“O FAVORED ONE!”

Luke 1:26-31                          (ESV)

“26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from GOD to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.

28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, “O FAVORED ONE”, the LORD is with you!"

29 But she was GREATLY TROUBLED at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, FOR YOU HAVE FOUND FAVOR with GOD.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a SON, and you shall call HIS name JESUS.”

Consider if you will, being a 13-15 year old girl who was CHOSEN BY GOD to deliver HIS SON to a world that would despise and reject HIM, and ultimately put HIM to death on a cross!  The FAITH of this young lady had to have been immeasurable, to Believe that she could be impregnated by the HOLY SPIRIT and give birth to GOD IN THE FLESH and save all of mankind.  Yet, she proclaimed in Luke 1:37 “...."Behold, I am the servant of the LORD; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.”. 

Scripture doesn’t record a lot of descriptive things about Mary, mother of JESUS. Apparently she wasn’t a “super Christian” who served on various committees doing “things” for the LORD, but she performed exactly what GOD needed her to perform without question or contradictions.  One thing that Scripture does say is that she was called by the angel of GOD “O FAVORED ONE”!  

That must have been a privilege unmatched by any other girl of her time?  To be CHOSEN by GOD to allow HIS SON to live inside of your body so that HE could minister to ALL!  But isn’t that what JESUS does in our lives?  HE said in John 17:23 “I (JESUS) in them (Believers) and YOU (GOD) in ME (JESUS), that they (Believers) may become perfectly ONE, so that the world MAY KNOW that YOU sent ME and loved them even as YOU loved ME”.  

Yes, Mary was a special lady.  But WE TOO are special because GOD CHOSE us (Ephesians 1:4) to live inside of our bodies to manifest HIMSELF to a lost and dying world.  We don’t have to be SUPER HERO CHRISTIANS.  We only have to fulfill the tasks ALMIGHTY GOD has Planned for our lives!  By doing that, we too will be known as “O FAVORED ONE “!!!