Leadership Lesson from the Biblical Historical Account of Christmas

 

Daily Reading:  Luke 1:26 – 38

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.

                                             Luke 1:38

We can learn a great deal from Mary, especially when we hold up her response to the angel in contrast to that of her uncle Zacharias’ response.  Uncle Zacharias was a good man.  He was doing all the right things by outward appearances despite Roman rule, despite ungodly Jewish leadership, despite God’s silence, and despite not having a son for which he had prayed. He and Elizabeth walked blameless before God.  To walk blameless at that time meant they kept the Law of Moses and when they found themselves having broken God’s law they offered the proper sacrifice in the Temple so they would once again be found blameless before God.

Despite their obedience to God’s commands, Zacharias’ response demonstrates a lack of faith.  When face to face with the angel Gabriel, he asks for proof that his wife would bear a son.  He is struck dumb (unable to speak) because of his lack of faith (Luke 1:18 – 20).  What was it that led him to this lack of faith? We do not know. Maybe it was the 400 years of silence, or the wickedness of the culture, or the ungodly religious leadership, or the lack of an answer to a lifelong prayer for a son; a prayer that may have been abandoned in his old age.

Mary, on the other hand, had a very different response to Gabriel’s words.  She did not lack faith.  She did not ask for a sign or for proof.  Her faith gave her a genuine curiosity for God and His will.  She simply wanted to know how the promise was going to happen. She understood that she was the handmaid (obedient submissive servant) of the Lord and that with God nothing shall be impossible.

At any age, it can be easy to go through the motions of our faith without seeing what God is doing in our life at every moment. We can fill our time with church attendance, church activities, and even reading our Bible and praying.  Yet those worthwhile activities can become nothing more than religion.  May your faith give you a genuine hunger and curiosity for God and His will.