Morning Musing: Luke 1:30-31

“And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” (ESV – Read the chapter

We often hear Mary’s story here told and think, “Wow, how amazing would it be to have God think so highly of us?” And certainly Mary has occupied a large place in the story of humanity because of what God had planned for her. But before we stop at this thought of how great it would have been to be Mary, let’s back up just a bit. Mary was surely blessed by God, but walking in her shoes would have been a bit more complicated than the neat and tidy version of the story lets on. 

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Morning Musings: Genesis 12:2

“And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

God’s blessings when we experience them are an amazing thing.  Have you known the blessing of God before?  Have you experienced the weight of His presence in a hard moment?  Have you worn the lightness of His burden when you were deep in the trenches of life?  Have you had one of those moments when everything was going right?  That must have been something like what Abram was feeling. Read the rest…