Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today is my mother’s birthday. Like Jesus’ mother, mine has gone on to glory. Still today is one of reflection, thus we’ll look at some precious moments with Mary, mother of Jesus.

Today’s scripture, Luke 2:16-19 (NLT) recalls…
[16] They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. [17] After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. [18] All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, [19] but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

Consider…
Today’s title was inspired by verse 19…
Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

My mom loved the Word of God! All forms were precious to her…

• Written
• Spoken
• Physical

She had an unbridled passion for God’s word, like the Psalmist in Psalms 19:8-10 (NLT) who testified…
[8] The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living. [9] Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. [10] They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.

Like Mary, my mom cherished everything said about Jesus, as well as God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Indeed her life’s theme song where the chorus of Minister Fred Hammond…

Father, father, father (we praise You!)
Jesus, jesus, jesus (we love You!)
Holy Spirt, Yes! We adore You! (yes we do)

The first reflection point we can learn from a reflective mother, is God wants to be loved, cherished and adored.

We know this is true because per Jesus in Mark 12:29-30 (NLT) is…
[29] …“The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. [30] And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’

I never paid attention to the shift in pronouns used here before. Rather than following ‘our’ with ‘we’ must, the Holy Spirit inspired a directed ‘you’ must. I believe that’s because God wants a personal relationship with each of us.

Romans 14:11-12 (NLT) points out…
[11] For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’” [12] Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.

I believe my mother is loving giving her personal account to God.

I imagine it sounds similar to the Apostle Paul whose death bed confession in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NLT) was…
[6] As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. [8] And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

In her soprano voice I can her singing to God…

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest.
I in my Savior am happy and bless’d,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Yeppers, like mine and Jesus’ moms, we can learn the blessing of cherishing God, and regularly reflecting on everything we’ve heard about, and from Him.

The next reflection point we learn from Mary is her clarifying conversation that ended with ‘perfect submission’.

Luke 1:26-38 (NLT) shares the familiar Christmas story…
[26] In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, [27] to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. [28] Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” [29] Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. [30] “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! [31] You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. [32] He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The LORD God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. [33] And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” [34] Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” [35] The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. [36] What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. [37] For the word of God will never fail.” [38] Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

There’s a lot tucked into Gabriel and Mary’s conversation, but the general overview is…

• Mary was told that she was chosen
• Mary was told that God was going to do the impossible
• Mary inquired how, but didn’t doubt if
• Mary trusted, accepted and submitted to God’s plan

Like Mary, God told us…

• We’re chosen…1 Peter 2:9-10 (NLT) says…[9] But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. [10] “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
• Nothing impossible for God…Matthew 19:26 (NLT) affirms…Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
• It’s okay to clatify, but we must never doubt…James 1:5-6 (NLT) instructs…[5] If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. [6] But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
• We must trust, accept and submit to His plan…Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) advises…[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. [6] Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

It’s easy to overlook the fact that when God included His conversations with others in the Bible, they were meant to help us too. The Holy Spirit is telling me to remind us that 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) declares…
[16] All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. [17] God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

So as we reflect on Mary’s prescious moments with God, let’s realize that He wants to have the same intimacy with us too.

That leads us to the next reflection point, which is the proper response to God’s personal, and personnel plan.

We read in Luke 1:46-49 (NLT)…
[46] Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. [47] How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! [48] For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. [49] For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.”

When you realize that you have been called by the Lord, it should inspire praise!

Excerpts from the Psalmist’s exhortation to properly respond to what God has done, has been selected from Psalms 107:1-2, 21-22, 43 (NLT)…
[1] Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. [2] Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
[21] Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. [22] Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.
[43] Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD.

You see like Mary, and my mom, others should know about the faithful love of our God by our testimony.

I personally could just use the Todd Galbreath’s lyrics…

Lord You are good
You’ve been so good
Lord You are good
You’ve been better than good
I can’t You praise enough
I owe You my life
Can’t praise You enough
Even If I tried
Cos You’ve been, so good
Lift your voice (’cause You’ve been so good)
Come on tell him today, You’ve been so good to me

Especially when he testifies…
So many doors (so many doors You’ve opened)
So many ways (so many ways You’ve made)
So many times (so many times You’ve healed me)
You’ve been better than good to me (You’ve been better than good to me)

Or I could echo the lyrics of L. Spenser Smith who testifies…

My life is a testimony
My life is a testimony
How your love never gave up on me
My life is a testimony

I’m still here
I’m still here
For your love never gave up on me
My life is a testimony

When I think about where I could have been
Looking back on the hows and the whens
Lord I’ll never forget
How You were my net
And You caught me again and again

Still amazed at how my days unfold
Grace is my story retold
Kept by Your love
Washed clean by Your blood
I must confess from my soul

That, I’m still here
I’m still here
For your love never gave up on me
My life is a testimony

Those are just a couple of my life’s theme songs. I encourage you to reflect on, or find a couple for yourself.

