Have you exchanged the blessing of the Lord for a bowl of stew? In Genesis 25, the scripture tells us that Esau was so famished that he gave up his birthright for a bowl of stew.  He chose to value his appetite more than his birthright! Most of the time, exchanging a blessing for a bowl of stew is not an intentional event, but it is a gradual devaluation of our blessings for the exchange of something that gives us temporary relief! Esau’s appetite in some shape or form can be our appetite.

Below are some examples:

When we were a new baby believer, we were excited about our new faith. We so appreciated the freedom that Jesus gave us; we wouldn’t replace it with anything in this world. We were ready to tell the world about our newfound faith. We didn’t know anything about church or its structure, but we loved Jesus and that’s all that mattered to us.

Our new faith brought us to church, and we started getting involved. We wanted to greet people at the door, so we can just share the joy with others.  Over time, things started changing. Now this Welcoming ministry looks problematic. We used to be eager about greeting people and helping them feel welcome; now it’s not very motivating anymore. We used to know how a new person feels when they walk in the church for the first time. That thought doesn’t cross our minds anymore. As a matter of fact, we would rather just visit with our friends than look for a newcomer.

The Lord opened a door for a great job five years ago. What a blessing it was! However, the job is not that great anymore. The Co-workers are irritating. The boss is demanding, and we don’t really feel appreciated. There is no upward mobility in this job. Now we’re not sure if this job is a blessing or a demonic stronghold!

We had been praying for a spouse for years, and the Lord gave us a wise and caring one. After being married for ten years, things have changed. The husband we thought was so caring doesn’t listen to us anymore! He is becoming difficult to live with. The only time we can get our way is when we remind him of what Pastor preached on Sunday. Then he reluctantly goes along with it. Since he is not a very happy man these days, we would rather be spending our time with our girlfriends, so we can feel understood. As a matter of fact, his issues are the subject of many of our conversations.

Gradually all the privileges that we were blessed with a few years ago, have diminished in value. The bowls of stew are enticing and interesting. We are famished to be valued and understood.  We think: “My marriage would be a lot better if my husband could be a Godly man like my Pastor! As for my boss, my girlfriend totally understands me when I vent about him. She thinks I should quit right away and look for something else. As for my ministry,  I’m too mature for Welcoming ministry, and I don’t think this ministry is that effective anyway. If people have questions, they can go to the information table. We don’t need greeters. After all, I’ve given many suggestions to the ministry leaders and no one seems to listen. I don’t think they appreciate me over there. Maybe I should find another place to serve!!”

Lord, forgive us for the times we have despised your blessings, and we haven’t valued what you’ve given us. Help us to desire what we already have.  We don’t want to take them for granted.

Thank you for what you brought into our lives years ago. Thank you for the privileges you have granted to us. Amen.

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com. 

Isaac had been praying for years for Rebecca his wife to bear a child. Finally, Isaac became a father after 20 years of waiting. The Lord granted Rebecca with twin boys, and He spoke to Rebecca concerning them prior to their birth. The Lord said to her,

Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger. Genesis 25:23

God was going to fulfill His promises in their lives. However, the call of God did not take away their responsibility to obey Him and follow his ways. They each had to choose if they were going to serve the Lord or be led by their own appetite and desires.

Esau was a hunter and his father enjoyed his cooking. We can surmise that Esau must have enjoyed food very much. One day when Esau came home from the field tired and hungry, he found Jacob cooking a nice pot of lentil stew.

But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” Genesis 25:31 

Esau asked his brother for some Stew. Instead of Jacob just offering him some, he asked for his birthright before giving him any food.

Would you do that to your sibling? Would you ask for their car or some money before you gave them some of your food? Jacob was taking advantage of the fact that Esau was weary and famished. However, he also knew his brother well. Maybe he had seen him give up other things for food.

Birthrights were very important in the ancient Middle East. A firstborn son generally received a double portion of his father’s inheritance. He was also the leader of the household in the absence of his father. Unfortunately, Esau agreed to give up his birthright for a bowl of stew!!

While God had chosen Esau to serve Jacob, He still had picked Esau to be the firstborn. Sadly, his appetite was more important to Esau than receiving the privileges of being a firstborn!

Similar to Esau, we have natural appetites and desires. Unless these appetites are restrained, they will take us places we never intended. They will make us give up things or people who were so valuable to us at one time, but now the “bowl of stew”  has clouded the significance of what we should have treasured.

