October 24 - Not Alone

John 19:25-27

but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. (John 19:25 ESV)

Recently a string of rather unexpected deaths have rocked several of my friends. Death is a difficult thing to deal with. Even when you have the assurance that a person was a believer it is still tough to have them suddenly out of your life. Even though it is a temporary removal.

Jesus' mother had to have been emotionally devastated by the events of Jesus' execution. She had known from before his birth that he would face the inevitable brutality, but that wouldn't have made it any easier. Thankfully there were friends around her to help her through it.

Jesus, from his cross, even appointed his youngest apostle, John, to watch over Mary. He took care of his mom. He didn't want her to face life alone. It begs a curious question that I don't really know the answer to. Where was Jesus' adopted father Joseph?

The bible doesn't really answer that question, but the point is that Jesus wanted Mary to be taken care of. Even in his final moments he was concerned for others. He didn't love his life alone, he didn't die alone, and he doesn't wish that his people would go it alone either.

July 17 - What She Could

Mark 14:3-9 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. (Mark 14:8 ESV)

As Mary anointed Jesus with the costly perfume people grumbled at the apparent waste of such an action. Jesus chastised them, declaring her sacrifice to be a beautiful and selfless act of worship. She had done what she could with what she had. It was her way of offering all that she had to God.

What does God ask from us? Better yet, what has God already done for you, or given to you, that He might be asking for you to use for His Kingdom? Mary did what she could, whatever she was able to do she did for Jesus. Furthermore, her faithful act of worship had a part to play in God's work of salvation.

What can you do? I think it's high time that we in the American Church stop showing up to sponge off of the insight and experiences of the few. God still speaks to us, He still reveals Himself to our hearts, He still challenges us to take up His cause. What are we going to do about it? When will we cross the line and stop merely being consumers?

Mary did what she could. I don't know what we can do, but I think it's time we found out.

July 16 - A Beautiful Thing

Matthew 26:6-13

But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. (Matthew 26:10 ESV)

Shortly before his murder Jesus was traveling through Bethany, the home of his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, while on his way to Jerusalem. As he enjoyed their hospitality his friend Mary anointed him with a very costly perfume. It was a beautiful, and incredibly selfless, act of worship.

I remember hearing missionaries speak on occasion as I grew up. They would often tell amazing stories of sacrifice and service. The mission field seemed a place ripe with opportunities for selfless acts of worship. In my own life it always seemed to be an incredibly easy thing to love Jesus. It wasn't until early adulthood that I was faced with a situation where worshipping and serving Christ actually cost me something.

Many people the world over are faced with great difficulty in serving Jesus. Their culture, political environment, or familial situation may make it dangerous to openly worship Christ. Still, millions around the world offer their worship to him. Like Mary at Bethany, they understand he is worth all of their sacrifice.

Jesus is worthy of all that we can give him. Our worship, our adoration, our service—all of these things bring us near to him. Extravagant worship is a beautiful thing in the eyes of God.

July 15 - Why Was?

John 12:1-8

“Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:5 ESV)

Why did you this? Why did you do that? Why did you buy whole milk? Ever had someone question your every action, motive, and method? Jesus did. He was under consistently uncommon scrutiny of a kind we would be hard pressed to fathom.

Jesus' doubters questioned him and challenged him on a regular basis. His followers questioned him. His haters demonized and bemoaned him. In large part everyone in Jesus' life had some kind of opinion they were hoping to push on him.

Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was already up to his untruthful duplicitous tricks by the time the ministry team passed back through Bethany. He was overseer of the ministry's limited and meager money supply. So when Mary lavished such a wonderful and extravagant gift on Jesus it did not set well with him. He took an opportunity to chastise Mary under pretenses of charity. Actually it was selfishness at work.

Some days I feel a little like Judas, I find myself defaulting to selfish arrogance. I wrestle with thoughts of perceived supremacy. I question God, his methods, his means, and his motives. The silly thing about all of that is that the responsibility for any problem, whether actual or conjured, lies solely with me.

It's not my right, it is not your right, to question the way that God chooses to work. "Why was it done this way?" Is really just another way of telling God, "I think Im smarter than you."

February 2 - An Obvious Place

Read: Luke 2:41-50

And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49 ESV)

Every year to celebrate the Passover Jesus travelled with his family to Jerusalem, a journey of roughly 140 miles over rough and rugged terrain. When he was twelve he went missing for a couple of days which of course upset Mary and Joseph quite a lot. Any good parent has a strong reaction to the news that their child is missing. They returned and were looking for him. Only to discover him listening and teaching in the Temple.

