1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. Well, you're so happy to 3 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:18,280 Speaker 2: have you listening. I'm Michelle Zeric. Today's topic is highly 4 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 2: fevered by God. We'll be back after a work from 5 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 2: our sponsor. Highly Favored by God. Written and read by 6 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,959 Speaker 2: Michelle S. Lazuric. I'm the Lord's servant, Mary answered. May 7 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,279 Speaker 2: a word to me be fulfilled Luke one for thirty eight. 8 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:48,520 Speaker 2: Several years ago, my husband felt a calling to plant 9 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 2: a church. It gave to me one day and talked 10 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 2: to me about the change, as we were already passoring 11 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 2: a church at a great distance from where we had 12 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 2: originally grown up. My husband shared that he'd had a 13 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 2: vision of a different kind of church and phil God 14 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 2: was calling him to plant one. Honestly, I didn't sense 15 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 2: the same calling, but I trusted him and in submission, 16 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 2: followed him and his endeavors. After five years, the church 17 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 2: clues due to financial constraints in declining attendance. I was 18 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 2: locting on that time in our lives. It would be 19 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:20,399 Speaker 2: easy for me to blame my husband and say he 20 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,759 Speaker 2: didn't hear God Correctly. I could even say that because 21 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 2: he didn't sense his calling, I should have stopped it. 22 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 2: There is a saying. God doesn't call the qualified, He 23 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 2: qualifies the called. The Lord honors our obedience to do 24 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 2: whatever we feel God may be calling us to do, 25 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 2: although it's not always easy to hear what the Lord 26 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 2: is saying and to discern whether our calling is our 27 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 2: thoughts or God's. God honors our hearts when we choose 28 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 2: to give up many things to fulfill his purpose. Mary's 29 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 2: response to the angel's visitation is one we should all emulate. 30 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 2: It's interesting to note that Mary's first troubled by the 31 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 2: angel's words because God highly favored her. However, once the 32 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 2: Angel explained to her exactly what that might mean, her 33 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 2: response above demonstrates that even amidst difficulty, peril, and public humiliation, 34 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 2: she was willing to fulfill God's call. And like many 35 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 2: people in the Bible, Mary never flinched at the obedience 36 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 2: God was calling her to. She, like Jesus, considered herself 37 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 2: a servant of God. She was willing to do whatever 38 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 2: he wanted, whenever he wanted. Think about your life. What 39 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,519 Speaker 2: is your response when God calls you to do something? 40 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 2: Do you immediately ignore it, leaving in it only your 41 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 2: thoughts rather than God's thoughts. Analyze the difference in your 42 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 2: response between something easy that God calls you to versus 43 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 2: something more difficult that God calls you to. Do you 44 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,080 Speaker 2: find you respond more readily to something that doesn't cost 45 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 2: you a significant comfort, time, money, or resources. Barry said 46 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 2: yes to God regardless of the high cost. Being a 47 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 2: young girl, she knew she would be subjected to public ridicule, humiliation, rumors, 48 00:02:55,840 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 2: and false accusations regarding the father of that baby. She 49 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 2: also risked losing Joseph, her betrothed. In her human nature, 50 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 2: part of her must have worried about Joseph's response when 51 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 2: he heard of her news. Would he believe her? Would 52 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 2: he think, like so many others, that she'd had relations 53 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,919 Speaker 2: with a man other than him. Though the Angel of 54 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 2: the Lord protected her from the misery they would come 55 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 2: from a divorce, she chose to forsake personal comfort for 56 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 2: the sake of serving the Lord. She considered herself a 57 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 2: lowly servant, ready to serve God. In a moment's notice. 58 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 2: If God asked you to do something great for him, 59 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 2: what would you do? Would you sell your home, move 60 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 2: to a new location, or give up all your luxuries 61 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 2: and comforts just to serve God. Analyze your heart as 62 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 2: you read these words. What emotions did the above words 63 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 2: evoke for you? Do you feel excited to deserve the 64 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 2: Lord or do you feel a sense of dread, anxiety, 65 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 2: or anger? Wherey was ready to serve God in a 66 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 2: moment's notice, she chose to accept a calling that cost 67 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 2: her dearly in this life, but in the end would 68 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 2: make her known as the mother of Jesus. For iterations 69 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 2: to come, Mary, once a lowly servant girl, was elevated 70 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 2: to the position of the mother of God's son, all 71 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 2: by saying yes to God. She wouldn't have it any 72 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 2: other way, would you? 73 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: Father? 74 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 2: Let us be people who accept God's calling, even if 75 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 2: it comes at a high cost. Let us consider our 76 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:23,799 Speaker 2: self servants who, upon God highly favoring us, are willing 77 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 2: to serve Him at any cost. Let us forsake our 78 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 2: own comforts, luxuries, money, time, and resources to further the Gospel. 79 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:34,919 Speaker 2: Let us accept God's calling even if we don't fully 80 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 2: understand what costs will come to us as we do 81 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 2: Amen interslecting faith in life? Has God ever called you 82 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 2: to something great for him? What was your response? Further 83 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 2: reading Luke two verses, thirty nine to forty five. 84 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: The Crosswalk Devotional is a production of Life Audio and 85 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: Salem Media. If you liked what you heard today, please 86 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: take a second to rate and review this podcast in 87 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 1: your favorite podcast app so that more listeners like you 88 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: can find the show. For more faith filled inspirational podcasts, 89 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: visit us at lifeaudio dot com.