What a day! Thank You, Father, for helping me get everything for the churches’ new laptop together. We have been hobbling around with the other one for a while now. Thank You for friends, family, and my own abilities – given by You! – to accomplish the task at hand. Amen!

Luke 1:26-38 (<<click to read the passage)

There are many lessons that Scripture can teach us. Many people, who we hold in such high esteem in hindsight, were individuals just like you and me who took up God’s challenge to be more than they could be in and of themselves, but instead took God’s challenge to be who He called them to be.

Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus, was definitely one of these individuals. She is admired by many but really, nothing she did was easy.

First, let me ask, is your life a cakewalk? (OK…stop laughing!) Does everything always go as planned? As a believer are you just cruising through life without a care in the world? If you are like me – for that matter if you are like most human beings the answer to those questions is a big fat “NO!”

Just because we follow Christ doesn’t mean we are going to avoid heartache and loss. Someday that will come…but for the most part not here and now.

Again, my Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation has a wonderful paragraph in this line of thought,

“God’s favor does not automatically bring instant success or fame. His blessing on Mary, the honor of being the mother of the Messiah, would lead to much pain; her peers would ridicule her; her fiancé would come close to leaving her; her son would be rejected and murdered. But through her son would come the world’s only hope, and this is why Mary has been praised by countless generations. Her submission was part of God’s plan to bring about our salvation. If sorrow weights you down and dims your hope, think of Mary and wait patiently for God to finish working out his plan.”

There’s an old song by John W. Peterson written back in 1952 that comes to mind (We sang it frequently in my favorite church choir when I was in high school in Parsons, WV!) Its title is “It’s Not an Easy Road”.

It’s not an easy road we are trav’ling to heaven,
For many are the thorns on the way;
It’s not and easy road, but the Savior is with us,
His presence gives us joy ev’ry day.

Chorus

No, no, it’s not an easy road,
No, no, it’s not an easy road;
But Jesus walks beside me and brightens the journey,
And lightens ev’ry heavy load.

It’s not an easy road – there are trials and troubles,
And many are the dangers we meet;
But Jesus guards and keeps so that nothing can harm us,
And smooths the rugged path for our feet.

Tho I am often footsore and weary from travel,
Tho I am often bowed down with care,
A better day is coming when home in the glory
We’ll rest in perfect peace over there.

Lord Jesus, we struggle so here…and that is nothing new to You, for You struggled here, too. And most importantly, You walk with us in our struggle even yet today. May we never lose heart but may we cling to You, for Your plan is not yet fulfilled. Amen.

Oct 9th, 2019, Wed, 12:35 1:10 pm