“…you shall call His name Jesus,
for He will save His people from their sins.”—Matthew 1:21
A label is a description that
identifies who or what something is, and it can also include information about
the person or item being identified. To “redefine”
means to make something different, and when we refer to a person, we
are basically saying “to start over.” This means we are not to be defined
by are present circumstances, past deeds or past associations.
The lineage of Christ, in Matthew
chapter 1, includes a list of five women, who were defined by their society;
but, God redefined that label, and they had an important part in the history of
the world. Today, let’s look at two of
them, Bathsheba and the mother of Jesus, Mary.
“And
Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been
the wife of Uriah” (Matthew 1:6). Bathsheba is the woman identified in this
scripture, and we find the rest of the story in 2 Samuel 11-12. King David saw Bathsheba bathing and decided
that he wanted to have sex with her.
Although he knew that she was married and that her husband served him in
his army, he still had sex with her. As
a result, she became pregnant and told King David. To cover up his sin, David sent for her
husband to come home. His intent was for
Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, to sleep with her; however, Uriah, was very
committed to his position and cause of the army, so he did not go to see his
wife. As a reward, David sent him to the
front lines of the army where he would be killed when the opposing army
attacked. Uriah, was killed and
Bathsheba was “labeled” as a widow.
This beautiful young woman was forced, compelled to do something that
she never wanted to do and suffered the heartache of conceiving a child by adultery,
and then the child dying. Have you ever
felt compelled to do something that you never wanted to do? People can be drugged into decisions that are
really of their own making all over the world.
God redefined who she was and place her in the divine flow of the lineage
of Christ, and God can redefine you too.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, had the
label of a “contracted” woman. Her
marriage was one of an arranged contract.
Whether it was between her father, or brother, or another relative, we
do not know; but we do know that the contract was based on her virginity. She was defined as a virgin and betrothed. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as
follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came
together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Now, her label included adulterous. God knew all these things when He chose her to
be the mother of our Lord. Mary, a young
woman, between the ages of 12-15, chose to say, “Yes,” to God’s plan for her life.
She did not know what it meant when the angel told her how she would
conceive, “And the angel answered and
said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest
will overshadow you…” (Luke 1:35). She
probably felt overwhelmed. Have you ever
felt overwhelmed with the plan of God?
Some REDEFINING principles
that we can learn from Mary are:
- Have a heart of commitment. Mary’s heart was committed, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word...” (Luke 1:38).
- Understand that God does not mess up your life.
- Let it happen. Mary did not try to make it happen. We get into trouble every time we try to help God out. Let Him bring His plans to pass.
God
knows every detail of His plan for your life.
“Now
the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed
to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy
Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her
a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought
about these things, behold, and angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife,
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring
forth a Son, and you shall call His name, Jesus, for He will save His people
from their sins” (Matthew 1:18-21).
God gave to Joseph the details of
His plan. He gave the gender, the name
and the purpose. God’s plan always has a purpose and His purpose is always bigger than
YOU.
Today, pull off the labels that
society has placed upon you. Is it divorcee,
widower, prostitute, adulterer, liar, deceiver, show-off, gossiper,
fault-finder, home-less, bum, addict, or another? Step-by-step cultivate the “Mary” attitude. We are the MARY’S which are being REDEFINED and bringing forth salvation.
The very action of salvation is a “REDEFINING”
of who we once were. We have gone
from LOST—to SAVED; VICTIMS—to VICTORIOUS; OLD—to NEW CREATIONS; HOPELESS—to having
a SURE HOPE; FEAR—to FAITH. Our
salvation experience is continually redefining
who we are, as we accept the new definition that Christ reveals to us, by our understand
more-and-more of who we are in Him.
Prayer—Father
I thank you removing the labels that I have allowed society to place upon
me. I ask you for courage and strength to
bring to bear your plan for my plan.
Help me to see myself more clearing as You see me, in Jesus Name. Amen.
