Luke 1:48 Because He has looked upon the low estate of His slave. For behold, from now on all generations will count me blessed, (49) Because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name. (50) And His mercy is unto generations and generations, unto those who fear Him.
[Part 1 of 2] Both Mary and Zachariah stress God's mercy, realizing their low estate (v. 48) and humbly (v. 52) recognizing that they are not worthy of being favored by God. Both God's mercy and His grace are the expression of His love. When we are in a pitiful condition, His mercy first reaches us and brings us into a situation where God is able to favor us with His grace. God's mercy reaches further and bridges the gap between us and God's grace. In order to receive God's grace, we need to be in a suitable condition. However, Mary realized that she and all the people at that time were in a poor condition. Because they were in a pitiful condition, they needed God's mercy. Mary praised God for His mercy and His mighty doings. In verses 51 and 52 she says, "He has done mighty things with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the understanding of their heart. He brought down potentates from thrones and exalted the humble." God did mighty things in taking care of His people in their low estate. Because their estate was so low, they needed God's mercy to reach them, for His mercy extends further than His grace. [Continued tomorrow]
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Luke, p. 36. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, either: Send an email to: [email protected] (No subject or message needed; a blank email will work) or visit www.emanna.com and fill out the unsubscribe form there.
