Latest / Bible Chat Devotional / December 23 - When God Remembers His Promise

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December 23 - When God Remembers His Promise · Bible Chat Devotional

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  Welcome to Bible Chat, where we have devotional conversations
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  rooted in Scripture and relevant for today, December 23rd.
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  Small but mighty. Have you ever felt small?
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  Like you don't have the personality, platform, or
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  confidence to matter? Like your voice gets drowned out
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  and your life feels ordinary. Proverbs chapter 30 says 4
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  things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise.
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  And it points to ants tiny, not strong, but smart enough to
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  prepare ahead of time. That's such a picture of how God
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  works. Small doesn't mean useless.
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  Small doesn't mean weak. Small can be wise.
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  Then Psalm 147 flips our whole definition of impressive.
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  It says God doesn't delight in the strength of a horse or the
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  legs of a man. He takes pleasure in those who
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  fear him and hope in his steadfast love.
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  God isn't scanning your life for how tough you look or how
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  popular you are. He's looking at your heart.
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  Do you trust him? Do you hope in his love?
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  And Luke chapter 1 gives us Mary Young, overlooked, not famous,
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  not powerful. Yet she says, For he who is
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  mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
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  Mary's life proves that God loves using people the world
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  would ignore. She didn't become part of the
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  story because she had status. She became part of the story
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  because she was willing. So if you feel small, here's
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  your encouragement. God sees you.
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  He's not waiting for you to become big enough to be useful.
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  He's inviting you to be faithful where you are, wise in the
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  little things, steady in obedience, hopeful in His love.
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  You can shine without being loud.
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  You can lead without being famous.
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  You can make a difference through small, consistent
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  choices that honor God. Like an Ant preparing in summer.
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  Like Mary saying yes. Like a heart that hopes in the
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  Lord, let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for
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  seeing me when I feel small or overlooked.
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  Give me wisdom like the small creatures in Proverbs and help
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  me be faithful in the little things.
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  Teach me to stop chasing what impresses people and start
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  living in a way that pleases you.
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  Like Mary, help me say yes to you, trusting that the Mighty
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  One can do great things through my willing heart.
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  In Jesus name, Amen. Imagine stepping into a new year
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  purpose to every decision. Favor for the Year activates
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  you with courage, resilience, and strength for every battle.
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  Fruitfulness for the Year empowers you to produce results,
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  prosper, and multiply in every assignment.
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  Freedom for the Year breaks limitations, delays, and
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  spiritual resistance. And Fortress for the Year covers
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  Start the year position. Start the year flourishing.
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  Pre-order your copies today on Amazon or visit
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  prayerscripts.org. Now I invite you to spend time
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  Proverbs 3021 to 28 World English Bible for three things.
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  The earth trembles, and under 4. It can't bear up for a servant
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  when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, for an
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  unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is
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  heir to her mistress. There are four things which are
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  little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise.
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  The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their
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  food in the summer. The hyraxes are but a feeble
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  folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.
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  The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks.
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  You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in King's
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  palaces. Psalm 147 World English Bible
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  Praise Yah for it is good to sing praises to our God, for it
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  is pleasant and fitting to praise Him.
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  Yahweh builds up Jerusalem. He gathers together the outcasts
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  of Israel. He heals the broken in heart and
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  binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the
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  stars. He calls them all by their
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  names. Great is our Lord and mighty in
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  power. His understanding is infinite.
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  Yahweh upholds the humble. He brings the wicked down to the
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  ground. Sing to Yahweh with
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  Thanksgiving, Sing praises on the harp to our God, who covers
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  the sky with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who
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  makes grass grow on the mountains.
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  He provides food for the livestock and for the young
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  Ravens when they call. He doesn't delight in the
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  strength of the horse. He takes no pleasure in the legs
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  of a man. Yahweh takes pleasure in those
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  who fear him, in those who hope in his loving kindness.
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  Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem, praise your God Zion, for He has
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  strengthened the bars of your gates.
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  He has blessed your children within you.
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  He makes peace in your borders. He fills you with the finest of
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  the wheat. He sends out His commandment to
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  the earth. His word runs very swiftly.
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  He gives snow like wool and scatters frost like ashes.
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  He hurls down his hail like pebbles who can stand before his
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  cold. He sends out His word and melts
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  them. He causes his wind to blow and
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  the waters flow. He shows his word to Jacob, his
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  statutes, and his ordinances to Israel.
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  He has not done this for just any nation.
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  They don't know His ordinances. Praise Yah, Luke one world
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  English Bible since many have undertaken to set in order a
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  narrative concerning those matters which have been
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  fulfilled among us, even as those who from the beginning
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  were eyewitnesses and servants of the Word delivered them to
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  us. It seemed good to me also,
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  having traced the course of all things accurately from the
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  first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophyllus, that
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  you might know the certainty concerning the things in which
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  you were instructed. There was in the days of Herod,
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  the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the
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  priestly division of Abuja. He had a wife of the daughters
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  of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
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  They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all
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  the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, but they had no
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  child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well
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  advanced in years. Now while he executed the priest
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  office before God in the order of his division, according to
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  the custom of the priest office, his lot was to enter into the
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  temple of the Lord and burn incense.