Continuing on to the next reflection point, we fast forward to the most heartbreaking moment for a mother, which is witnessing the murder of her child.

I can’t imagine the replay that went on in Mary’s mind as she saw her Son on that cross in agony for crimes He didn’t commit. No doubt her heart was broken and rebroken as she realized her baby boy was truly born to die, and she alone was there to witness both.

Perhaps that’s why the before Jesus bore our grief, He wanted to give His mother some relief. Thus why I believe John 19:25-27 (NLT) shares…
[25] Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. [26] When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” [27] And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

What’s interesting about this moment with Jesus, John the disciple whom He loved, and His beloved mother Mary is she had other sons, however they weren’t there.

I imagine Jesus remembered the heartbreak He witnessed with Martha and Mary before He raised Lazarus, and how He himself wept.

I also imagine Jesus hearkened back to Mark 14:33-34 (NLT), when…
[33] He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. [34] He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

You see, when Jesus needed someone physically there for Him, He took John. And although Peter and James were always included in Jesus’ important moments, it was only John that we hear was standing near the cross with His mother.

There’s a couple of things we can learn from this…

• God calls those who are available, and trustworthy, and where He needs them.

That makes me hear Milton Brunson’s choir singing…

[Verse 1]
You gave me my hands to reach out to man
To show him Your love and Your perfect plan
You gave me my ears, I can hear Your voice so clear
I can hear the cries of sinners
But cannot wipe away their tears

[Verse 2]
You gave me my voice to speak Your Word
To sing all Your praises, to those who never heard
But with my eyes I can see a need for more availability
I’ve seen the hearts that have been broken
So many people to be free

[Chorus]
Lord, I’m available to You
My will I give to You
I’ll do what You say to
Use me Lord to show someone the way and enable me to say
My storage is empty and I am available to You

[Verse 3]
Now I’m giving back to You all the tools You gave to me
My hands, my ears, my voice, my eyes
So You can use them as You please
I have emptied out my cup so that You can fill me up
Now I’m free, I just want to be more available to You

[Chorus]
Lord, I’m available to You
My will I give to You
I’ll do what You say to
Use me Lord to show someone the way and enable me to say
My storage is empty and I am available to You

• Second, we see that God will take care of us no matter what.

That hits play on the hymn lyrics…

Be not dismayed whate’er betide;
God will take care of you.
Beneath His wings of love abide;
God will take care of you.

Refrain:
God will take care of you,
through ev’ry day, o’er all the way.
He will take care of you;
God will take care of you.

I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful that God is knows and is concerned about me.

Like CeCe Winans sings…

God is just a prayer away
All you need to do is call
He will hear your faintest cry
He’s concerned about you

So, while your tears are flowing through
Your time of mourning
He is here to lift your heavy heart
‘Cause He’s in love with you

He knows, He cares
He sees, He’s there
And He’ll carry you
He’s concerned about you

The Bible says, Jesus entrusted His Mother that He loved to the Disciple that He loved, I believe because He knew that John would love her as he was loved by Him. After all, it’s John who transcribed Jesus’ words in John 15:12 (NLT)…
[12] This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.

I just thought about, John more than any of the other disciples emphasized the love of Jesus in his writings. Thus, it’s not a coincidence to me that he is the person Jesus chose to care for Mother while they remained on earth and He went to His Daddy’s house.

Our final reflection point is from Acts of the Apostles 1:14 (NLT) which says…
[14] They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

Notice, Mary remained faithful to her Son even after He was physically gone. Yet notice she transitioned from physical to prayerful devotion.

The last observation the Holy Spirit showed me is simply this, our physical inability to see Jesus should not preclude our prayerful ability to talk to Him constantly.

That conjured up one of my favorite memories of my mom, which was hearing passionately praying to, and praising God every morning.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) tells us to…
[16] Always be joyful. [17] Never stop praying. [18] Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

God desires an appreciative and ongoing conversation with us.

So during this Advent season of reflection of the coming Christ, let’s learn from His reflective Mother and love, cherish and adore Him our entire lifetime…just like my momma did. 🥰

Today’s song is…
Mary’s Song

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)