DAILY READING James 1:17-18 REFLECTION   Being First Fruits By Todd Marti “ Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures .” James 1:17-18 (NASB, other translations here ) This week’s readings have shown how God extends his grace to us through Jesus , and  ...

DAILY READING Luke 1:46-55 REFLECTION   What Mary and Jesus show us about true blessing By Todd Marti Two things jumped out at me from this reading. First,   both   Mary and Jesus identify humility as a precondition to true blessing.  The blessings Mary describes come to those who are “ humble ,” those who “ fear ” God, who regard themselves as His “ servant ,” and who are “ hungry ” apart from God. Luke 1:48, 50, 52 . They are not available to those who are proud, who seek to control others...

DAILY READING Luke 1:26-38 REFLECTION Mary’s Grit & God’s Compassion By Todd Marti Two things that have always struck me about this passage. One is Mary’s courage. Not only did Mary show tremendous faith in taking on the awesome task God asked of her, she handled the very stressful encounter described here with remarkable composure. The other is God’s grace in helping her through this.  Several things stand out:   1.  Mary is very brave. Other accounts of Gabriel’s appearances indicate that...