The scripture tells us that “Esau despised his birthright (Genesis 25:34b)”. Why would anyone despise being firstborn?  Jacob’s statement was interesting:“Sell me your birthright from this day forward”. While Esau despised his position as the firstborn, Jacob must have been watching and wanting that position for a while. He had seen the privileges that Esau was enjoying while Esau didn’t value them.

I saw my brother having the privilege of a firstborn son. As the second child and being a girl, it was clear that he was privileged. However, I don’t think he always saw the value of being the firstborn as clearly as I did. At times, He may not have even enjoyed being the firstborn son because of the expectation associated with it.

As sons and daughters of God we have been given great birthrights. Do we sometimes despise our birthrights? Is there  a “bowl of stew” that may tempt us out of our birthrights?

I will share some examples in the next devotional.

Patience leads to fruitfulness

But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. Luke 8:15

Just as a farmer  has to go through different seasons before he receives the fruit of his labor, patience is also required for our process with God. Fruitfulness can take a long time, so we can’t be quick to judge ourselves. As long as we have a receptive heart towards God and are obedient, we will bear fruit.

Patience with God’s process is a necessity. This applies also when we look at other people’s fruitfulness. Just because we don’t see fruit in someone’s life, it doesn’t mean they are doing something wrong. If Joseph’s life were evaluated during those early years before he arrived at the palace, it would have been easy to draw a wrong conclusion and wonder,” What is the man doing that keeps getting him into trouble!?”.

Many of us are in need of seeing progress and improvement in our finances, our marriages, and our relationships. Every area requires patience. We can’t give up. We have to keep working on it steadily until we see fruitfulness in all areas of our lives.

Patience develops character

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

The word “perseverance” is the word “patience” in King James Version. Tribulation is designed to produce patience. As carnal human beings we are not patient people. We have our own ideas on how things should turn out, and we want them now!

The Lord gives us opportunities in life to develop patience. We cannot be people of character and not have patience! Through patience we become calmer, and more consistent. We are not emotional wrecks. Our relationships are not subject to how we feel day by day. People see a person with character continues to do a great job at work even when they didn’t get the promotion. They know that this person is kind even under pressure. This person will tell the truth even if it costs them their job.

People with character are hard to find because those with character have said “yes” to God over a long period of time and have allowed God to have His way in them. Character cannot be rushed, and it cannot have a time-table. God designs custom-made circumstances to develop patience in us. Having patience  in tough situations or around difficult people produces character. Character expands our capacity to hope in God and continue to receive to His love even under tough circumstances. These kinds of individuals are dangerous to the enemy because they stay unshakable in spite of unfavorable circumstances.

Patience brings wholeness

By your patience possess your souls. Luke 21:19

Possess (G2932) : to acquire, get, or procure a thing for one’s self, to possess, to marry a wife.

The above scripture is a powerful verse about patience. Before we knew Christ we were under the bondage of sin and corruption. We made little progress to get rid of bad habits even when we tried. Through patience, we learn to die to self and not allow the old man to have his reign in us any longer. The more we do this, the more we are reining the soul into its proper place. Our mind, emotions, and will are not running our lives any longer, but the Spirit takes its rightful rulership.

We did not own or posses our souls prior to knowing Christ. Our souls possessed us. As we grow in the Lord, our soul comes under our authority rather than running the show. One of the meanings of the word “posses” is to marry a wife. As a wife is subject to her husband, so does our soul becomes subject to our spirit man rather than rule over the spirit man. This is great progress for every one of us for we are not subject to how we feel or think at any given moment any longer; we remain stable and steady.

Lord, we thank you for the gift of patience that allows us to look more like you. Remind us of the benefits of patience when we are in a tough place and help us not to resist it but embrace it.

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

Patience is a key ingredient to our maturity with God. It’s what allows us to see the fruition of God’s process in our lives. Without it we can be like the Israelites in the desert who kept whining and complaining. They went around the mountain for forty years and didn’t get to see the Promised Land. They got frustrated with Moses and the circumstances, which led to more waiting and impatience!!

Patience puts to death the flesh. Naturally, the flesh is driven to strive and push its own agenda. A Patient person lives a surrendered life. That’s a life of peace and contentment, and it is the kind of life that the Lord desires for us live. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, and God develops it in us as we partner with Him. 

