Luke 1:46
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
You probably have seen the bumper stickers, “My child is an Honor Student at *** High School.†Maybe you haven’t seen the bumper sticker that says, “My child could be an Honor Student if he tried harder.†Two sloughs are hanging from a tree limb. One of them says to the other, “My parents say I am dead lazy. They are very proud of me.†What makes a parent tell with pride how their toddler flushed his diaper down the toilet? Parental pride . . . most of us are guilty.
More than parental pride is displayed in our devotional reading today. Few parents have had the impulse to cast themselves at the feet of their child to worship. Mary was in an exceptional situation. Barely pregnant she recognizes her station in life and gives honor and glory to the Lord who has given her the privilege of carrying Him in her womb. Praise wells up in her heart for the God to whom she is going to give birth as she says, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.†Truly she was blessed beyond measure.
Mary carried the baby God in her womb. We have him in our heart and lives. Our praise for Him should be just as magnanimous.
Dr. Gayle Woods
Luke 24:36-53
I could not get it. My head had begun to hurt proving that my brain was stretched beyond its normal boundary. I had carefully followed the procedure. I had worked the problem over and over. I had even tried some creative ways to come to a suitable solution. Finally my pride had to be stuffed into the hole of submission and I went to the teacher’s desk. Esther Ruth Collins was probably the smartest high school teacher I had ever known. She would be able to help me. And she did. The algebra problem was worked before my eyes with such ease and speed that I felt small, insignificant, dumb and grateful all at the same time. It was one of those, “Oh yeah, I knew that” times.
The disciples must have felt somewhat the same way. Luke says, 24:37 “But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.” KJV At that time they were not bragging about their overwhelming grasp of theological concepts. Jesus began to carefully go through it all one more time. How many times had He explained to them before? He does that for us. He confirms His love over and over. He lets us know that it is okay when we don’t understand or even remember, All we need to do is come to Him. He never gets tired of hearing, “Would you please help me with this problem?”
Dr. Gayle Woods
