For a moment, put yourself out on that grassy mountainside next to a campfire as you take your turn watching for wild animals that might attack the flocks. Some of your fellow shepherds are dosing…some quietly talking….when suddenly this brilliant being stands in front of you, declaring the Messiah has come! And before you can even start to take this in… a great company of heavenly host appear. It would be like bottling every flash of lightning that’s ever happened…and then turning them all loose at the same time! And as if that wasn’t enough, these heavenly beings perform a song for you…saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” But as quickly as they appeared…they disappear…and you’re left to collect your wits and take a deep breath, all the while thinking about what you’ve just witnessed. Someone suggests traveling down to Bethlehem to see if this is true…and so off you go. And sure enough, just as the angel said, you find this tiny baby in a cattle stall… sleeping in a hay filled manger. So what do you do with all this good news? You have to tell others about what you saw and heard, right? That’s when common, uneducated men boldly started declaring the fulfillment of God’s Word…and when lowly shepherds told others about the coming of the Good Shepherd.
Category: daily devotional
Luke 2:7 ” And she gave birth to her first born, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Imagine being that Innkeeper. The usually small, unassuming town of Bethlehem was being over-run by people coming in for the required census. His rooms were already taken by travelers, when this couple approached…the wife, clearly pregnant. The husband pleaded for a place to stay…telling the Innkeeper the time was imminent for his wife to deliver. The Innkeeper hurriedly pointed to the stable where the farm animals were kept and turned away…too preoccupied with everything he had to do. And if Mary and Joseph had told the Innkeeper who this baby was…do you think it would have made a difference? Or was the Innkeeper just too absorbed…too focused on the tasks needed to be done to realize the Messiah was coming? Today, are you so preoccupied with all the things you think need to get done that you’ve delegated Jesus outside to the barn? Are you like that Innkeeper…so focused on your “to do” list that you’re going to miss the Messiah’s birth?
Matthew 1:19 ” Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.”
Joseph was a quiet man…a devout Jew whose trade was as a carpenter and handyman in town. Joseph was also deeply in love with Mary, his betrothed, and looked forward to the day they would marry and start building a life together. But the rug was pulled out from underneath him when he learned Mary was pregnant…and not by him. So for moment, put yourself in his shoes. What thoughts and emotions would go through your mind and heart? Feelings of hurt, and betrayal would be surging through your being. Your mind would be racing with questions of “How could you do this to me? I love you.” Angry emotions would want to demand explanations from Mary for her apparent unfaithfulness. But even though Joseph had every right to make a public spectacle of Mary, (Deuteronomy 24:1) he chose to send her away quietly and spare her the indignities. But then God showed up…and all of Joseph’s questions were answered. For suddenly, it wasn’t just about him and his feelings…but about the eternal plan of the world receiving its Messiah.
Luke 1:28 ” The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ “
For a moment, put yourself in Mary’s place. An angel has suddenly appeared, telling you that you’re not only divinely favored among all women, but that you have been selected to bear the Son of God…all the while maintaining your pure, chaste physical condition. Being a devout Jewish young lady, Mary undoubtedly would have remembered the famous prophecy of Christ’s virgin birth spoken in the past by the Prophet Isaiah…”The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) But what this angel was telling Mary had to have been just too amazing to fully comprehend. Would you have blindly trusted this angel’s explanation? Or would you have balked after first considering the consequences if you said, Yes…knowing there would be gossip, embarrassment, and heartache ahead?
Ecclesiastes 11:6 “Let not your hands be idle.”
Within the Bible we find many warnings about being idle…instructing us against laziness. Even Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, was so concerned about idleness, he gave them a rule to live by, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” (II Thessalonians 3:10) And so we work. But Satan looked at this and said to himself, “How can I use this for my benefit? I know, I’ll swing the pendulum so far from idleness, that busyness will become the virtue. I’ll load people down with guilt if they’re not doing something every minute of the day. And as they allow themselves to become more and more busy, they’ll start to neglect their family…their health…and their God. And so, at the end of the day they’ll find themselves exhausted, apologetic, and just a little farther away from their Lord…which is just where I want them to be.”
Hebrews 10:4 ” Because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins…”
What does being a “good person” mean to you? Maybe your list contains all the things you do. You donate, you volunteer, you help your neighbor. Or maybe your “good person” list contains all the things you don’t do. You don’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. You don’t swear, or watch X rated movies. All of us have mental lists that make up what being a “good person” constitutes. But just being a “good person” will not get us to heaven…for our eternal life is not hinged on anything we will ever do or not do. That’s because it’s only by the blood of Jesus and His sacrifice for us that we can have the hope of eternity with Him. The very foundation of Christian faith is based on this one truth…Jesus Christ came to save the world from sin and He is the only way to God…for just being a “good person” will never rescue you from going to Hell.
Judges 4:4 ” Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.”
Deborah was a judge, prophetess, and military heroine. She joined the apprehensive Barak to rally the tribes of Israel in a united attack on the Canaanites and gained a great victory for the people. Deborah was looked up to as one of the greatest leaders and judges in Israel. In Hebrews 11:32, Barak is commended for his faith because he trusted God and depended upon God’s spokesperson, Deborah. That spirit of Deborah is found in strong, confident women of God today. Women that God is using all the time to make a difference in His Kingdom. Women who I have the privilege of calling my dear friends.
Philippians 4:11 ” For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. “
One of my favorite times of day is early in the morning watching the sun come up… with a cat in my lap and a hot cup of coffee in my hands. It’s a chance before the world invades my mind to chat quietly with the Lord. For me it’s a time of total contentment…a chance to bask in the delight of knowing my Lord and Savior…and an opportunity to take pleasure in praying for others. I’ve discovered over the years that being content doesn’t depend on only favorable conditions around me…or that being satisfied with life can only be measured by huge accomplishments and miracles of God. No, true contentment is enjoying simple pleasures…those little blessings that only the Lord and I know about.
Philippians 2:5 ” Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
Jesus wasn’t cocky or arrogant. Nor was He condescending, even though He had every right to act in this manner. Just imagine, God came down from heaven and willingly became nothing. He humbled Himself to the lowest of social status…a slave or servant, as an example for us to follow. Servant-hood is probably one of the hardest things to do and do well. Our selfish human nature would rather be waited on, rather than wait on others. And the whole humility and obedience thing is in direct contradiction with everything the world tells us to do. But it all starts with our attitude as the verse says. For we can bring under submission our bad attitudes and then take on the role of servant for His glory. We can extend His grace and mercy with genuine love and concern if we become humble and obedient… with Jesus as our guide.
II Corinthians 10:4 ” The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
Our battle isn’t against this carnal world, so our weapon of choice shouldn’t be of this world. No, for spiritual warfare we need a unique and powerful weapon…a weapon straight from the most powerful source – God. Jeremiah 23:29 states, “Is not My Word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” God’s Word…His truth, is capable of destroying any stronghold that Satan has over a person’s life. So when you don’t know what to pray…pray God’s Word, the Scriptures, into the situation. By declaring His Word…all the power of heaven and earth is brought to bear by His authority.
Safetypinlove 