And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Luke 1:46–49, ESV)
The Magnificat! Mary’s song! It is a song of joy! She rejoices at God’s favor. At the same time, she is flabbergasted that God would choose her. What is it that made her so special?
That is the way that God works. He tends to choose those who are overlooked. He does not choose the fastest, smartest, or most qualified. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, and Gideon are all examples of unlikely candidates God choose for big things. Then there is Mary. She was a teenager, born into poverty who was chosen to bear the Christ child.
I am a driven type person. Maybe you can relate. I strive to achieve. I want to be a good husband, father, pastor, and blogger. I tend to be a perfectionist of sorts. I am rarely satisfied. I always want to do bigger and better. Why I do what I do? If I am honest with myself, I recognize it is for approval. It might be the approval of my wife. It might be the approval of church members. It might be the approval of you, my readers.
It goes back to the playground. When it was time to pick teams, you wanted to be picked first. No one wanted to be chosen last. But to be picked first you had to prove yourself to be worthy enough for that honor. And that came through your accomplishment on the field.
Yesterday, I talked about finding peace. I notice that the places where I lack peace in my life are those places where I feel insufficient. They are the places where I feel I don’t measure up. They are the places where I don’t find the approval of others.
Your value is not found in pursuing the approval of others. It is found by resting in God’s favor. Your worth is not found in what you do. Your worth is in who you are. You don’t need to strive for God’s approval because he already chose you. It doesn’t matter what others think. What matters is what God thinks. And God chooses you!
God chose you when he created you
He chose you because he made you. You are wonderful to him because of who he made you to be. No one else is crafted like you. You a masterpiece of God. He gifted you in a unique way, and God does not make mistakes.
God chose you when he died for you
If you were the only person to have ever lived, Jesus still would have died for you. Yes, Jesus is the Savior of the world, but he is your Savior. The next time you read, John 3:16, substitute your name for the word “world.”
God chose you when he called you
Mary was chosen by God before (not after) she would give birth to Jesus. Just as God chose Mary, God chooses you for his good purposes. He chooses you to serve him and to accomplish mighty things. But you are never going to achieve what God wants by chasing the approval of others. Rest in his favor and let him do great things for you!
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:28–29, ESV)
Questions for Reflection
- Where do you find your value and worth?
- What does it mean to you that God chooses you?
- Where do you need to stop pursuing the approval of others and rest in God’s favor?
- Share your comments.
Thanks for the message today. I am trying hard to stop the “need for approval” and embrace who God created me to be. It is still a work in progress.
Thank you for this message. Thank you for your honesty as well! I need to re-read this from time to time. Many times I feel that because I say that I am a christian that I have to prove that walk and I at times am a perfectionist to a fault. Thank you for sharing that our value is what God thinks of us and that we can rest in his favor! Thank you so much for sharing this.