Lucas 1

Lucas 1

Morgan - Makarios (blessed) means happy, fortunate, blissful. Homer used the word to describe a wealthy man, and Plato used it of one who is successful in business. Both Homer and Hesiod spoke of the Greek gods as being happy (makarios) within themselves, because they were unaffected by the world of men-who were subject to poverty, disease, weakness, misfortune, and death. The fullest meaning of the term, therefore, had to do with an inward contentedness that is not affected by circumstances. That is the kind of happiness God desires for His children, a state of joy and well-being that does not depend on physical, temporary circumstances (cf Php 4:11, 12, 13+). (From his sermon entitled "Blessed") THOUGHT - Note the clear association of blessing and believing. This should not surprise us because genuine belief is intimately related to immediate obedience and obedience is clearly associated with God's blessing. In fact (Spirit enabled) obedience (not legalistic obedience) is the secret of divine blessing. Are you allowing the Spirit of God to give you the desire and the power (Php 2:13NLT+) to obey God? She who believed (pisteuo) means that she not only heard the promise but she accepted it internally, not just intellectually as true, genuine, or real but with a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of God to carry out with He had promised. Because she had this firm conviction in God's promise it affected her internal condition so that she experienced a state of blessedness wrought by the Spirit of God.