RESPONDING TO THE BUMPS IN OUR PATHS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered.
“May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
(Luke 1:38)

MEDITATION:
All of us would like for life to be as smooth as possible with no ‘bumps in the road’.
We know how it feels when we are driving along thinking about
any number of things and suddenly we hit a pothole in the road.
Not only does it rattle our teeth, but our thinking shifts to things like,
“I wonder if I’ll have to get a realignment?”, or “Did I bend the rim on my tire?”

At any rate, ‘bumps’ of any kind can disrupt our lives.
We need to remember that sometimes these ‘bumps’ are designed by God.
Whenever His ‘bumps’ happen, we have a choice to make.
Do we continue to follow God during those times,
or do we let problems take our focus off the Lord?
Unfortunately those with little faith can be lured away from the Lord (and
sometimes they are lured away by selfish desires even when there are no ‘bumps’).

Mary experienced one of these ‘bumps’ designed by God.
She was faced with an unexpected pregnancy.
However, this was an unusual pregnancy
because there was no earthly father and she was a virgin!

Imagine how you would feel in her situation.
As an unmarried virgin, she was asked to have a baby.
Of course this meant she would be the target of ridicule and few (if any)
would ‘buy her story’ that she was pregnant ‘by the Holy Spirit’.

The truth is, her story was too unimaginable for anyone to believe.
In Matthew’s account, it is noted that Joseph even considered divorcing her.
Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law,
and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace,
he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
(Matthew 1:19)

For Mary to follow God, it meant a new life of shame and uncertainty.
Mary, however responded in a remarkable way – She said to the angel,
“May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)
Through her reply, we can see her real character and her dedication to God.
She was prepared to endure any doubt and ridicule to obey God.
God’s work was more important to her than her reputation.

ACTION:
When we are sincerely dedicated to following God’s Will, we may
experience times when we are taken down rough roads…with “bumps”.
Of course the temptation will be to find an easier path.
However, the best road to travel is always the one of God’s choosing.

Are you on the right path for doing God’s will?
Remember how Mary responded – she surrendered to God’s plan for her life.
She set the example for those with faith to follow.
We can see in the scriptures how she was abundantly blessed
as a result of putting God’s Will ahead of her own selfish will.

God wants to bless us all, but we have to show Him
that we are sincere in our dedication and obedience to Him.
How is your worship life?
Do you only worship the Lord when it is convenient
and doesn’t interfere with the things you want to do?

It doesn’t mean that the things we want to do are bad,
but they are our chosen substitutes for worshiping the Lord.
Does worshiping the Lord take priority over your selfish desires
to do what you want to do, when you want to do them?

Recent (2010) statistics reveal that only 17% of professing Christians attend
worship services on a regular basis (of course that means that 83% do not).
Which percentage group are you in?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for any wrong responses whenever I
have experienced bumps in the road of my life. Remind me of how
Mary responded to the challenges she faced, and give me confidence
that I can be bold and faithful whenever I am challenged. Help me to
consider how I can benefit from these ‘bumps’, rather than allowing
them to control me and cause me to make bad decisions.”

blog: UTVOLWOODY.WORDPRESS.COM