Have you ever lost something really important only to turn around and find it in the most obvious of places? In this story we begin to see the future of Jesus who is all about His Father's business. We also get to witness his understanding of his unique identity as both God and man. Jesus showed his divine nature in his actions at the Temple, but he also showed his human nature in his submission to Mary and Joseph.

Sometimes we spend a lot of time looking for things, whether answers or objects, and they are in the most obvious of places. Many people spend insane amounts of time, effort, and resources to achieve a peace that is offered in the most obvious of places, Jesus.

February 1 - Grow

Read: Luke 2:39-40

And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40 ESV)

When Herod the Great died Joseph returned to Nazareth with his young family. It was in Nazareth that the young boy Jesus grew into the mighty God-man we read of in the Gospels. Jesus became strong as he grew. He was filled with wisdom. But it was a process as relates to his human nature.

Growing is an essential part of all life. We start small and young and progress in age, size, and capability, or at least we should. Growing up on a farm I got to be pretty familiar with growing things. Whether it was an animal or plant, the phrase if its not growing its dying held pretty true. We should have a desire to continually grow in our relationship with God.

When we begin our personal journey with God we are like children. We may have great passion, enthusiasm, and faith, but we often lack the kind of maturity that fills us with strength and wisdom. Spending time with the Father gives us both strength and wisdom. Not so we can better manage things on our own, but so that we will trust God even more.

Jesus enjoyed the favor of God because of his growth. Yes, he was the Son of God, but he was also a man. And as he grew from boy to man he followed the Law of God, sought after the heart of God, and it produced in his human nature the strength, wisdom, and favor of God.

January 31 - Out of Egypt

Read: Hosea 11 & Matthew 2:13-25

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. (Hosea 11:1 ESV)

In 700 B.C. the prophet Hosea wrote that Jesus' family would flee to Egypt as refugees. It was a courageous and faithful act on the part of Jesus' adopted father Joseph that saved the young Messiah's life. But to further fulfill prophecy, and ultimately the mission of God for mankind, Jesus had to leave Egypt.

I really believe that along the way God sometimes directs us to places that are more like pit stops than they are destinations. We can, and should, do whatever good we can at these stops, but ultimately they are small parts of our journey. Whatever reason God has for sending us to those places, it is usually more about protecting us, helping us learn and grow, or helping someone there, than anything else. Sometimes you have to flee to your own personal Egypt to become who you are supposed to be, but you almost always have to leave it behind to step into your destiny.

Jesus didn't spend an incredibly long time in Egypt. Joseph only kept him there until the danger had passed and it was time to return to Nazareth. It would still be many years before Jesus would begin his public ministry. Sometimes God takes us from one season of preparation to another. These seasons look different, are often at different locations, and come with a plethora of diverse learning experiences. Don't be in a hurry to speed through these times. God can still use us in times of growth and learning. He will call us out of it when we're ready for the fullness of His plan.

January 30 - Into Egypt

Read: Matthew 2: 13-18

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." (Matthew 2:13 ESV)

Herod did not respond well upon learning that the wise men had tricked him. When the secret identity of the would-be king eluded him he turned up the crazy and went into full tyrant mode slaughtering an entire generation of boys. It was a horrendously evil act born of desperation, insecurity, and selfishness. Thankfully Jesus escaped unscathed because of his adopted father Joseph.

Joseph was such a courageous man. He risked incredible personal danger and disaster to protect his wife and adopted son. He obeyed commands that he didn't even fully comprehend in order to keep Mary and Jesus from harm. There is a lot to learn from the continued faithful response of a man we actually do not know a great deal about.

First of all he listened when God spoke. Whatever the means of communication used to reach Joseph, he paid attention. Some of us just have to much noise in our lives. It makes it hard to hear when God speaks. Secondly, Joseph obeyed God. Not only was he willing to listen, but he was willing to respond with faithful courage and obedience. I know sometimes I feel like God is trying to tell me something but I'm just too scared to do anything about it.

Think about it. Joseph was courageous. He not only listened to God, but he obeyed. And in his obedience he rescued Jesus from an insane tyrannical puppet king by taking him into Egypt.

