Luke
1:39-56
Mary
Visits Elizabeth
The Christmas
Story
1:39
Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to
the hill country, to a city of Judah,
40 and entered the house
of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard
Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 And she cried out with
a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among
women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 "And how has it
happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would
come to me?
44 "For behold, when the
sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby
leaped in my womb for joy.
45 "And blessed is she who
believed that there would be a fulfillment of what
had been spoken to her by the Lord."
The
Magnificat
46 And Mary said: "My soul
exalts the Lord,
47 And my spirit has
rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 "For He has had regard
for the humble state of His
bondslave;
For behold, from
this time on all generations will count me blessed.
49 "For the Mighty One has
done great things for me;
And holy is His
name.
50 "AND HIS MERCY IS UPON
GENERATION AFTER GENERATION
TOWARD THOSE WHO
FEAR HIM.
51 "He has done mighty
deeds with His arm;
He has scattered
those who were proud in the thoughts of their
heart.
52 "He has brought down
rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted
those who were humble.
53 "HE HAS FILLED THE
HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS;
And sent away the
rich empty-handed.
54 "He has given help to
Israel His servant,
In remembrance of
His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our
fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever."
56 And Mary stayed with
her about three months, and then returned to her
home.
-
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to
change the way that we think, and the way that
we live.
Commentary
by Bob
Pardue
Mary &
Elizabeth
- Although she herself was
pregnant with a son she had longed for,
Elizabeth could have envied Mary, whose son
would be even greater than her own.
-
- But Elizabeth did not
feel any jealousy toward Mary. Instead, she was
filled with joy and excitement that the mother
of her Lord would visit her.
-
- Have you ever felt
jealousy or envy toward people whom God has
apparently singled out for special blessing? I
believe we all have to some extent.
-
- The good news is there is
a cure for the envy we feel. We can rejoice and
be happy for those people, realizing that God
uses his people in ways best suited to his
purpose.
-
- And, remember God is
using you and I right now for some purpose. If
you are not sure about what you are doing for
God or what He is asking of you, just say an
earnest prayer and ask God what you can do. He
will give you an assignment to help further His
kingdom.
-
- The assignment may or may
not be as glamorous or exciting as you expected
but everyone has a part in the kingdom of God.
There is no small job.
-
- Back in the 1960's a
woman janitor was sweeping the floor of the NASA
control room and, when asked how she felt
working as a janitor of NASA she replied; "I'm
not just working as a janitor and sweeping the
floor. I'm helping to send a man to the
moon!"
-
- We can learn from this
woman and do our job for God with a whole
different meaning. After all, we are not just
"sweeping the floor". We are building an empire
far greater than any on earth - The Kingdom of
God! Let's get to work!
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
go
here and take the
first
steps to salvation.
Bob
Pardue is a member of
First Baptist Church in Lancaster, SC. He is
ordained from Rich Hill Baptist in Lancaster. The
website is at http://www.makingchristknown.com
Want
to place this passage and commentary on your
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This article about the
Christmas story and the visit of Mary to Elizabeth
may be freely reprinted or distributed in its
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must remain intact and be included with
every reproduction of this report.
Bob
Verses are from New American Standard
Bible
Comments are welcome. Please email
me with any questions or comments you
may have.
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