Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Do You Trust God's Story For Your Life? | Christmas | Luke 1:26-38

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to Tim Minna Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. And I'm Patrick Miller. We're in the middle of our Christmas series right now. We're exploring the stories around Jesus's birth and the prophecies pointing forward to it. The Christmas story is full of unexpected plot twists. The unpredictable and unexpected are the norm.

Starting point is 00:00:31 But we're so familiar with the story that we overlook or at least don't appreciate all the twists in turns the story takes. But if you can just slow down for a second and look at the Christmas story through fresh eyes, I think you'll agree that there are plot twists that if you and I were the author, we would have never been bold enough to include. Would I have had the Messiah born in such humble circumstances? Or would I have chosen the Savior to be born to an unmarried young girl? Jesus as the product of a scandalous pregnancy? Really? Would I have written a story in which the good news of Jesus' birth was announced to lowly shepherds and not to well-connected and influential business people. See, this is all important because there are times when we wonder,

Starting point is 00:01:15 God, why are you writing the story of my life like you are? If you've ever wondered why your story is turning out the way it is, if maybe even now, you're disappointed with the way your life is going, then the Christmas story is a great reminder that God always writes better stories than you and I do. If we would have written the Christmas story, we would have had a lot of prestigious people, a lot of powerful, smart, influential people. We would have had a story filled with heroes in which everything turned out well. Do you know how I know that? Because that's how we attempt to write our own story. We want our stories in our life to have ideal circumstances and for us to have great connections and great things happen. So we wouldn't write the Christmas story the way God wrote

Starting point is 00:02:02 it because many times we don't like the way God is writing our own story. There are a lot of plot twists in our life, plot twists that cause confusion, sometimes pain. We say, hey, this isn't supposed to be a part of my script. This isn't how my story was supposed to turn out. I was supposed to be married by now. Or I wasn't supposed to be divorced. Or I was expected to be in a better place financially. Or I wasn't still supposed to be in this city. Or I was supposed to be a person. Or I was supposed to be a parent by now, or I wasn't supposed to be taking care of my aging parent with Alzheimer's. I mean, maybe the Christmas story is full of unexpected plot twists because God knew that our lives would have their share of confusing twists and turns. So Christmas is a reminder that God can be

Starting point is 00:02:49 trusted with writing the story of your life. Mary is a woman who knows what a real life plot twist looks and feels like. She knows what it's like to be blindsided to face drama and certainty, fear and confusion. So pay attention to how she responded when her life didn't go as she planned. The angel said to her, greetings you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you. Mary was greatly troubled at these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. Now that's the normal response of a normal girl. Mary is a very ordinary girl. Even her name is ordinary. There are lots of Mary's in the New Testament, so many that it's easy to get confused. The point is there's nothing special about this girl. Luke 1, verse 30. But the angels said to her, do not be afraid,

Starting point is 00:03:36 Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you were to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end. We know this story, so it's likely we skip over the shock, the confusion, and the doubt. Mary is totally unprepared for this. She's going to have to go to Joseph to whom she's engaged and tell him she's pregnant, but she hasn't been unfaithful to him. She's going to have to tell him that an angel appeared to her and told her that she's pregnant with God's child. God's doing a miracle in her. Now, what are the odds that he's going to believe that story? Mary knew what awaited her

Starting point is 00:04:20 if she was deemed an adulterous. The most common fate of a woman in her position was to be taken to a public place. Her clothes torn to expose her in a shameful way. Her hair would be taken down. She'd be stripped of her jewelry and then left there for people to pass by, shake their heads, collect their tongue. She may be even stone to death. She knew that if she said yes to God's plan for her life, it was going to be very costly. It would mean losing her reputation, probably losing her marriage and maybe even her life. So when the angel told her that she would be the mother of Jesus, there was a lot Mary didn't understand. She didn't know how the story was going to turn. out. What she did know is that all her dreams of a normal, respectable quiet life would be gone

Starting point is 00:05:02 in an instant. That's what made her response so amazing. She said in verse 38, I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said. This isn't a passive resignation surrendering to circumstances she can't control. This is surrendering herself to a God who is in control of all the circumstances in her life, the God who is in control of all things. She is submitting to to God's authority in her life. She's laying aside her agenda, her dreams, her life, so she can say yes to God's agenda and God's will for her life. Do you pray prayers like this?

Starting point is 00:05:38 Lord, this isn't what I expected, but I'm your servant, and I surrender my will to you. Lord, this isn't how I saw my life playing out, but I am your servant and I accept your will is better than my will. That desire to be the Lord's servant and to do his will, that was the foundation of Mary's life. Whatever sense of contentment she had wouldn't be because her life was easy or pleasant

Starting point is 00:06:02 or respectable or turning out the way she wanted. That dialogue must have played over and over in Mary's head. Who am I? Well, I'm the Lord's servant. What do I want? Well, I want God's will from my life. May it be to me according to your word. Not my will, but thy will be done.

Starting point is 00:06:22 as you face the unexpected in your life, the plot twists, the turns that you didn't see coming. It's an opportunity to surrender to God. To say to him, I believe you write a better story. I can trust you with my life. I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me according to your word. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating.

Starting point is 00:06:50 that helps others find this podcast more easily. Also ask yourself who you could share this podcast with. Texting an episode to a friend or family member is a great way to help them grow spiritually. If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Do You Trust God's Story For Your Life? | Christmas | Luke 1:26-38

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