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Day 56 Luke 1:26 In the sixth month God sent the angel Gabriel to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 When she saw him, she was troubled at what he said and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and will call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom, there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I do not know a man?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who will be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. How would you react to a stranger who came to you and told you to be happy and celebrate because you were special to a prominent person who wanted to give you something significant? Would you tell the person to leave, laugh at him, call the police, or tell the person to leave and take his wares somewhere else? God sent the angel Gabriel to Zacharias with a message he didn’t believe, and he became mute until the birth of his son. Now, God sent Gabriel to Mary with another message, the most important message in history, she would be the mother of the Son of God. Therefore, his greeting began with ‘rejoice’ and told her God blessed her alone among all women. Instead of doubting as Zacharias did, she questioned him and agreed to what God intended for her. Every virgin knew that one day, God would bless a special virgin with the birth of the Messiah. Isaiah foretold the event several hundred years before. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin will conceive and bear a Son and will call His name Immanuel. Mary accepted what Gabriel told her and then he told her about her cousin Elizabeth who would also have a child, saying nothing was impossible with God. As Christians, you know the significance of Mary’s obedience to Gabriel’s message. Christians everywhere celebrate her obedience every Christmas when they celebrate Jesus’ birth. It all began when an angel appeared to a young woman who accepted what he told her. Have you considered you are highly favored and blessed by God? No, you won’t give birth to the Messiah, that honor was given already. However, consider all the things that have happened to you since you accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord. God blesses you every day in ways only He can and favors you because you are His child. You are significant to God. You are His child just as Jesus is His child. Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (NKJV) Therefore, you should bless and praise God every day for the many blessings He gives you. Mary wasn’t the only person He found favor with. He favors you every day. However, Mary is the only virgin He favored to carry His child, the Savior of the world. He gave her a special blessing and because she accepted His blessing, you rejoice and celebrate her acceptance not only at Christmas but every day of the year. Let’s pray: Father, thank you for blessing me and showing me favor as You blessed Mary and showed her favor. Let me rejoice and praise You for the many blessings You give me every day. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 8 September 2023 by Valerie Routhieaux The image belongs to me.