Be Courageous this Christmas!

In Devotional by Andy Comer


"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 name Him Jesus."  Luke 1:30-31

I wonder what was going through Mary's mind as she heard this glorious announcement from the angel Gabriel? I imagine she was flooded with many emotions as she tried to grasp the magnificence of what had just taken place.

Perhaps, among her emotions of excitement and joy there was a very real presence of fear. After all, the angel did say, "Do not be afraid." This news would have put Mary in a precarious situation.

  •  She was a virgin. What would people say?
  •  She was engaged. What would Joseph do?

Yet we quickly see that Mary was not left alone.  Not even for a second. The Lord, in His infinite love, expresses to her the depth of his mercy and grace.  "For you have found favor with God."

Wow!  What an incredible gift to know God was smiling upon her. Mary could live out God's will for her life because God would be present with her.

Let me encourage you today to live courageously. Courage is the decision to live out God's will for your life. That's it! Courage is not being the strongest, smartest, fastest, or most talented.  It's simply knowing what God is calling you to do, and then living out that calling in faith.

That's what Mary did.  She courageously lived out God's calling on her life by conceiving and giving birth to the Savior of the world.

What is God calling you to do?  If He is calling you to move half way around the world or is He's calling you to walk across the street? Either way, be courageous! Do not fear. As a child of God, who has been saved by grace, you have found favor with God.

Be courageous this Christmas!