Wednesday Devotional: Leading When Obedience Costs You

The Promise Conceived

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

Luke 1:34-36

Mary knows what this pregnancy will look like to everyone around her. She is betrothed, but not yet living with Joseph. In her culture, a visible pregnancy will invite gossip, judgment, and possibly rejection. When she says yes to God, she is also saying yes to misunderstanding.

Leadership that follows Christ will cost you something. Sometimes it costs popularity. You refuse to cut corners, and people call you difficult. You confront a pattern of sin, and people call you harsh. You choose integrity instead of comfort, and others quietly distance themselves. At the same time, you feel the inte…