Highly Favored

Helloeveryone.

I haven't posted anything since December.  It has been a while.  Between family, job, graduate school and youth and fimaily ministry, I am not finiding a lot of time to write.  Any way, the school year is winding for me and I am hopeful that I can find more time to post on this blog some of the things that I have been learning in my own Bible Study.  When I last posted, I was studying Exodus.  I finished that and moved onto a study of the book of Luke.  I have studied through Luke before, but I have studied through all of the Gospels now, so decided togo through Luke a second time and see what else I could learn.

In Luke 1:26-38, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and says, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."  Later, he says, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God."  So Mary is not only favored, she is highly favored.  I have been pondering what that means for Mary, because I like the idea of being hughly favored by God.  So what does it mean? and how does one accomplish this? 

I would assume that being highly favored means that someone, in this case God, is going to do you favors.  Makes sense.  I like that idea, because it seems that God can grant some pretty awesome favors.  My mind automatically goes to ward material blessing.  But that is what what I see happening for the highly favored Mary.  Instead, the only windfall I see coming Mary's way in her highly favored status is some gold, frankensence and myrhh.  She and Joseph probably used this to pay for their passage to Egypt, after Herod send out his edict to kill all the little boys.  As far I call tell Mary lived her life in poverty.  So being "highly favored", must mean something else.  What we see is that Mary was given a tremendous honor, but also a tremendous responsibility.  She was to give birth to and raise the son of God. So, it seems that being highly favored doesn't mean that God gives us things, but rather entrusts with His things.

So what made Mary so favorable to God.  We can see this in the same story.  God was asking Mary to become an unwed expectant mother.  Her explanation for her finace and family, taken at face value, was ridiculous and impossible.  She would face the possibility of being cast aside and stigmatized for doing what God wanted her to do.  But she was willing. In Luke 1:38, she responds, "I am the Lord's servant, may your word to me be fulfilled." I'm sure God knew her heart in advance and knew that she would respond this way.  I doubt He would have asked her otherwise.  So there it is.  How does one become highly favored of God, you have a heart that is willing to do whatever is asked.  Any wany, that is what I think based on the srciptures. 

Tom