Stewards of Life: ‘Be it unto me…’
“And the angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.’ … And Mary said,
‘… be it unto me according to thy word.’” (Luke 1:30-31,38)
Many times, young people are full of energy and dreams, ready to fly and conquer the world. I love watching them serving sacrificially with their talents and drive, but I also loath seeing others wasting away in drugs and fleeting entertainment. As we turn to lessons from some Jewish young lady, remember that you are a steward of your life; Marty Nystrom’s song ‘I am not my own’ is a good reminder. ‘So, who owns my life then, and how should I live for Him?’ In his first Chapter, Luke presents two women experiencing miracles: Mary, the much younger one, is confronted by an angel with the message of favour and an imminent child out of wedlock, while the much older retired Elizabeth is embarrassed in her old age with her very first pregnancy. Through these God was orchestrating the climax of salvation history.
In her youth, Mary surrendered to God’s will in the knowledge that she belonged to Him – ‘He owns my life’. Like today’s youth, she must have been dreaming of her wedding and many bright prospects with Joseph, and a whole happy world in front of her. Answering this specific call of God could only be with great sacrifice and humility; no wonder the Angel’s greeting started with: ‘Fear not.’ That sacrifice is worth it, and there is nothing more satisfying that walking in God’s will and purpose.
‘Counterfeit Gods’ is the title of Timothy Keller’s book that digs deep into matters of when the empty promises of love, money and power let you down. In his fourth chapter on ‘The Seduction of Success’, he visits selected life comments from pop legend Madonna and examines the life of the Syrian ‘dead man’ Naaman whose resurrection came through a ‘little suffering servant’. For Madonna, success is like a drug that gives her a sense of consequence and worth, but like the high quickly wears off and she needs a repeat dose; the driving force behind this is not joy, but fear. In the ‘success’ things people run after today, there is an initial rush of happiness that leads us to believe we have arrived, been included, been accepted, and proved ourselves. However, the satisfaction quickly fades! They are indeed counterfeit gods.
Humility is important to the healing and salvation of our world: Mary humbly accepted to be used of the Almighty God (potentially losing her planned comforts and marriage prospect). We can only receive and serve our Lord Jesus Christ when we humble ourselves as stewards of life. Are you captivated or frightened by world powers? Or by a celestial revelation? Do not be afraid; just humble yourself before God and receive His will, receive His salvation plan, receive your Saviour.
God bless you all.