Her Faith Thrives

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Luke 1:46-55 ESV

Whether we are aware of it or not  we consciously choose to magnify something every moment of every day.  Sometimes we magnify God’s blessings and provision. Sometimes we magnify what we lack. Sometimes we magnify our expectations and sometimes we magnify God’s expectations for us. We magnify overwhelm, anxiety, angst, unfulfilled desires, laziness, discontentment, thankfulness, right worship, and peace. The possibilities are endless but here is the point, we get to choose what we magnify. 

The Israelites often angered God by their rebellion often expressed in callous ingratitude. Living in the wilderness was not easy but God had made miraculous and abundant provision for them there. Nonetheless, they  often recounted that they were better off in Egypt, where they were in slavery for 400 years, rather than enjoying God’s blessings and navigating the hardship He allowed (1 Corinthians 1:1-10).

In complete contrast to the nation of Israel is Mary, mother of Jesus. Her life was irreversibly changed when the angel Gabriel told her she would carry the Son of God in her womb and raise Him as her own. Since she was unmarried at the time of her miraculous conception, this pregnancy could have brought social stigma and worse still, she knew the heartbreaking truth that Jesus was born to die. Mary received the greatest blessing and burden, yet she did not complain but worshiped the Lord.  She chose to magnify God despite the hardship inherent in the path He had called her to.

One thing is certain, in this world we will have troubles but God has overcome the world (John 16:33). Will you choose to magnify the blessing and victory of the Lord in the midst of the struggle?  As we move into the Christmas season, there will be plenty of opportunities for irritation, frustration, complaining, and discouragement.  However there will also be opportunities for contentment, trust in God, thankfulness, and true worship.  Which will you choose?

Jesus endured the cross by remembering the joy set before Him – redeeming us (Hebrews 12:2-4). Jesus came into the world to offer life to us through the wise and specific plan of God to crush Him for our sake (Isaiah 53:10).  He is our example and our source of hope. 

More than our example, Jesus is our glorious king.  All things were made by Him, through Him,  and for Him (Colossians 1:15 – 20). He deserves priority in our affections. Magnifying Christ acknowledges the depth of suffering and the magnitude of His sacrifice. Magnifying Christ affirms that our creator will make everything new one day. Magnifying Christ anchors us in the source of true joy and peace. We are called to magnify Christ in everything. This is not something we can do on our own but Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses and intercedes for us. He also strengthens us to glorify Him in this season.  

So how do we actively choose to Magnify Christ in this season?

Focus on who God is

We cannot magnify what we do not know. This is the perfect season to carve out extra time to really pursue God through His word but it will likely not be convenient. In fact, it will probably take great intentionality and some sacrifice to make this happen but friend, Jesus is worthy of your effort.

Whether you choose to use an advent plan or simply stay diligent with your regular devotional time, you can be intentional about magnifying Christ.  In your times in God’s word, take note of anything that tells you about the nature, character, and work of Christ; then thank Him for it. Listen to music that speaks of His nature, character, and work.  If you like traditional Christmas music, this tends to be a wonderful season for worshipping God in this way.

Prepare your heart 

As you enter this holiday season, it is likely that you already know what you are likely to struggle with, if you are not struggling already. Perhaps it is an unfulfilled desire, an overwhelming to do list, difficult relationships, or the loss of a loved one. It can feel overwhelming to articulate these challenges but take heart, your God is not overwhelmed and He is able to uphold you. Jesus invites us to bring our heavy burdens to Him  and when we do He teaches us how to carry them. Take Jesus at His word and prepare your heart by expressing the specific challenges you are facing in this season in prayer. 

Walk in Repentance

This is essential. The bible helps us recognize that Jesus is the almighty creator. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together so that He would have first place in everything (Colossians 1: 15-20).  The truth is what we choose to magnify has first place for us in that moment.  When we choose to magnify something other than Christ, we need to acknowledge that we have strayed from God’s intention, and choose to realign ourselves with what He has called us to.  This is the process of repentance.  Moment by moment as we catch ourselves giving way to overwhelm, distractions, complaining, anxiety or even deep discouragement we can choose to call on Jesus in that very moment and talk to Him about the burden, then choose to walk in His peace by acting on what we know to be true about Him. 

Reflection Questions

Sometimes this decision to magnify Christ can feel very difficult to apply specifically. Here are some reflection questions or journal prompts to help you think through how to magnify Christ in this season. I hope you will grab your journal and work through them!

• What specific challenges/burdens are weighing you down this holiday season?
• Identify the specific challenging aspect in the challenges stated above.
  • For example, you may have identified conflict in a relationship and be specifically challenged by all the times you gather with the people involved. 
• How have you responded to this in the past/how do you anticipate responding to this issue? 
• Identify any truths from the bible that apply here. You can also articulate how the gospel applies to your specific challenges. 
• Choose to replace sinful responses with biblical responses
  • You can use this prompt if it is helpful:
    • Instead of responding to this (insert circumstance) by (insert sinful attitudes, thoughts and actions), I will choose Christ centered responses by (insert responses that specifically replace the sinful response you listed above and magnify Christ). 

Magnifying Christ despite the hardships you are facing is impossible without His strength. If you choose to use the journal prompts above, take a moment to pray that God will empower you to walk in the responses you have identified. I am praying for you!

What is one way you will magnify Christ this Christmas?

Let us know in the comments below so we can learn from each other!

For Further Encouragement

Were you encouraged by this blog post? I would love to connect with you on the Her Faith Thrives Newsletter! This newsletter goes out every other month and contains a short personal update, and varying combinations of encouraging reflections like this one, content sneak peeks, and a handful of links to other encouraging resources!