In those days Mary
arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she
entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard
the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled
with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among
women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of
your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed
is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her
from the Lord” (Luke 1:39-45).
Mary ran to Elizabeth where she was met with
an amazing confirmation of the promise from Gabriel. As the words of Mary’s greeting
entered Elizabeth’s ears the baby leaped in her womb. This
confirms the existence of two distinct lives in pregnancy and the intimate
connection between a mother and her yet-to-be-born infant. God knew all about
the fragile condition of Mary’s heart. He was aware of the confrontation of
doubt and faith that was raging in her soul. As Elizabeth was filled with
the Holy Spirit a wonderful thing happened. Her words were transformed
and with a loud cry she spoke a powerful blessing into the heart and soul of the
very humble young mother, Mary. Hungry disciples learn here about how the Holy
Spirit can transform our speech into a holy admonition.
We often forget about the power of our words.
We are created in the image of God, and He created everything through the power
of His spoken word… “By faith we understand that the universe was created
by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are
visible” (Hebrews 11:3). We are the only creatures like Him with the
ability to reason, communicate, and create ideas that might be turned into
things. The Holy Spirit inspired Solomon to admonish us that our words have the
power of life and death… “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and
those who love it will eat its fruits” (Proverbs 18:21). The Teacher
moved James to teach us that our words have power to bless or to curse… “From
the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not
to be so” (James 3:10). Jesus taught that our words are a sure
reflection of what is in control of our heart… “The good person out of
the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his
evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth
speaks” (Luke 6:45). So, one sure way to keep our words God-pleasing… “Let
the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your
sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14), and
life-blessing… “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only
such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace
to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29), is to keep our heart filled with
God’s Spirit… “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery,
but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The Holy Spirit can
empower our words to become a holy admonition.
Elizabeth’s words were an acknowledgement
of Mary’s call. She reminded Mary that she was chosen and blessed by God. Spirit
empowered words acknowledge that others are created and called to special works
by Christ… “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians
2:10).
Elizabeth’s words were an anointing of
Mary’s baby. She touched both mother and child with a confirmation that Mary
was the mother of the Lord. Spirit empowered words confirm that Christ died so all
believers might be anointed by His Spirit… “Repent and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and
you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Elizabeth’s words were an affirmation of
Mary’s faith. She recognized that Mary would be blessed with all she would need
for the fulfillment of God’s promise as her faith grew. May our words affirm
the faith of others… “That we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s
faith” (Romans 1:12).
As we grow up into Christ His Spirit
fills our heart and He transforms our speech into…
A Holy Admonition.
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