Imagine what must have been going through Mary's mind when an angel came to her and revealed that she would give birth to Jesus. Young with plans to marry a man named Joseph, she had her entire life ahead of her. The angel's announcement changed her life and, most certainly, meant letting go of her own hopes, dreams, and plans. Indeed, Mary demonstrated great courage as she set aside her hopes and dreams to carry out God's plan.
When the angel Gabriel came to Mary in Luke 1 and explained to her that her whole life was about to change because she would give birth to Jesus, she could have protested. She could have begged God to choose someone else because this was going to involve sacrifice. It was going to require Mary to sacrifice her plans for her life and potentially her future plans to marry Joseph. After all, what if Joseph did not believe that Mary had not been unfaithful to him? Instead of questioning God or begging Him to choose someone else, Mary chose courage. She courageously chose to sacrifice her desires, dreams, and plans in light of God's greater plans. Even if it would cost her, Mary chose to courageously step into her calling, which is why she said to the angel Gabriel when he announced that she would give birth to Jesus, “May everything you have said about me come true” (verse 38).
Make no mistake, Mary understood that this calling was an honor, but she also must have known that it would require the courage to sacrifice her own dreams and plans. After Jesus became an adult and began His earthly ministry, He taught that following Him required courageous sacrifice, similar to the courage and sacrifice Mary showed. He said to His disciples in Matthew 16, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (verse 24). Jesus’ disciples knew that the call to follow Him meant to give up their very lives to follow Him. Like Mary, the disciples courageously sacrificed everything to follow Him.
Yes, the call to Jesus requires the courage to sacrifice, but Jesus made it clear that it also comes with a promise when He said in Matthew 16, If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it, but if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (verse 25). Yes, following Jesus will ultimately lead to the salvation of our very souls. Will you courageously sacrifice for Him today?
Is there something God has been calling you to do that requires courage? Maybe He has called you to share your faith with someone who you do not know how they will respond. Perhaps He is calling you to sacrifice your time and serve. Maybe He is calling you to take a step of obedience that will be difficult. Whatever he is calling you to do, take a step of courageous obedience and go do that thing this week.
1One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.
2 He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; 3 red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times! 4 Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.
5 Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. 8 Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? 9 Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? 10 Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? 11 Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’”
12 Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
20 Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
21 From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
