A Model Believer - Mary

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. - Luke 1:26-31

We don't hear much about Mary except around Christmas time when the story of Christ's birth is proclaimed. In fact, there's really not a whole lot said about Mary in the Bible. She's mentioned a few times, but never in great detail. Yet, from the little we read about Mary, we can find plenty of things to make her worthy of the title "Christian."

1. She lived a good life. Of all the women of all the ages, God picked Mary to be the mother of His only Son. If that doesn't speak volumes about Mary's character, I don't know what does.

2. She accepted God's will, no matter the cost. Mary didn't miss the implications of what Gabriel was saying. She could foresee what life would be like for her carrying a child that did not belong to her espoused. She knew she would be ridiculed and scorned. Her name would be on the gossip list for months. Still, in spite of this, she said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word."

3. She gave God her all. I think a lot times we think we're 100% sold out to God, but if we truly examine our lives, we'll find that we're holding something back. Mary didn't hold anything back. She gave her body to be used, her soul to magnify the Lord (vs. 46) and her spirit to rejoice in the Lord (vs. 47).

4. She praised God. Mary didn't miss the importance of what was happening. The Messiah was finally going to be born, and she was given the opportunity to play a vital role in that event. Mary goes on for ten verses talking about how wonderful God is. Please realize with me, however, that this is surely a bittersweet time for Mary. She's thrilled to know that she is carrying the Messiah, but I'm sure her thoughts are also filled with fear. Still, Mary praised.

5. She knew what God could do. One of the few other times we see Mary in the Bible is at the wedding in Cana. When the servants discovered there was no more wine for the guests, Mary knew exactly what to do. She took the problem to Jesus and left the results up to him. Oh, that we could learn to do the same!