Live in the Knowledge of My Life in Christ or Live in the Court of Public Opinion?

Live in the Knowledge of My LIfe in Christ or Live in the Court of Public Opinion?
                                                   THE MARY PRINCIPLE

This morning, I could feel a sub-conscious concern about “what others were thinking about me.” If we allow this to happen to ourselves, we are condemned in “The Court of Public Opinion” for allowing ourselves to be affected—sub-consciously or consciously. It boils down to answering the following question.
Do I want to live a life that pleases people or a life that pleases God?
Psalm 37:1-4 (NLT)
1. Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.
2. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
3. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4. Take delight in the Lord, and we will give you your hearts's desire.

God used the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus to help me realize the proper answer to the question posed in the title. Let’s consider Mary. Hebrew tradition tells us Mary was a young to middle teen when the angel visited her with the news about Jesus.
Luke 1:26-38 (NLT)
26. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
27. to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
28. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29. Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
30. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
31. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
33. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end.”
34. Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35. The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
36. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.
37. For the word of God will never fail.”
38. Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

The first lesson learned is Mary had pleased God and he chose her to be Jesus’ momma. We need to please God and be ready for His Devine assignments.
Second, Mary believed the angel. She did not dismiss this as some weird state of mind or illusion or her mind playing tricks on her. Why? She knew God and she knew this news was from him.
Third, the angel testified to the miracle of Elizabeth. (We can learn from the miracle of Elizabeth as well. Especially when we are told something is impossible.)
Fourth, the angels words, “For the word of God will never fail,” should be a key to our faith. A key to our life.
Fifth, Mary’s response was a commitment to the Lord and a yielding to his plan for her life.

Let’s pretend we have never seen a Bible. We are not 2000 years-post Christ’s time on this earth. We are in the time of history written in the verses from Luke 1:26-38. We watch Mary’s life unfold.
First, when she told people she was pregnant via God, she was called a liar by EVERYONE…even her own family.
Second, God convinced her fiancé Joseph that what Mary said was true. (See: Matthew 1:18-21.)
Third, Mary was an easy target of ridicule for the rest of her life. Only believers would not ridicule her, and this was only after Jesus’ Resurrection.
Fourth, Mary never wavered.
Fifth, Mary pleased God by believing, receiving, and carrying out his plan.
Sixth, due to Herod’s desire to kill the King of the Jews, she and Joseph had to live on the run until Herod died.
Seventh, the couple took Jesus back to their home town of Nazareth. They were probably met with love from some and jeers from others.

As I look at my life, I need to do the following:
First, please God over pleasing people.
Second, continue to seek God and know him more and more.
Third, don’t allow any voices other than the Voice of Truth have an affect on me.
Fourth, when God gives a Word for my life, I must believe, receive, and carry it out.
Fifth, trust God no matter what.
Sixth, when I mess up, fess up. Talk to God in a real way. Seek and receive His forgiveness.
Seventh, be open to people changing. Don’t be afraid to “go home.”

The following verse is the answer to myself. It is the final lesson of The Mary Principle.
Matthew 7:7 are Jesus’ words…
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”