Today’s Devotional Verse

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. Luke 1:39‭-‬45 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.1.39-45.KJV

Imperfect Christmas Perfect Gift

The Presence of Jesus

By Danny Saavedra

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, ‘God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.’”—Luke 1:39–45 (NLT)

There’s a great song by Bryan and Katie Torwalt with lyrics that say, “When You walk into the room, everything changes; darkness starts to tremble at the light that You bring. And when You walk into the room every heart starts burning and nothing matters more than just to sit here at Your feet and worship You.” 

Few passages in the Bible fill me with as much emotion as this area of Scripture in Luke 1. Imagine the scene with me for a moment: as soon as the angel Gabriel pronounced to Mary the amazing, miraculous, world-changing news that the long-awaited Messiah was to be born through her, she started packing up to go visit her cousin Elizabeth, whom the angel had informed Mary was also pregnant.

A few days later, she arrived and greeted her cousin, most likely with the customary “Peace be with you.” And as soon as she walked into the room, as soon as Mary’s voice reached Elizabeth’s ears, something miraculous and amazing happened: the baby in her belly “jumped for joy” in her womb. Just at the sound of Mary’s voice, the unborn John who would one day baptize the unborn Jesus, leaped within Elizabeth. Isn’t that amazing?

Regarding this, theologian Matthew Poole noted, “The motion of the child in the womb of the mother . . . is no unusual thing . . . but doubtless this motion was more than ordinary.” It’s likely that Elizabeth had felt John kicking or moving around in her womb before, but not like this, never like this. This was womb worship; it was like David in 2 Samuel 6:14 (NLT), who “danced before the Lord with all his might,” but it took place in Elizabeth’s belly! In that moment, she immediately through the Holy Spirit recognized the cause of the leaping. She knew she was in the presence of the Lord, the Son of God, the Messiah and Redeemer. 

And so, she excitedly exclaimed, “Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?” I love how the New English Translation (NET, emphasis added) of the Bible translates this verse: “And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me?”

Every time I read this exchange, I’m moved to tears. Can you imagine the feeling Elizabeth must have felt when she realized whose presence she was in, when the Holy Spirit revealed to her It’s Him, He’s here; your Savior and Lord is here in the womb of your cousin!? I’m reminded of Simeon, who, upon seeing Jesus, had the honor of holding the newborn Messiah in his arms, and said, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations” (Luke 2:30–31 NIV). 

There is a joy beyond description when we experience the presence of Jesus. There is fullness, a peace, an excitement that causes us to break out into celebration and pure, unabashed praise. Chains are broken, scales are removed, healing happens, darkness flees, and the weary find rest. There is nothing else like it in all the world! As believers, we get to live in this reality every single day. 

I pray that each and every one of us remembers this; that we never lose the wonder, awe, and joy of living every moment in the presence of the Lord through the Holy Spirit that is within us. I pray we never take His presence for granted and that we continually, daily receive a fresh filling of His Spirit. 

Just like Mary did during her pregnancy, we carry the presence of God within us everywhere we go. We carry the perfect gift of God inside us, a gift we’ve all been commissioned to share with the world around us! So, what are you doing with it? What is it like when you walk into a room? How do people react when they encounter you, when they hear your voice? Is the tangible presence of the Lord within you evident to them? Is the light of the world shining through your life or have you covered and hidden it? 

Friends, as we approach Christmas, a holiday where festive lights fill our cities, I pray that we who carry the presence of the Redeemer within us would shine Christ’s light the brightest, so “that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NIV).

Today’s Devotional Verse

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. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:30‭-‬38 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.1.30-38.KJV

Imperfect Christmas Perfect Gift

Humble Beginnings

By Danny Saavedra

“’Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus’ . . . . Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.’”—Luke 1:30–31, 38 (NLT)

Among all the great heroes of fiction, Frodo, from The Lord of the Rings, is one of the most standout characters. Why? Because unlike Hercules, Wonder Woman, Thor, or Superman, he isn’t a huge, superpowered demigod. Unlike Anakin or Luke Skywalker, he wasn’t born with extraordinary powers. Unlike Batman, he isn’t a ripped, highly-trained ninja bajillionaire with the money to make high-tech weapons and armor. Frodo was none of those things. He was just a simple hobbit from the Shire, a naïve, kind, gentle little guy. But, as Galadriel says in The Fellowship of the Ring, “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” 

Here’s the thing: What made Frodo special wasn’t his superhuman abilities, super genius, or a birthright . . . it was his willingness to step out in faith. He’s a hero among heroes because even though he knew he wasn’t equipped for this impossible task (he didn’t even know the way to Mordor), he stepped up in humility and accepted the call when it came. 

This diminutive hero embodies something so deeply biblical: God can use anyone, even the humblest, most imperfect person, to bring about the most perfect, amazing work. From the prostitute who helped the people of God enter the Promised Land, to the young shepherd boy who took down a giant, to a widow who showed incredible loyalty to her mother-in-law, to the young virgin girl from Nazareth—where some thought nothing good could come (John 1:46), whom “God blessed above all women” (Luke 1:42)—God is in the business of doing big things through the smallest, most humble of people.

So why Mary? Like Frodo, she had nothing mankind would deem as “special.” She didn’t come from a prestigious family. She wasn’t considered great among the people. But she was highly favored by God. When Gabriel told Mary she’d have a child through the Holy Spirit, her response reveals exactly why God chose her and why she was highly favored and blessed with this honor. 

In Luke 1:38 (NLT), she says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Look at the humility she displayed here! Her response to this insane, impossible, frankly terrifying news (she was a betrothed, unmarried virgin, likely between 12 and 14, when she was told she’d have a child) was “I am the Lord’s servant.” 

She knew no one would believe her, that this would likely be a scandalous and dangerous thing (Joseph could have had her publicly shamed or stoned to death for being pregnant as his betrothed, since he was not the biological father), but she trusted God. She believed in Him and His Word. She made herself available to be used by God to do His work. She knew she wasn’t equipped for the call God had given her, but she surrendered her life, will, and future into His hands, because she trusted He would be with her every step of the way.

This is all the Lord needs from us in order to accomplish wonders in our own lives and the lives of the people around us. He doesn’t need us to be highly-skilled, extremely super-qualified geniuses. He certainly uses people with amazing skills, talents, resources, and abilities just as He uses untrained fishermen, poor widows, and outcasts, but it’s not a prerequisite for Him to do His best work. Instead, God does His best work in the lives of those who are humble, available, and willing to be used. It’s not about what you can do, but what you allow Him to do in and through you. He blesses those who declare, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” 

Like Mary, we all have a part in this amazing story of redemption God is writing. We all have an amazing call to make disciples, preach the gospel, and be His witnesses. Do we have to be scholars or dynamic orators to accomplish it? No! We just need to say, “Here I am, Jesus. I’m your servant.”