This is the time of year when finite minds strain under the weight of God’s glory to understand in part what the Incarnation means. God becomes man! How can it be?

Max Lucado helps us to get a tiny glimpse into the magnitude of Christ’s humble obedience as he left heaven’s glory and entered our broken humanity:

“The omnipotent, in one instant, made himself breakable. He who had been spirit became pierceable. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. And he who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl. God as a fetus. Holiness sleeping in a womb. The creator of life being created. God was given eyebrows, elbows, two kidneys, and a spleen. He stretched against the walls and floated in the amniotic fluids of his mother” (Lucado, God Came Near, 25-6).

While the humility of Jesus is without comparison, we mustn’t overlook the radical obedience of a terrified teenage girl named, Mary. After a visit from the angel, Gabriel, in which she is informed of God’s plans for her to carry and deliver the Son of God, Mary responds with radical obedience and humility:

Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. (Luke 1:38, Amp)

Her acquiescence to this mind-boggling request serves as tangible proof of her faith and love for God. Jesus said, “If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands.” ( John 14:15, Amp) Faith and love are always proved by simple obedience to God’s Word.

Mary reminds us of the power of simple devotion to God to help bring about His kingdom purposes in the earth. May we, in a small way, exemplify the same humble obedience to Christ during this amazing Christmas season!

With the acknowledgement of God comes both the cry for direction and the duty to obey. In other words, God’s communication to us comes in the form of His revealed will. What God says is true. It defines reality. It explains the meaning of our existence.

That’s why the psalmist cries, “Don’t hide your commandments from me!”

You see, the commands of God are not like a ball and chain around our ankles or a noose around our necks. They are life-giving guidelines. They provide meaning and direction in a world that would otherwise be gripped by alienation and meaninglessness.

Listen to the humble heart of this man as he reveals the proper approach to hearing God’s voice:

With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! (119:10)

Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. (119:35)

And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love. (119:47)

Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. (119:73)

As you pursue God’s will in the various decisions facing you right now, consider the following principles from our lesson:

1. Acknowledge the Greatness of God! Meditate upon His role as Creator, Redeemer and King of the Universe.

2. Humbly recognize your place as a stranger on this planet. Confess your desperate need for God’s wisdom.

3. Find the wisdom of God by immersing yourself in God’s Word. Delight in the commandments of God!

4. Finally, obey what He has commanded. As we obey God, He will continue to be a “light unto our path.”

I was recently with Pastor Keith Tucci, the Pastor of Living Hope Church in Ligonier, PA and part of the Network of Related Pastors, a group to which I belong. He shared a powerful message from Hebrews 7:1-10. I was especially impacted by verses 9 and 10 which read:

“Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizadek met him.”

Here’s the short version. Levi wasn’t born for another four hundred years or so, yet, from God’s viewpoint, he was present in the loins of his spiritual father Abraham. Abraham’s powerful act of obedience was still bringing God’s blessing to those four hundred years down stream!

Pastor Keith admonished: “Don’t discount your outrageous acts of obedience!”

What you and I do today has an impact on our seed. A heroic act of radical obedience can bring the Lord’s blessing on your great, great, grandchildren! SELAH – pause and let that sink in. The opposite is also true. Our outrageous acts of disobedience have devastating impact on the destiny of our descendants.

The bottom line is this - our choices matter. Let’s CHOOSE LIFE today! Be radically obedient to God. Your great grandkids will thank you.

PS – Pastor Keith Tucci will be ministering at Living Stones Crown Point on Sunday, March 14 for both the 8 & 11 o’clock services and at our Men’ s Network Meeting on Monday, March 15 @ 7pm. Mark your calendars!