+DEV+ Message of Mercy

Date: December 3, 2013 11:49 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Message of Mercy

Message of Mercy

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant His mercy extends to those who fear Him."  (Luke 1:46, 50)

Scripture Focus: Luke 1:39-56; Ephesians 2:1-10

Mary was still newly pregnant when she left Nazareth to stay with her elderly cousin, Elizabeth, who was now well along in her pregnancy with John. As Mary walked through the door, the message of the Messiah's arrival reached through Elizabeth's womb, touching the ears of her unborn child, and he leaped inside her. In response, Mary sang the Spirit-written song we call The Magnificat.

One line is a message to all of us who recognize the depth of our sin: "His mercy extends to those who fear him." This was a lesson Elizabeth, her husband Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph were all learning. Fear of God is healthy, and obedience mandatory, but even our obedience doesn't remove the heaviness of our guilt. It will still crush us, except for God's mercy.

How amazing that God's love, through Jesus, would lift the burden of our sin and carry it for us, alleviating its terrible consequences. May our hearts also soar at the message of the Messiah's arrival just as the baby leapt in Elizabeth's womb!

Insight: Jesus is the evidence of God's mercy. "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy." (Titus 3:5)


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