry for God, though in courtship and in preparation for marriage, she was not hungry for sex or for the life in marriage but she was hungry for God, her longing and her aspiration is to know God. Lack of hunger for God has made many people not to bring forth Jesus in their relationship, in their marriages and in all life endeavours, Jesus is lacking in our time because many has hunger for things and not Jesus. May we have hunger to the right things in Jesus Name!(Matt.6:33)
Lastly there is call in Isaiah 55:1-3 "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."
King David was highly favoured because he had a hunger and thirst for God(Psalm 42).
It is the same call to us today to receive the sure mercies of David, and the only requirement is hunger and thirst for it.
May God Almighty grant it unto us in Jesus Name!
Have a wonderful and a blessed day!
God bless us all.
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused 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, thou that 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 what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
- LUKE 1:26-30
The Mercy of God to a man is His unmerited favour to the man. When God decided to favour a man, it is not by merit. So we saw in our text that the Angel said; "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God."
Meanwhile, it is very important for us to consider the beginning of our text in verse 26; "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth."
Fortunately for us, this is the sixth month of the year for us, perhaps by divine mercy, it is your time and my time to find favour with God both for life and for godliness, it is very important to pray that your own sixth month or this sixth month of this year should not pass you by in Jesus Name!.
From the above issue about Mary, there are some character traces that brought Mary into finding favour with God.
In verse 27, we discovered that the Bible says she was a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph. Though the prophecy of a virgin giving birth to a child has been there long ago in Isaiah, the time of fulfilment came, and God might have seen Mary not just a physical virgin but she was pure in heart. Unlike in our time, though Mary was in courtship with Joseph, she was not obsessed with the relationship to the point of defiling herself emotionally with video calls and messages or always being with Joseph. She was not just a physical virgin but emotionally and intense of feelings she was pure. Purity of heart is a critical virtue in finding favour with God (Matt. 5:8).
Another character trace that put Mary in the disposition of finding favour with God, we found it in verse 48 of our text; "For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed."
Humility is another character in Mary that attracted the favour of God upon her, though the favour of God is unmerited, but we can attract His favour upon when we live the lives that the devil can not gainsay. Humility is a powerful virtue that attracts not just God's favour but the presence of God to man's life, being proud even in the sixth month of favour, will make you never to get anything; God resists the proud but give grace to the humble(Psalm 138:6, James 4:6-8, 1Peter 5:5-6).
The next character trace from Mary is in verse 53; "He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away."
Mary was hungry for God, though in courtship and in preparation for marriage, she was not hungry for sex or for the life in marriage but she was hungry for God, her longing and her aspiration is to know God. Lack of hunger for God has made many people not to bring forth Jesus in their relationship, in their marriages and in all life endeavours, Jesus is lacking in our time because many has hunger for things and not Jesus. May we have hunger to the right things in Jesus Name!(Matt.6:33)
Lastly there is call in Isaiah 55:1-3 "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."
King David was highly favoured because he had a hunger and thirst for God(Psalm 42).
It is the same call to us today to receive the sure mercies of David, and the only requirement is hunger and thirst for it.
May God Almighty grant it unto us in Jesus Name!
Have a wonderful and a blessed day!
God bless us all.
