Mary: Becoming a Girl of FaithfulnessSample

As we study the life of Mary, we’ll discover that she was faithful. And we’ll learn that we’re supposed to be too. Here’s a simple definition of the word:

Faithful: Able to be trusted or relied on.

Before we learn about Mary, lets look wayyy back at the beginning of the world.

The very first words in the Bible are: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God has always existed. He created the sun, moon, sky, land, sea, plants, animals, and everything you see around you! This includes the best thing ever . . . us!

The first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were tempted by a snake, which was the devil in disguise. He told them to choose to follow their own sinful desires instead of trusting God’s perfect plan. Sadly, Adam and Eve chose to sin. Sin is doing what is wrong or not doing what is right according to God’s rules. Because of that, there is a gap between humans and God. Sin separates us from Him. Thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. God had a plan. A super-ginormous plan to rescue the world!

Now, let’s look at to the first chapter of the book of Luke, where we meet our girl, Mary. She’s a young teenager living in the town of Nazareth with a perfectly planned life. Little did she know she was a special part of God’s super-ginormous, rescue-the-world plan!

Read Luke 1:26-38. Look for the words that tell us how Mary felt hearing this news.

Have you ever considered how Mary felt when the angel came to tell her she was going to be the mother of Jesus? She was confused (or unable to think clearly) and disturbed (or upset). And according to the angel, she looked afraid. Did she respond to this news according to her feelings, OR did she respond faithfully according to the truth of the situation?

Mary changed her plan to faithfully follow God’s plan! And this brings us to our very first FAITHFULNESS LESSON:

A faithful girl trusts in God’s plan.

Whenever I read Mary’s story, I’m inspired by how quickly she responded in faithful obedience to God’s plan. But I don’t think it was any easier for Mary to be faithful than it is for you or me to be. So, how did Mary trust God and obey immediately?

Well, she didn’t do it alone! Mary was able to trust God’s plan because He helped her do it! On our own, we cannot make good choices. Our sin impacts EVERYTHING— including our ability to make good decisions. All of us would fail at faithfulness if we didn’t rely on God to be with us! I’m so thankful that God was with Mary and that He was equipping her to make a faithful decision to trust His plan!