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THE VISITATION

BIBLE STUDY GOALS:

Learn how to talk about God to others.
Identify the behavior and convictions that are good in God's sight.
Outline evidence of God's love for us as experienced by people.

Luke 1:39-45

New King James Version (NKJV)

Bible Commentary

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, When God reveals something to us we should follow his revelation, teaching or direction immediately, as Mary did when she "went with haste" to see the miracle accomplished in her cousin. 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. Greet everyone with with sincere joy and a kind smile. As Mother Teresa said "“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. God communicates to and through the unborn. A fetus is given life by the spirit of Almighty God himself. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! God of the Universe, revered Mary above all of the female species that ever were and ever will be. We are also to bless and revere what God admires; to love what He loves. We can accomplish this by repeating the words of the Holy Ghost, the infinite Goodness, in the Hail Mary prayer. 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Spirit of the All Powerful God dwells in the humble. Elizabeth recognized the Lord's greatness and the authenticity or His sacred presence in front of her. All humans were and are sinful, any person is a mere centillion of all the humans and all of artful creations of God. In the perspective of eternity we are as sand on the seashore. No human can be worthy of encountering the living God in person. Yet, the Master chooses to show himself with mercy and grace to us, because His love is not dependent on our actions; it is grater than we can ever conceive. When we were hurting him, when we were crucifying him, when we worked against Him, he came to save and free us. Thank you Lord for the incredible grace you give your unworthy creatures.

44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. "Leaping" of the unborn fetus teaches us how God manifests His love to us in our daily lives. One God in the Holy Trinity continually and generously gives evidence of His real presence in our ordinary human activities. He used His might to bring personal joy to this mother. This joy proclaimed by her, the gospels and all God's workers, brings joy to expecting mothers and to every good heart in existence. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord. The blessing is because Mary believes, doubts, on the other hand, disable us to experience the wealth of treasures God gives those who love Him. Mary is completely convinced in every Word that God says, and so should we. The Bible is the Living God in His Word, and all He says is good. Mary is certain that God will fulfill all his promises, because she knows, that all that God wants is everlasting joy for us and for humanity.

Mary was greater than Elizabeth for being the mother of living God himself, she was younger, and thus could have been perceived as inferior to the elderly Elizabeth. Our all-knowing Father teaches us exactly how to combat self-destructive thoughts and feeling such as feelings of jealousy and superiority. To experience lastingly joy and contentment, be happy for the blessings of others. See God's goodness reflected in the blessings that occur to your relatives, friends, and those who may seem to most as lesser socioeconomic importance. Be happy for them, exalt their fortune as the works of God, because everything good in life is really from the hand of God. Celebrate the fortunes of others and exclaim their prosperity as the divine provisions of our Heavenly Father. God wants all His children found, He wants his blessing to benefit multitudes and we should want the same for everybody. We can cease to be self-focused in favor of being God-focused by following the divinely inspired account of actions, reactions and convictions The Lord gave us in The Holy Scriptures.

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