There are many benefits to patience. I will share a few with you in the next couple of devotionals.

Through patience full truth is revealed

The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecclesiastes 7:8 

When we are faced with a new challenge, the tendency is to draw quick conclusion based on limited facts. The first thing we should do is to ask the Lord, “What are you showing me through this? What will this teach me about you?” This takes the focus away from the person or the circumstance, and it helps us look to Christ!

When we are patient and willing to receive more input, over time things will become clearer. If we adamantly insist on our viewpoint, then we move into pride, and it can derail us from seeing things clearly.  People have partial truth, but the full truth belongs to God who knows all things and see all things. If we patiently wait and not try to win the argument, in time God can reveal full truth to everyone involved.  That will settle the matter much better than if we tried to force it early on. We also have the opportunity to get new revelation of who God is and His marvelous work in our lives.

If we were Haman, Job, or Joseph’s friend, what would our reaction be based on what was going on initially in their lives? Would we flatter individuals like Haman because they seemed successful for a period of time? Would we be judgmental of people like Job and Joseph because their lives seemed like a failure for a season? Patience allows time to clear things up and reveal truth; it settles the dust and takes away the confusion.

Patience can eliminate evil actions

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for you and for all. 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 

Patience allows us to turn the other cheek and not get drawn into carnality because of someone else’s evil behavior. Some people will be unruly, others discouraged, and some weak. Every one of them needs encouragement and exhortation to help them move forward in God’s purpose.  Sometimes we are the ones who are unruly, discouraged, or weak. Every person and situation has a potential for good if we are directed by the Lord and not get impatient or frustrated with each other.  When we are patient, it helps us not to react to other people’s bad behavior. We desire to pursue what is good and beneficial for everyone involved including those who mistreat us. This reveals Christ-likeness in us and glorifies the Father.

Thank you Lord for the fruit of patience. We need it desperately it in our lives!

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

Esther was finally chosen as the Queen. While her title changed, her character did not!  She could have easily thought to herself: ” I don’t need anyone’s advice anymore; others should be seeking my advise. I am the Queen, and the only one who is worthy to give me advice is the King. ” On the contrary, she remained teachable and submitted as we see in the scriptures.

And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14

When Mordecai sent her the above message,  she took Mordecai’s message very seriously. Esther knew it was time for action. This action was much weightier than anything she had ever done before. This could cost her life! In the past God had used Mordecai and Hegai to counsel her. This time though, the Lord was thrusting her into a new dimension. He was going to be her advisor. She had to rely on Him to guide her step by step through such a delicate and fragile situation!

When we truly have a teachable attitude, we don’t lose the desire to learn from others regardless of how high God takes us. We have the humility to realize that we don’t know everything. This causes us to make ourselves available to learn from whomever God places in our lives. More importantly, we learn that God’s rulership trumps anything else. We are totally and utterly dependent on Him to give us instruction to navigate through life!

Being teachable can be particularly challenging for those who are in leadership positions. Leaders generally have an answer/solution to other people’s problems. As a result, they can have a tendency to stay in a position of counseling other people but not allow themselves to receive good counsel from those who aren’t their colleagues.

As we have seen over the last few devotionals, God used variety of methods to train His people and move them in the direction of fulfilling His purpose in their lives. What is amazing about God is that His training is so custom-made that it will not match the methods He is using on our siblings, our coworkers, or even our spouse. It’s important to stay sensitive to His spirit, so we can stay on track with His specific training for our lives.

Lord thank you for your unique training methods. We desire to be shaped by the training you have for us regardless of the person or the circumstance that you use to bring it to our lives. Amen.

For comments, please email me at Karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

I have been sharing about God’s specific training methods in the lives of His people which led them into fulfilling God’s purpose in their lives. Today I will be sharing about Queen Esther.

Esther through remaining teachable

Esther grew up with her relative Mordecai who loved her as his own daughter. She was instructed and trained by this man from an early age.

So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women. Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women. Esther 2:8-9

There were many women who were at the king’s palace ready to be seen by the King, but the Bible mentions only Esther who pleased Hegai. Hegai was serving the king by following the guidelines to prepare these women for coming before the king. The other women didn’t feel the need to honor him or look up to him, but Esther did. She had the humility to treat Hegai with respect and be teachable. She even went out of her way to please him. She could have easily become proud of being at the king’s quarters and thought of herself as someone too high and mighty. However, Esther remained humble and teachable. That right attitude gained Hegai’s favor, which in turn gave her many more privileges than the other women at the palace.

Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. Esther 2:15

Esther had understood that Hegai wasn’t just the king’s servant to follow through with his assigned tasks. He was a man who knew the King well, so she listened to his advice before she went to the king. The Bible doesn’t tell us that the other women even developed any form of a relationship with Hegai.

God has blessings in store for us that come through unexpected people. Generally, these people will not be the ones that others would deem important or impressive, but they are God’s assigned person to bless us with something we couldn’t do otherwise. It’s important to view and value all people significant and be teachable before anyone.

Humility causes us to stay open and teachable. It doesn’t mean we are gullible with what is taught; it does mean that we are not too proud to receive insight and wisdom from anyone whether that’s a grocery store clerk, our housekeeper, or the Starbuck’s barista.

I will continue sharing about Esther in the next devotional.

For comments, please email me at Karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

Athletes have to go through strenuous exercise and weight training to become stronger and develop stamina for their sport. The Lord does similar training with us to prepare us for the purpose and the assignment coming ahead. We can’t shy away from tough and uncomfortable situations if we desire to fully embrace everything God has for us.

Daniel through satraps’ envy (Daniel 1-6)

“Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.” Daniel 5:12

Daniel was in the king’s quarters because Israelites were under the Persian Empire captivity; Daniel was brought to the palace to serve the king. Being at the palace wasn’t Daniel’s idea, nor was it a dream come true! On the other hand, the satraps were swarming around the king trying to secure their own positions before the king. Each had their own ideas of greatness, and they certainly did not want Daniel to be the most regarded by the king. When one has a spirit of excellence on them, only those who have the same spirit will appreciate it. On the other hand, it will make those who want to cut corners and be mediocre very uncomfortable because they don’t want to look bad!

While the satraps were trying to trap Daniel, he calmly minded his own business and stayed close to the Lord. The fact that Daniel was separated from his family, and the satraps and the governors were so jealous of his abilities must have kept him intimate with the Lord.

The closer we are to the Lord, the bolder and less fearful of man we are. Another factor that greatly helps in being bold is when individuals don’t have selfish ambition. Selfish ambition causes people to cave in to man’s opinion in order to get to their desired position/outcome. When one is free of selfish ambition like Daniel was, then there is no fear of reprisal from the king or anyone else. Daniel could be himself without fear of losing a future prospect.

The satraps manipulated the king into signing a decree for people to bring their petitions only to the king and no other. When Daniel heard this, he wasn’t planning to change his worship. Daniel was simply there out of an assignment from God. That kept things simple and clear. When the challenge came not to pray to God or go to the lion’s den, the answer was clear to Daniel. His boldness against the opposition and the man-made rules was admirable! He even kept his windows open while he was praying.

Daniel feared God more than the king or the lion. He stood for God, and God stood for Daniel! In turn the king realized that it was Daniel’s God who had protected him. What a great testimony of Daniel’s faith and His God! Daniel’s faith would have also allowed other Israelites to worship the true God without the fear of punishment.

It would have been great if the satraps were convicted by Daniel’s God when the Lord rescued him. Unfortunately, sometimes people’s hearts are so hardened that they are not willing to see the truth and be changed.  If the satraps were accepting of Daniel and the environment was comfortable relationally, Daniel may have gotten relaxed and dulled with God’s purpose. Praise God for those satraps and the kings that kept Daniel on his knees praying as he always had! This gave him a strength and boldness that none of those other relationships could have given him.

A friend of mine confessed to me one day that if her husband were everything she wanted him to be, most likely she would not be walking with the Lord today. She would have just been happy and content with an easy marriage.

How is God training you right now? Are you allowing God to sharpen you through His method? Or are you fighting your way through it by despising the people or the circumstances surrounding you?

God is so much bigger than the difficult people or circumstances we encounter. If we stay focused on Him and not on the pain, we’ll be able to see the silver lining. Someday we will appreciate how God used those tough people/situations for His glory and our good.

For comments, please email me at Karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

Some of the methods God uses on His people are hard!  Praise God that He continues to remind us of who we are and his plans for us, so we can keep going in the right direction!

