ESOCS Devotional 27 June 2023
MEMORY VERSE: “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:38
TEXT: LUKE 1:26-38 (KJV)
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 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:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 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.
36 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.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
In the deal of destiny, it is not all up to God, and it is not all up to man. Both God and man have participatory roles to play. This may sound heretic but let’s see how the Bible puts it.
Here is Mary who received the glad tidings from the Angel of the Lord. The Angel had given her a breakdown of what the Lord intends to do and she responds in this manner “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”
God’s dealing with man on earth is largely dependent on man’s cooperation and willingness.
Your participation in kingdom advancement is dependent on your cooperation with the agenda of God because he will not violate your will.
For someone who really wants to stay relevant in the programs of God, we must learn the act of willful submission to his will, not out of coercion. This is where our cooperation lies.
Sometimes, we desire to be in the program of God. We want to be at the forefront of the move of God within our sphere but seldom are we ready to make ourselves available to be part of God’s move. It takes our active desire and involvement.
If we must leave for the king’s pleasure and his purposes (Rev. 4:11), then we must learn to consciously submit to the will of God.
- Strive to be Kingdom principles compliant. Your relevance is tied to your submission to God’s will.
- Father Lord, help me to stay relevant for the Kingdom purpose, in Jesus name, Amen.
FURTHER READING: Deuteronomy 11:1-12; Ezekiel 38:10-end; Acts 10:17-33
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ESOCS Devotional 27 June 2023
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