As soon as the angel told the virgin Mary that she was to be pregnant and would give birth to the Messiah, she went quickly to the village of her relative, Elisabeth. Elisabeth was elderly and was thought to be barren, but the angel had told Mary that Elisabeth was 6 months pregnant. (Luke 1:36-45).
I can’t help thinking about this brave young girl who was about to be scorned because of a seemingly implausible story of being pregnant and unmarried. Think of all the overwhelming challenges that were about to confront her. Think about why she needed to be near a relative with an improbable pregnancy brought about by the miraculous intervention of the Spirit of God.
Going and spending those months with Elisabeth until the birth of John the Baptist would be a time of preparation for Mary. Elisabeth was with a faith-filled woman who similarly had tongues wagging, this time because of her old age and being pregnant.
When we enter into the will of God we have 3 choices. We can push against what God plans for us, we can become mechanical and just get pushed around like a robot or we can recognise that we are God’s servant and allow ourselves to be used by God. Both women demonstrate to us their active involvement with the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Perhaps the most wonderful thing for a spirit-filled Christian to do is to acknowledge that the Holy Spirit lives in us so that God can use us. God wants us to be like Mary and Elisabeth and actively participate in the work of the Holy Spirit.
In the recent 3 blogs we have focussed on the ‘Goodness of God’ specifically demonstrated in God’s creation of the world. Today I’m asking you to stretch your minds into believing that God’s goodness dwells in you through the Holy Spirit and to share that goodness with all people that you meet. If 2 unlikely women rose above their present awkward circumstances to bless us because they believed in the goodness of God dwelling in them, so can you!
How are you going to share that goodness for the benefit of others? How are you going to be the GIFT – to Give It Forward Today (to borrow the acronym of Ann Vaskamp in “Be the Gift’)?
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal 5:22-23 NKJV).