The King is Here: Stewarding Favor

This last Sunday Bria taught us through the passage in Luke 1 where the angel Gabriel appears to Mary. The lesson that we learn from this story is one of identity and blessing. The angel appeared to Mary and called her highly favored before he even spoke of her calling/mission. Identity and favor come before calling and responsibility. We steward the favor of God by believing what He says about us. Blessing is a big responsibility. What we see in Mary’s story is that the promises of God will cost us something — but the cost is nothing compared to the reward. Get around people who will help you steward His promises, like Mary did with Elizabeth. When the cost seems great, praise Him. Declare the faithfulness of Him who promised. Respond to God’s promises with celebration. When we choose gratitude, fear has no room to exist. We believe that God is eradicating the fear of man in our family, so we say yes again to gratitude, celebration, and joy. We will count the cost again and again and declare that He is worth every bit of what He asks for.