God needed a vessel — one He FAVORED above ALL women to be the Mother of Jesus. \u201cThe angel came to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored!….\u201d (Luke 1:28) God chose Mary to be the First Lady of our faith. She was found faithful. She was the first to believe in Jesus as her Savior and Lord while she still carried Him in her womb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, Mary was highly favored, but it still meant she was almost put away by her \u201cbetrothed\u201d Joseph. She was highly favored but, still, she had to give birth to her son on a dirt, hay-strown floor of a barn. Yes, she was highly favored, but in the middle of the night had to leave all she knew and move to a strange town because God said so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doesn\u2019t that make us NOT desire to be highly favored? Who wants to be ridiculed, suspected, and subjected to pain and to live a life of wondering \u201cGod, why did you choose me for this task?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, here\u2019s the thing. Favor never looks like favor at first. Favor sometimes means going through frustration, failure, and fear. Favor might be in a place where no one sees us or even cares about us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wish we knew the back story of Mary’s life. Why was she chosen for that ominous task? God knows and I know that He wants to favor you and me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obviously, being highly favored means, we (women AND men), must meet some conditions. If we want to experience all of the best God has for us in this life, then we must be willing to do it His way. Maybe Mary was living out Joshua 1:8 in her life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKeep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.\u201d (Joseph 1:8)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps at her young age, Mary was meditating and living out what the Book of the Law was saying. I know that the \u201cprosperous\u201d part was realized when the kings (aka magi) brought their treasures (worth much) to the Holy Family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What does \u201chighly favored\u201d mean for us? This I know \u2013 it isn\u2019t because of material things like food, clothing, money, and the grandest tangible things we can own. Yes, those things are important, but it is the blessings that aren\u2019t always seen that are the most important…and the ones that matter most. How important is peace, joy, hope, and confidence in a God who will never leave us or forsake us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we grab hold of these spiritual blessings, we truly begin to experience God\u2019s favor that shines regardless of the situations we are facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be blessed and highly favored like Mary — the mother and \u201cchosen one\u201d for Jesus, doesn\u2019t discount the fact that if we are in Christ \u2013 we are chosen and blessed, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s desire is to shower us with grace and favor. But, that means we walk in agreement with the conditions of His promises. And when we do \u2013 we better believe God will bless us with His abundant favor and blessings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you, Lord, for favoring us with YOU!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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