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  The whole multitude of the people were praying outside.
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  At the hour of incense. An Angel of the Lord appeared to
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  him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
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  Zacarias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
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  But the Angel said to him, Don't be afraid, Zacarias, because
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  your request has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear
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  you a son, and you shall call his name John.
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  You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his
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  birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he
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  will drink no wine nor strong drink.
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  He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's
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  womb. He will turn many of the
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  children of Israel to the Lord their God.
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  He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to
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  turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the
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  disobedient to the wisdom of the just to prepare a people
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  prepared for the Lord. Zacarias said to the Angel, How
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  can I be sure of this, for I am an old man and my wife is well
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  advanced in years. The Angel answered him, I am
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  Gabriel who stands in the presence of God.
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  I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
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  Behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day
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  that these things will happen, because you didn't believe my
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  words which will be fulfilled in their proper time.
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  The people were waiting for Zacarias, and they marvelled
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  that he delayed in the temple. When he came out, he could not
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  speak to them. They perceived that he had seen
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  a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to
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  them and remained mute. When the days of his service
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  were fulfilled, he departed to his house.
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  After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she hid
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  herself five months, saying, Thus has the Lord done to me in
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  the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach
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  among men. Now in the sixth month, the
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  Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named
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  Nazareth, to a virgin pledge, to be married to a man whose name
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  was Joseph of David's house. The virgin's name was Mary.
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  Having come in, the Angel said to her, Rejoice, you highly
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  favored one, the Lord is with you, Blessed are you among
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  women. But when she saw him, she was
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  greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of
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  salutation this might be. The Angel said to her, Don't be
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  afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
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  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a
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  son, and shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be
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  called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the
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  throne of his father David, and he will reign over the House of
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  Jacob Forever. There will be no end to his
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  Kingdom. Mary said to the Angel.
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  How can this be seeing I am a virgin?
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  The Angel answered her. The Holy Spirit will come on
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  you, and the power of the Most High will over shadow you.
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  Therefore also the Holy One who is born from you will be called
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  the Son of God. Behold, Elizabeth, your relative
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  also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the 6th
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  month with her who is called Baron.
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  For nothing spoken by God is impossible.
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  Mary said, Behold the servant of the Lord, let it be done to me
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  according to your word. Then the Angel departed from
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  her. Mary arose in those days and
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  went into the Hill Country with haste into a city of Judah and
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  entered into the House of Zacarias and greeted Elizabeth.
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  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her
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  womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
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  She called out with a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among
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  women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
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  Why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to
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  me? For behold, when the voice of
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  your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for
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  joy. Blessed is she who believed, for
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  there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been
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  spoken to her from the Lord. Mary said, My soul magnifies the
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  Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in God my
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  Savior, for he has looked at the humble state of His servant.
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  For behold, from now on all generations will call me
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  blessed, for he who is mighty has done great things for me.
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  Holy is His name. His mercy is for generations and
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  generations on those who fear Him.
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  He has shown strength with His arm.
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  He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
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  He has put down Princess from their Thrones and has exalted
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  the lowly. He has filled the hungry with
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  good things. He has sent the rich away empty.
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  He has given help to Israel his servant, that he might remember
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  mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and his
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  offspring forever. Mary stayed with her about 3
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  months and then returned to her house.
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  Now the time that Elizabeth should give birth was fulfilled,
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  and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and her relatives
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  heard that the Lord had magnified His mercy toward her
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  and they rejoiced with her. On the 8th day they came to
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  circumcise the child, and they would have called him Zacarias
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  after the name of his father. His mother answered, not so, but
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  he will be called John. They said to her, There is no
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  one among your relatives who is called by this name.
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  They made signs to his father what he would have him called.
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  He asked for a writing tablet and wrote His name is John.
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  They all marvelled. His mouth was opened immediately
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  and his tongue freed, and he spoke, blessing God.
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  Fear came on all who lived around them, and all these
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  sayings were talked about throughout all the Hill Country
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  of Judea. All who heard them laid them up
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  in their heart, saying, what then will this child be?
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  The hand of the Lord was with him.
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  His father Zacarias was filled with the Holy Spirit and
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  prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel.
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  For he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a
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  horn of salvation for us in the House of his servant David.
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  As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from
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  of old salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all
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  who hate us. To show mercy toward our
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  fathers, To remember His holy covenant, the oath which He
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  swore to Abraham, our Father, to grant to us that we, being
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  delivered out of the hand of our enemies, should serve Him
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  without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the
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  days of our life. And you, child, will be called a
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  prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of
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  the Lord to prepare His ways to give knowledge of salvation to
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  His people by the remission of their sins, because of the
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  tender mercy of our God, by which the dawn from on high will
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  visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow
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  of death. To guide our feet into the way
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  of peace. The child was growing and
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  becoming strong in spirit and was in the desert until the day
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  of his public appearance to Israel.
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  Thanks for joining us on Bible Chat, where Scripture meets
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  everyday life. If today's devotional encouraged
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  Until next time, stay rooted in truth, anchored in hope, and
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  walking daily with Jesus.