David’s early life was not an easy life, but what He went through allowed him to become a man that the scripture tells us:

 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; Acts 13:36 a (NIV)

Now, that’s quite a statement being made about someone’s life!!

David through being the youngest and Saul’s insecure leadership (1 Samuel 16-31) 

David was the youngest of eight boys. The Bible tells us that when Samuel came to Jesse’s house (David’s father) to anoint one of the sons as the future king, David wasn’t even invited to the party. The other seven were all there, but David was tending the sheep. They not only didn’t think of him as the future king, but they also didn’t care  having him there for the celebration of one of the boys getting anointed as future king.

If your family is having a graduation party or a birthday party isn’t everyone in the family invited? Someone was going to be declared and anointed as the future king in Jesse’s house that day, but David wasn’t considered to join the celebration. His family didn’t value him enough to invite him to this significant occasion! Being the youngest in the family, he was doing the menial work of tending the sheep and was treated like a servant rather than a son.

One day David went to take food for his brothers at his father’s request. Three of David’s brothers were in military and worked under King Saul. They were in a battle against Philistines. When David arrived at the camp, he found that everyone including his brothers were afraid of this giant named Goliath who was intimidating the people of God. When he declared that he can fight him, his brother Eliab had some choice words for him.

Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 1 Samuel 17:28

That’s so interesting! Elaib must have forgotten that some day he was going to serve his youngest brother! For now, he chose to be as hateful as he had the power to do it! David killed Goliath against all the naysayers.

Based on David’s birth order and the way his father and brothers treated him, he could have had inferiority complex and been unsure of himself. On the contrary, his time alone as a shepherd boy had allowed him to have more time for God, to worship him, and to become a strong warrior. While his family didn’t give him encouragement or a sense of value, the Lord instilled a sense of worth that his family could not possibly provide!

After David killed Goliath, he was rewarded with Saul’s daughter. David married Michal and became King Saul’s son-in-law. Saul could have trained David to become a strong military leader given the fact that he had become part of the family. Unfortunately, Saul was so insecure that he didn’t want to see David’s success. Saul even chased David several times trying to kill him. God trained David as a warrior through being a shepherd, and He also taught David  “what not to do” by watching Saul.

When David became king, the scriptures do not mention that David ever became insecure about others taking his position. While David made his own mistakes, he was not suspicious and insecure in his leadership.

Through all those tough years, David had learned to trust God. Since David didn’t manipulate or take short cuts to become a king, he was secure with his position. He had settled the matter that man was not in control of His God-given call. He didn’t need to feel insecure about anyone taking his place.  I believe, He was the kind of man that if God said, “I’m going to give the kingdom to another man.”, he would have willingly given it over without wrestling or arguing with God.

Thank you Lord for the opportunity to grow in your ways. Thank you for the varied training grounds that sharpen us for your purpose. Amen.

For comments, please email me at Karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

What are God’s training methods in your life? The Lord has creative ways to train us in order to prepare us for His purpose. He teaches us new skills, a new attitude, and a new way of interacting with people. God uses time, circumstances, and people to sharpen us in self-control and patience.  Just when we think we have arrived spiritually, He asks us to love the difficult people unconditionally. God’s training ground can be rough, arduous, and strenuous!

God’s preparation includes “what to do” as well as “what not to do”. We can learn from other people’s wisdom, love, and patience; these individuals inspire us to do better. On the other hand, we can learn from those who cause hurt, rejection, or oppression among the sheep. Through them, God instructs us not to imitate them. Our challenge is when we are faced with these tough people, not get appalled nor get offended by the person. If we love them dearly, we’ll have a tendency to justify their actions. If we can see it for what it is, then we can learn  “what not to do”.

God used a variety of methods, people, and circumstances to prepare the Biblical characters for the work of service in His kingdom and to accomplish His purpose on the earth. I will share about some of them in the next couple of devotionals.

Ruth through Naomi’s faith- (Ruth 1-4)

Ruth became a widow at a young age who was also barren with no children from the marriage. She was a Moabite who did not know God but learned about the Lord from her mother-in-law Naomi. While Ruth had a disappointing beginning, she did not doubt Naomi’s God.

After the passing of all the men in the household, Ruth chose to go with Naomi to her homeland, and serve her mother-in-law without any expectation for her future. She wasn’t following a dream. She just loved Naomi and Naomi’s God.  She was following a woman who had been a great example of faith to her.

