Once upon a time there were three women named Mary. One gave birth to God’s Son. The other sat at the feet of the Rabbi Messiah as a disciple during a time when women couldn’t learn as men–there were no women disciples before Jesus and this Mary. The third Mary, a woman once entrapped by seven demons was given the first glimpse of the risen Christ and the honor to tell the others He was alive, but many didn’t believe her.
These women must have been very special…right? Maybe not.
We know that God never chooses the most talented and most likely candidates for His Kingdom work. He always calls the unqualified. So, were these women extraordinary and chosen contrary to God’s normal track record or can we deduct from the men disciples that these women were far more human than our church tradition has made them?
Rebellious, bitter, defiant, beloved, gift of God. That’s the meaning of the name “Mary”.
Yet these women were employed by God to serve the Kingdom despite their faults. Their name and Scripture reveals these personality qualities. It also reveals the fear, rejection, and ridicule these women faced as they served Jesus.
There is hope for all of us who want to be employed by God. And there is hope for those of us who have been discouraged.
If you could do anything for God/Jesus in 2013, what would it be?
I would write another book and step out in faith to pursue some of the greatest desires of my heart. I’m hoping I can be more specific one day. But for now, I need to be vague. I can only tell you that God has given me the One Word pursue. Click on the link to learn more about Mike Ashcroft’s new book.
May I ask you to pray?
I’ll be praying for you.
Watch for excerpts from A Mary Like Me in the next weeks and months ahead.
Much love,
andy
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’ Erma Bombeck
