She, Herself and God
God’s Mercy and Grace upon Mary Magdalene
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I am breaking with tradition in the way I write She, Herself, and God. Beginning March 2022, there will be additional features: monthly theme, weekly questions to ponder, and a quote to remember from each devotion. And for this month, the discussion is centered on women and patriarchy. Should women preach the Gospel? What if we belong to a patriarchal church? How can we take part in fulfilling the great commission?
MONTHLY THEME: Women and Patriarchy
FEATURED VERSE: Now when Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. (Mark 16:9, MEV)
The first person who told me the good news that the Son of God was sent into this world to die for our sins and was risen on the third day to give us eternal life was not a man but a woman, and she happened to be my mother. She did it when I was either three or four years young, and she even taught me how to pray to the Father in heaven at that very moment. And because Jesus was instilled in my mind and engraved in my heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, my relationship with the Lord has been permanent since then. Even if there were times that I was at the point of getting lost, Christ would immediately find me and take me back to the sheepfold of God because no matter what happens, one thing is for sure: I am a sheep in need of a Shepherd.
According to the Scriptures, the first person who told the disciples that Jesus rose from the dead was not a man but a woman as well, and she happened to be Mary Magdalene. She was also known as the woman from whom the Messiah had cast out seven demons, which only meant that the Lord had bestowed His mercy upon her and even showered her with His amazing grace. This goes to show that a preacher of the Gospel does not need to be a man alone nor someone with a high social status but a woman too or an average person. S/he does not need to have an ideal life and be looked up to by others either. S/he must only have a life that serves as a testimony to the lordship of Jesus. Above all, s/he does not need to be someone righteous; instead, s/he must be a sinner in need of a Savior.
As we go on our walk with the Lord, whether we are women or men, may we be inspired by the example set by Mary Magdalene. May we use our stories to tell the world who God is and what He has done for us. Whether we have demons inside of us or not, may we learn to fully surrender our lives to the Lord because only He is feared by the enemy. May we also courageously spread the Gospel and demonstrate His love for all mankind collectively known as our co-sinners. Whether we are the first to be witnesses of Christ or not, may we always be a good testimony to God’s miracles, amazing grace, and unending mercy. And may we be a channel of blessing in our own ways so that we can give the Lord all the glory, honor, and praise.
As a woman of God though, let us not allow our womanhood to hinder the fulfilment of His purpose for our lives. Let us not permit patriarchy to take over our ministries because if the Lord had used Mary Magdalene back then in telling the good news to the disciples, He can use women these days too in preaching the Gospel to all mankind. Our gender should never be an issue in the way we serve Him, so let us not authorize the enemy either to continually control us. Instead, let us lift to God all the demons we are facing and let Him cast them out. Above all, let us always declare, demonstrate, and defend the Gospel. And who knows? We might be like Mary Magdalene who will see Jesus face to face when He comes back.
DEVOTIONAL PRAYER:
Father God, we thank You for the good news that Your only begotten Son lived the life we should have lived, died the death we should have died, and was risen on the third day as witnessed by Mary Magdalene herself. We thank You for what He did on the cross of Calvary because it redeemed us, reconciled us to You, and enabled us to receive eternal life. We thank You as well for reminding us through Your Word that the gift of salvation must not be kept to ourselves. Instead, it must be shared to others so that we can help fulfill the great commission, as we await the return of the King. We pray for your guidance, leading, and blessings, as we boldly declare the Gospel of the kingdom of God to every tribe of every nation. This is our prayer in the name of Christ our Lord, our Savior, and the Gospel Himself. Amen.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
If you were in the shoes of Mary Magdalene, what would you do after Jesus introduced Himself to you knowing that He was already dead?
Would you run away in fear, or would you believe Him right away and obey Him?
Now if given a chance to preach the Gospel to someone especially to a child, how are you going to start?
QUOTE TO REMEMBER:
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to be preached by both women and men of God.
