Daily Word
A word of encouragement for your day.
WHAT A PRIVILEGE – WHAT A RESPONSIBILITY!
"“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God.”"
“Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.”
(1 Peter 3:15)
What an incredible privilege for a young woman to become the mother of God’s holy Son—and what an incredible responsibility to care for, protect, and raise Him until He had become a mature man to fulfil the most important mission a person on this earth has ever had or will have!
When Mary later meets Elizabeth, her child John leaps within her, she is filled with the Holy Spirit, and exclaims, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
Mary herself bursts into a song of praise to God for the wonderful thing that happened to her, saying: “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name.”
But do you realize that the same and actually something much greater has happened to you?
The same Jesus who was conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit has been formed in your heart by the same Spirit through the miracle of the new birth, not to stay there for a few months, as in Mary, but forever: to become your fundamental and real life, your deepest identity and reality.
Mary was given the immense responsibility to care for and protect this unique child – but you have an even greater responsibility: “to sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart.”
What does that mean?
Christ is to grow in you until He imprints your whole life and can live His wonderful life and perform
His mighty works in and through you just as He did when He walked this earth.
You must therefore ensure that He receives all the nourishment He needs and that nothing you think, feel, say or do defiles and harms Him and that no evil influences in your environment are allowed to penetrate and harm Him.
How are you to fulfil this immense responsibility?
First of all, you need to understand that your life is no longer about yourself. You have been given a completely new centre of life and everything in your life is now about Jesus Christ.
Then you need to learn to always consistently obey the Holy Spirit. He is the lover of Jesus above all others and He jealously watches over you so that no one and nothing takes His place in your life and that nothing prevents Him from growing and becoming visible in your daily life.
What a privilege and what a responsibility you have been given!