Hey guys!
How's everything going? You about ready to jump into Luke? This is gonna be awesome! For those of you who have been quizzing for a few years, Luke is much bigger than GEPCP and a little longer than Acts. I'm not sure about how it relates exactly to any of the other years, but I do know it's one of the longest overall. With the first chapter being eighty verses in itself, it might seem a little overwhelming, But the great thing you have to remember, is that it's not eighty verses of Paul-isms (:P); It's a book of stories. And, at least for me, stories are easier to understand and remember. Periodically throughout this year, I hope to do quiet time posts on what my immediate takeaway is from the material, as we go through it. But I guess we'll just see how it goes and play it by ear :P So here we go, first chapter: In the introduction and first part of chapter one, it's made clear that both Elizabeth and Zechariah were committed to the Lord, and followed His commands. But we find out that they don't have any children because Elizabeth is barren. Now, being barren in those days took away any dignity or real purpose for women. It was shameful to not be able to bare children to carry on the family name. Because of this, Elizabeth was probably someone few people wanted to associate with, or be around. Although Elizabeth's condition was just natural, the fact that God chose her to mother the child who would have one of the most amazing ministries in Christian history, is pretty cool. It also reminds me that no matter how we see ourselves (our physical, mental, or emotional failings and flaws) God looks at our heart, and the spiritual side of us, and disregards what we find so important. The Bible says we are the righteousness of Christ, and that we were immediately sealed (Ephesians 1:13), air-tight in our spirit when we accepted Christ at the beginning of our salvation. That means that one third of us (our spirit - the other two thirds are our soul and body. The soul, as described throughout the Word, is made up of our mind intellect and emotions. The body is the physical, what we can see with our eyes. Both of these two are effected by the Spirit, but we have to intentionally allow it to do so) is the same as it will ever be. And this is what God sees; He sees us as perfect, loved children, regardless of what other people might think or say, or what we might think or say about ourselves. Also, the fact that neither of them blamed God for, or stopped serving Him because of their inability to produce offspring is pretty significant. And not only did they not stop serving him completely - they observed all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly. That doesn't happen without a lot of effort, as they were still under the old Testament Law. They were both obviously still seeking a good relationship with God, instead of doing what was easy, and hating God for not giving them children. As for Elizabeth remaining in seclusion, I'm not sure if anyone really knows why. Maybe it was her way of thanking God, or because she only wanted to be seen when she had a visable bump so people would actually believe her, or maybe it was just because she didn't have anyone to tell, since any peers would be passed by now. When Elizabeth becomes pregnant, she immediately starts praising and thanking God - she doesn't show a bitter response, as I'm sure would be very easy. A month after Elizabeth came out of seclusion, Gabriel appears to Mary. One difference in Mary and Zechariah's meetings with the angel, is that Zechariah was startled and gripped with fear, and Mary was greatly troubled at his words. Even though we know that Zechariah was righteous in the sight of God, and we don't know anything about Mary's spiritual state from this passage, I'm inclined to assume that either the angel was notably gentler with Mary, or that Mary had a deeper relationship with God to the point that God and angels (the Spiritual) were more real to her than the natural. But these are just my thoughts on this passage. I like that the angel also tells Mary about Elizabeth's pregnancy, to make a point about the power of God. "No word from God will ever fail" this is incredible - the Bible tells us over and over again about how we can trust God and His word, and when it emphisises "no word" it means that you can't just pick and choose the promises you believe, because of what you're physically seeing and experiencing. "Let God be true and every man be a liar." (Romans 3:4) I can't imagine what it must have been like to receive this word from Gabriel, but Mary responds with submission and acceptance. I think I might have had a couple more questions (like a thousand) but Mary's quiet, yet roaring faith is clearly on display as she just goes along with this life-changing news - she rolls with it. By the end of the chapter, Zechariah and Elizabeth are filled with the Holy Spirit, along with John, before he is even born. I guess my main take away from this is just to not underestemate God's power and goodness, to remember how God sees me, and that He is bigger than any and all of my problems. I can't wait for the season to start, and to really get into the rest of this book! As always, thanks for reading, guys! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory
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Trending Posts:Author:Mallory is a graduated Teen Bible Quizzer originally from the Southern region, moved to the Northwest, coaching quizzing over the book of Matthew. Check out our
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