December 12, 2013 - "RSVP"

Good morning and happy Thursday. I cannot believe how fast the days are coming and going and that Christmas is really here. I get up every morning and plug-in the lights on my tree. I have since I was a child. There is something magical and romantic about drinking coffee beside the Christmas tree. Just being a girl here, I know. :) We spoke from Mary's story yesterday, and I'd like to examine some of the stories intertwined with hers if I may. It always amazes me that people read the stories of the Bible and smile like, "good story, but not real." Seriously? One of the things I love most about the Bible is I KNOW the stories are real and they speak to me in places where MY real issues need to know there's hope. Reading the stories and seeing how God interacts with His creation stirs something deep within me. Mary was chosen of God for a very special purpose. But so are you! We are simply ordinary people allowing God to bring HIS STORY to a world that needs hope through us. Very humbling! Can you hear the cry of my heart concerning this? The Bible says in Ephesians 1:18: "My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people." I understand that just because God chose us, that doesn't mean we have no responsibility. Our love relationship with God is the cornerstone through which obedience occurs. The more we LOVE and OBEY God, the closer and tighter our relationship. The tighter our relationship with God, the more we want to obey. This cycle has been displayed throughout the pages of the Bible clearly and is still being worked into the fabric of our lives daily. Somebody say, "amen!" So Mary found herself overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and immediately goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who is carrying a child we will later come to know as John the Baptist. Strange little guy who eats funny food and wears strange clothing, but also chosen for a specific task - to baptize our Savior. WOW - here's Mary carrying Jesus and Elizabeth, a relative, also giving birth to a special baby. The gospel of Luke records that Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah were descendants of Aaron - a priestly order of people - and were both upright in the sight of God because they observed all the Lord's commands and regulations blamelessly. You remember the story of Zechariah being silenced for the duration of Elizabeth's pregnancy because he doubted and yet Elizabeth responds so differently to the same revelation. Her response, "The Lord has done this for me - he has shown His favor and removed my disgrace." Same blessing - two responses - two different results. YES? Isn't it interesting that Gabriel ALSO says of Mary, "You who are highly favored - the Lord is with you." Wouldn't you love to know that God was pronouncing that over you today? I smile even as I type. God is working around us constantly. I wonder what our response to Him indicates? I wonder if we even realize that God is working in our lives especially when the variables seem too impossible? Gabriel reminds Mary, "Nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37) My prayer for each of us today is to look carefully at all the things God is doing daily in our lives and respond well. Being healthy is a positive response to God's help in my fight for freedom from obesity. So is your health. Keep responding out of FAITH and not FEAR. PK PS - no blog in the morning as I will be out of town with limited pockets of internet service. Let's chat again on Monday.