Attitudes Toward the King

What is your attitude toward the coming of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Savior of the world?

Mary the expectant mother of Jesus declared in song, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior . . .” (Luke 1:46-47).

Does your heart “make great the Lord”? Does your spirit rejoice in “God my Savior”?

Great is the mercy of the Lord upon us. Mary’s heart filled to overflowing with thanksgiving for the privilege of serving the LORD God as a humble maiden.

Because we have been saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ we have the wonderful privilege and opportunity of magnifying the Lord with our lives. We have been saved to serve Him. Our hearts have been made new by the new birth and we rejoice in God our Savior.

The LORD God is great and is worthy of our worship. Mary proclaimed the greatness of Yahweh when she declared, “My soul magnifies the Lord.”

With a joyful heart she enthusiastically shouted, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Has the Holy Spirit put a profound joy in your heart? Does that deep, deep peace cause you to break forth at times rejoicing in the great salvation God has brought into your life? There is a peace and joy in the Christian’s heart that is deep and profound because God has placed it there. It should cause our hearts to rejoice and keep on rejoicing at the great and mighty things God has done.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). The apostle Paul tells us to share that joy with others.

The Christian ought to be so full of joy that his heart overflows with that rejoicing so the rest of the world stands in amazement and wants to know the source.

The Hymnbook of the Jewish people is filled with joy and rejoicing even in the most turbulent circumstances.

Mary’s song was filled with quotes from the Psalms. Jesus would later learn to chant those same songs while sitting on His mother’s lap.

“My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior” (Lk. 1:46-47; cf. Psalm 34:2f; 35:9). She can sing because “the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation towards those who fear Him” (vv. 49-50; cf. Psa. 103:17; 98:1; 118:15).

The LORD God has done great and mighty things and we can rejoice and keep on rejoicing with hearts full of praise and adoration to our great God.

Are there some physical situations in which the Lord has delivered you? Has He saved you from some dangerous circumstances? Has He delivered you from death? Has He watched over you and delivered you from, in, or perhaps through turbulent violent times? Can you say with the apostle Paul we are “afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not despairing; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Cor. 4:8-10).

That is transforming grace that causes the heart to rejoice in the great and mighty things God does in our lives. When you rejoice and keep on rejoicing you are experiencing the greatest song of deliverance in life.

Do you rejoice that you have been delivered from evil? Do you rejoice that you are being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ? Everything God is doing in your life at the present time is for the purpose of making you in the likeness of His Son. That should cause you to rejoice in every circumstance and trial.

Do you rejoice when the fiery blast of the furnace exhausts itself in your face? You cannot do it in your own strength. Our song comes from the power He gives us “that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor. 4:10-11).

God puts us in new experiences, which are beyond us, and causes us to abandon hope in the flesh, and we cry out, “Lord, save me.” That is when we rejoice and He can use us for His glory.

Selah!

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006