Highly Favored

© Copyright James Yardley and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Luke 1:28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.

       Have you ever wonder what did Mary do in order to be able to be the mother of the savior?   The angel's announcement of Jesus' birth answers that question.  He told Mary "You are highly favored. God is with you." If you notice, the angel never told her because you've followed every law then you will be Jesus' mother. No, the angel told her: "It is because of God's favor that you will conceive. It is because of his power in you that you will be fruitful."

 Luke 1:29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 

Before Jesus died on the cross, everyone had to obey God's law in order to be blessed. There was no "free-lunch" at that time. Sin had entered the world through Adam and everyone had to pay to earn blessings. The old testament mentality is: "If you do good you get good, and if you do bad you get bad." There was no understanding of the word "grace" or "unmerited favor."  That is the reason why when the angel told Mary "You are highly favored" she was greatly troubled and wondered what kind of greeting was that? In other words, Mary was wondering:  "What do you mean by favor?" She thought:  "I've made mistakes, I've not perfectly followed every moses' law. I've done nothing right for an angel to greet me with this words." The angel explains to her again that God wants to bless her not based on her actions but based on His favor.

Luke 1:31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

When the angel told her about the miracle of conceiving Jesus,  Mary looked at her self, thought of her flaws, her age, her civil status and wonder how will this be? The angel didn't gave her more laws to follow, he didn't gave her a lesson in the 10 commandments. He didn't gave her a link to a parenting website either. The angel said: Luke 1:35 “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. It was by the work of God and his Spirit! In other words, God was saying: "My work will make yours unnoticeable"

Mary received God's favor when she said:  "I am the lord's servant May your word to me be fulfilled."  She was humbled to receive God's favor. She wanted her life to be a testimony of it. Maybe she said: "Even though I am not perfect, I want my life to be used as a testimony of grace!" Maybe you are like Mary and you look at your flaws, your performance as Christian, parent, spouse and you wonder how can it be that my marriage will thrive? How can it be that my children will be set free?   Let us answer those questions as Mary did.  We can say: "Even though I do not deserve to be blessed by my actions, and even though I have failed, may your word of grace to me be fulfilled. "

  Today, God's word is a greeting of unmerited favor to us. Jesus is telling us that we do not need to pay for our mistakes. We do not need to perform to be blessed.  Jesus died on the cross so we can find unmerited favor. Our sins were punished in the body of our Lord Jesus.   The Lord is telling us today: "Because of what my son did at the cross you are highly favored to raise your child or to have success in your marriage. My power will overshadow you!"


 If Mary was called highly favored when Jesus had not yet died for our sins , how much more favor have we found today?! We are much more jolly favored ones!

The new covenant makes us succesful

 Hebrews 10:16 This is the agreement (testament, covenant) that I will set up and conclude with them after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their hearts, and I will inscribe them on their minds (on their inmost thoughts and understanding), 17 He then goes on to say, And their sins and their lawbreaking I will remember no more.

Photo by olliethebastard on Flickr

    The previous verses are the main clause of the new covenant. God has promised to write his law upon our hearts.  In other words, he promises to fill our minds and hearts with his word so we can be successful in every area of our lives.  Contrary to the old covenant,  where man had to work to receive God's blessings, in the new covenant God is the one who does the good work in us so we can be blessed. He wants us to be conscious of his work and not of our own.

When God writes his law in our hearts we instinctively do the things that God requires us to do (Romans 2:14.) We do not need to put effort into following the right steps to be successful in our ministry, careers, relationships, diets or freedom!  Jesus has done the work already! His work opened a way for God to write his law in our hearts.

  Many times, when are successful we look back we count the steps we took to get to the top of the mountain. Then we write a formula out of it and think that if we follow those steps again we will have great results. For instance, we may say: "To have a happy marriage follow this steps...," or "to be free from bondage do... ." " To receive the Holy Spirit you need to do..." The truth is that our works are shaky ground and will never save us! If we try to be successful based on our works we will end up being frustrated. It is only by beholding Jesus and His work that our steps can be blessed. We do not have to work to earn success. What work is there left for us to do if Jesus himself said: "IT IS FINISHED!" (John 19:30)

      The bible has examples of people who was successful because God wrote his law upon their hearts.  Joseph is one example. He was very successful because God was with him (Genesis 39:2.) In other words, God put his word in Joseph's mind and heart. Joseph was not sin conscious, he was only aware that God loved him, that God was for him.  That is the reason why he received strength against temptation. When we are conscious of God's love for us, he writes his law in our hearts and as a result we are empowered to run away from temptations.

   Samuel, one of the greatest prophets of Israel, is another example. His mother brought him to the temple at a very young age. At that time the priest Eli was in charge of the temple. Eli did not have good parenting skills. The bible tells us that his two sons were wicked. Neither Hannah nor Eli had the ability to raise a great prophet----specially in a time where no one was able to hear the voice of God.  The reason why Samuel was successful had nothing to do with human efforts. It was God who wrote His law upon Samuel's heart.  God said " I will raise for me a faithful priest that shall do according to my will. " (1 Samuel 2:35) When God writes his law upon our hearts we are able to have his thoughts, hear his voice and do his will.

  As we can see, Joseph and Samuel were not successful because they did everything right. On the contrary, they were successful and did everything right because God was giving them his favor, his thoughts, his word and his power.  In the same way,  in the new covenant we are not successful because we do everything right. We are successful because Jesus did everything right.

  The new covenant  is the invitation God extends us to rely on his grace. Lets remember that it only took place after Jesus died on the cross. Therefore, God can only write his law upon our hearts when we focus on what he did for us at the cross. The more we look at Jesus, the more we are transformed. The more we accept our possition in Christ apart from our works the more fruits of the spirit we will bear, the more freedom, healing and success we will experience.

 Scriptures

 Romans 2:14 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Genesis 39:2
The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.

1 Samuel 2:35
And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.


Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault, he says to them, Behold, days come, saith the Lord, and I will consummate a new covenant as regards the house of Israel, and as regards the house of Juda;



Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

James 2:10

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

1 John 4:17

In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.


Mathew 11:30
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."