January 23 - A Place for Jesus

Read: Luke 2:1-19

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7 ESV)

Jesus is often heralded as the King of Kings. In fact, it is among the titles listed for him in the Bible. The manner of his birth however, was anything but kingly. He was born to poor peasant parents from a rural village with a humble heritage. He was birthed in what probably amounted to a small cave because there was no room left for hospitality among the people of Bethlehem.

It was standard practice among the Jews to offer great hospitality to travelers. If someone came to your home needing a place to stay, eat, or rest, it was normal to provide those amenities. The problem in the birth story of Christ is that there were so many people traveling to Bethlehem to take part in a census declared by the government.

I wonder, if Jesus came to us today would we treat him this way? Would we be forced to hand him just the leftovers because we already divvied up the best parts for those we deemed more worthy, or important. Is there a place for Jesus in our lives?

January 19 - The Right Fear

Read: Proverbs 9:1-12 and Luke 1:46-56

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10 ESV)

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. (Luke 1:50 ESV)

At her incredibly young age I'm not sure that Mary completely understood the ramifications of God's plan for her life. I'm not sure she fully grasped the scope who Jesus would be, yet she fully embraced God's plan. The biblical author Luke records a word of praise she offered up to God prior to Jesus' birth. It is a beautiful song full of meaning. One of the key parts is Mary's acknowledgement of her fear of God.

Some fears are entirely irrational. They seem to come from nowhere for no reason, and produce nothing positive. They are inhibiting or deconstructive in nature. Not so with Mary, or anyone else who displays a healthy fear of God.

We usually classify fear as something that either paralyzes or goads us into action. We think of it as the condition or onset of being scared. But the kind of fear that the Bible classifies as healthy is altogether different. It is not synonymous with terror. It is more akin to reverence. Fear of The Lord does not mean to harbor an irrational terror before God. To have the fear of The Lord is to approach God through the grace of Jesus, with reverence. Reverence is a holy kind of fear. It is a rational reaction to the unfathomable majesty of God contrasted to our own meager being.

Mary demonstrated this well. Jesus, the Son of God, demonstrated it as well. It means being able to go to God in fear without being afraid.

January 18 - Blessed by Believing

Read: Luke 1:39-45

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." (Luke 1:45 ESV)

Belief is powerful. It steers people to do amazing, wonderful, and sometimes terrible things. It shapes to core of what, how, and why we think the things we think. 20th century pastor, theologian, and author A.W. Tozer in his book Knowledge of the Holy wrote, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

Mary showed the quality of her belief. There was no mere lip service or emotional hype on her part. There was complete and utter devotion to her Lord and his call on her life to be the mother of Jesus. Her cousin Elizabeth proclaimed under the power of the Holy Spirit that she was blessed for it.

Blessing may not always look like you think it will. Honestly, it probably rarely will. God doesn't rain financial prosperity and material possessions on people simply because they choose to follow him. In fact, for many he probably works to help them see the reality of a blessing apart from those things. After all, as Christians we love and worship Jesus, a homeless traveling preacher.

As a further example of great faith look to the mother of our Lord. She believed and was blessed for it.

January 17 - Let it Be

Read: Luke 1:26-38

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. (Luke 1:38 ESV)

Mary trusted God implicitly. The angel Gabriel delivered the news about God's plan and Mary embraced it. We never read about her doubts, if she had any, her fears, or her hesitations. She embraced the fullness of God's plan for her life. Using language that in the original Greek text implies slavery. In other words, she was declaring to the angel that she was submitting herself to the will of God for her life in every possible way.

That is a boldness and bravery that many of us would really struggle with. It is born out of Mary's intrinsic trust in God. She was mighty in her faith. Her hope rested in The Lord and he used her obedience to orchestrate the salvation of mankind.

What might your "let it be" look like? What do you need to approach the Father with and say those three words? Jesus himself prayed that prayer in the Garden the night of his arrest. And how can we take our actions and back up our words? Yes, we should go to God as Jesus and Mary did, saying "let it be," but shouldn't we also be demonstrating the same willingness to lay down our lives through our actions?

January 16 - Assumptions

Read: Matthew 1:18-25

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:20 ESV)

Joseph, was cast into a difficult role in life. He chose for himself a virtuous and righteous young woman to take as his bride, betrothed her, and in the intervening time between betrothal and marriage discovered that she was pregnant. He did what many of us would do in that scenario, he made some assumptions, and not wrongly so. In fact, he showed a lot of character and compassion in his reaction to those assumptions. However, God's plan was superior to Joseph's assumptions and he communicated the truth of the immaculate conception and the destiny of the child with the young carpenter in a dream.