Ruth chose to serve her mother-in-law without the fear of sacrificing her future. She came as a servant in the field of Boaz, and she gleaned in his fields as a poor person. Ruth didn’t have much to hang on to, but she anchored her faith in Naomi’s God. The Lord in turn used her mother-in-law and Boaz to bless her with marriage, a home, and a baby. God provided for her needs and desires! Her son was the grandfather of King David.

Samuel through Eli’s flawed leadership (1 Samuel 1-16)

Hannah brought her son Samuel and dedicated  him to the temple to be trained and raised by Eli. Eli was the priest and a judge, and he knew God’s voice. On the other hand, Eli’s sons were wicked.  Over the years, while Eli and his sons were priests of the Lord, Eli had not shown leadership in correcting or restraining his sons. They committed sin and unlawful practices as a lifestyle at the temple.

Samuel was trained at an early age to hear God’s voice under Eli’s leadership. He also learned that just because Eli heard and discerned God’s voice well, it didn’t mean that he led well as a father or a priest; Eli’s household was out of order. These circumstances prepared Samuel for what was coming next. He became the messenger of a strong prophetic word that God sent to Eli about his sons!

While Samuel learned how to hear God’s voice well through Eli, he did not idolize him. When the time came that God had a message to deliver to Eli, he could have said to the Lord, “I owe my life and my ministry to this man. Could you pick someone else to deliver this word?”. On the contrary, Samuel delivered the powerful and potent message in its entirety!

Samuel learned to have a realistic view of leadership over the years. He was willing to place Saul in leadership when God asked him to do it. When Saul became rebellious, he was able to move on and anoint David as the next king.

Samuel had learned to lean on God and hear his voice well. He also had matured to the realization that whether he is under a priest or a king, every one of them is only human; respect the position but don’t revere the person! He was able to discern the good and the bad in their leadership. He stayed objective and open to God’s leading, and as a result he remained useful for God’s purpose through his years of service!

What method is God using right now to train you? Are there individuals who inspire and challenge  you with their integrity and love?  Are you frustrated or disheartened by the difficult people around you? Are you able to see the benefit of the experience even when it’s hard?

In Luke 1:26-38, the Bible tells us about the angel visiting Mary and delivering a powerful and life changing prophecy. Every part of the prophecy would have been overwhelming enough, but all the elements of this prophecy put together were truly amazing!

There are a few things that are remarkable to me. Having grown up in a Middle Eastern nation, one would rather have anything happen to them than getting humiliated and ashamed by carrying a child out of wedlock. The fear of man and the opinion of man have such a control in people’s lives that make it debilitating and paralyzing for most people. The fact that Mary didn’t bring up that concern to the angel is amazing. Additionally, she was going to be married to Joseph soon. What if he didn’t believe her? Will he break up with her? She didn’t mention that concern to the angel either.

Mary could have protested the angel’s message by saying, “By the way, we come from a poor family. We have no political, financial, or religious clout to make this boy qualified for the throne. Have you considered my cousin Elizabeth or the Chief Priest’s daughter for this assignment? We don’t have any skills or resources to raise a king. Joseph is a carpenter, and that’s about the only thing we can teach him as a career.”

Mary in simplicity of her faith believed the angel and everything the angel told her. She exclaimed, “Let it be to me according to your word.” She received the seed of life through the prophetic word right at that time. She didn’t say that she had to pray about it. She didn’t declare,” I agree only with part of the prophecy.”  She accepted the whole counsel and made herself available to the Holy Spirit to do His work on her.

I hope we can receive the word of God with simplicity of faith without trying to analyze it or understand it. Mary didn’t try to make a plan for how this prophecy was going to get fulfilled. Based on various scriptures, it is clear that the Angel continued to give counsel to Mary and Joseph in order to guide their path, keep them in unity, and protect baby Jesus.

I love the song, “Mary Did You Know” because it beautifully describes the extent of the work of Jesus. Mary could not have imagined His awesome work when she received the prophetic word and became Jesus’ mother. You can use the link below (cut and paste if needed) to listen to the song on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPsgIhlYQmM

Thank you Lord for Jesus coming and for His obedience to the cross. Thank you Lord for your word. We receive it in simplicity of faith. Give us the courage to trust you with the process.