Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Apostle Tom <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:26:22 -0600
To: <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Morning Manna (Dec. 20); BP: Lk.1:39-56; RBTTY: Rev. 11; Micah 1-3
December 20 “The Secret of Being Blessed”
“For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden—for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”
Luke 1:48
It’s not reserved for a “select few;” it’s the result of saying “Yes, Lord—let it be, let it be in my life” (v.38).
Are you “blessed,” Pilgrim?
Are you walking on the Lord’s Highway today, “so filled with His Spirit that you want to literally leap for joy” (vv.15, 44)? If not, the question, then, is “Why not??”
Somehow we’ve likened such things to religious fanatics or fringe groups, who leap over pews, get down on the floor and bark like dogs, talk in ecstatic utterances that no one can understand, etc. But, today’s Manna reminds us that such conduct is not a prerequisite—nor unmistakable evidence of—for “being blessed” by God.
The same root word (Grk. ‘makarios’) that’s used for “Blessed” in the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-11) is the same one used by Mary. And, it basically means “extremely well off, supreme happiness, etc.,” which is the essence of God’s true joy. . .for “happiness,” as the world knows it, is dependent upon our circumstances. . .but Spirit-imbued joy is dependent upon Who God is and what He has promised (Heb. 11:6; Mt. 25:21; Jn. 15:11; 16:20-24, 33; 17:13; Acts 8:6-8; 13:52; Rom. 5:11; 14:17; 15:13, 32; Gal. 5:22; James 1:2; I Pet. 1:8; Jude 24). Hallelujah!!
Isn’t this what Jesus had in mind when He said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed” (Jn. 20:29)? Likewise, isn’t that what Paul had in mind when he quoted David, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Rom. 4:8; Ps. 32:2)? And, isn’t that what the Lord Jesus had in mind when He inspired John to write, “Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors—and their works do follow them” (Rev. 14:13)?
Yes, that’s what they all in mind.
And, without a doubt, that’s exactly what Gabriel and Mary had in mind when they talked of her being “blessed among women” and “from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Lk. 1:28, 48).
Thus, dear Pilgrim, we should also want to be “blessed” in this same way—not for our own enjoyment, but for God’s glory. Our desire for this should not be men’s applause or others’ approval; neither should it be so others will remember us long after we’re gone. Instead, we should, like Mary, say “Lord, be it unto me according to Your Word” (v.38), which is really what Isaiah said that day when God asked, “Whom shall I send—and who shall go for us?” and the aged prophet said, “Here am I; send me” (Is. 8:6).
The secret of “being blessed” is simply surrender. . .“letting go and letting God”. . . saying with Jesus, “Not my will, but Thine be done,” etc. That way we’ll not have to worry if we’ve missed God’s best and lived our lives in vain. Amen and amen.
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