What kind of assumptions do we make? Aren't assumptions really just another kind of pride? Aren't they based on the self-perception that we are right about an issue?

Even in his conception Christ challenged the understood assumptions of the natural order. He challenged Joseph, Mary, and their family. He challenged their communities and friends. And he has never stopped challenging the assumptions we all make on any given day.

January 15 - A Just Man

Read: Leviticus 20 & Deuteronomy 22

And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. (Matthew 1:19 ESV)

Little is known about Joseph, but formal education was rare in rural Jewish communities and most boys learned trades early in life. The Bible tells us that Joseph was a carpenter, which basically meant that he built things from wood and stone. Having been identified as a carpenter shows us that he most likely had already passed through the typical age for education and was probably beginning his career. If so, this would place him in his mid to latter teenage years, or possibly his early twenties.

Joseph was betrothed to Mary, so when she showed up pregnant this created a legal and social dilemma for the young carpenter, not to mention the emotional ramifications. Legally Joseph had the right to bring formal accusations against her that would result in her death by stoning. Instead Joseph chose to forgive her and quietly arrange for a divorce. He didn't want to marry her, probably because he was yet to believe her story, but he didn't wish for her to come to harm either.

Joseph was a just man. The man that raised Jesus is shown in this particular example to be a friend to those society is willing to reject and accuse. He had every legal right to punish Mary to the full extent of the law, but instead chose seek a quiet resolution rather than a dramatic and violent conclusion. Jesus is also just. He has every right to throw the entire weight of the Law at us, and instead he offers us his very life. Jesus was raised by a just man to become a just man.

January 14 - Responsibility

Read: Isaiah 7 and Matthew 1:18-23

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14 ESV)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:18, 22, 23 ESV)

The prophetic nature of the Bible is an incredible thing. The Old Testament is packed with scripture pointing ahead to the coming of Christ. The passage in Isaiah 7:14 was written 700 years before the birth of Jesus.

Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, was most likely a teenager. 2000 years ago it was quite common for Jewish girls to become betrothed once they were old enough to have kids. The betrothal was a lawful tradition that preceded marriage. It was similar to engagement, but had legally binding ramifications. It would typically last about a year long, as the young man would attain the young woman's commitment and then set out to build a home for them. At the completion of their home there would then be a great wedding feast, sometimes lasting a week, and they would officially be legally married at the moment of consummation. While the Bible doesn't directly state the specific age of Mary, the information provided, along with the knowledge gleaned from historical study of Jewish tradition, points to Mary being incredibly young at the time she became pregnant with Jesus. She was probably between twelve and nineteen years old.

We live in an age when people are getting married later in life and having fewer children, but in the birth story of Jesus we see that Mary and Joseph were set to be wed at an early age. One of the things that stands in such contrast to our society is how these two incredibly young people responded to the events that unfold within their lives. Tasked by God Himself to parent and care for the incarnation of the Son of God, Mary and Joseph seem well suited to the job...and they were perhaps only teenagers. Think about the teens you know. How would you feel about handing them the most important parental gig in the history of the world?

God came into history as Jesus. It was prophesied by Isaiah 700 years before it happened. Mary bore the responsibility of her eventuality remarkably well. How do we steward that which God has made us responsible for?

January 13 - Favored One

Read: Luke 1: 26-38

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. (Luke 1:30 ESV)

Mary was a poor girl from a poor family in a poor part of the world. Nazareth was a small village with only one fresh water well, a place with little in the way of sophisticated education or comfort. It is there that the angel Gabriel appeared to again announce the birth of a prophesied child. Mary, a young woman (she was probably a teenager) from an unremarkable place and family, found favor in the eyes of God.

Mary found favor with God in that she was chosen by God for God's plan to fulfill God's purposes. She was the one who would bring Jesus into the world. She was the one responsible for caring for, nurturing, teaching and loving the Messiah in his infancy and young life. She would also have to watch in horror as he was murdered by the Jews.

Sometimes favor means having things go your way. In Mary's case finding favor meant that she was launched into a life orchestrated by God in a way that brought salvation to all of mankind, including Mary herself. Mary's life might have seemed incredibly unfair had she let herself dwell on the selfish details many of us would consider important. Instead, she allowed her life to be caught up into a bigger purpose, a grander plan, and a Godly favor. Remember Mary's incredible example of faith and favor the next time you seek the favor of The Lord.