The shepherds had just experienced the greatest light show ever…more sensational than the biggest fireworks display…more glorious than anything the world had ever seen. Mixed with their awe and wonder was excitement…they had just been told about the coming Messiah. No wonder they all agreed to, “go to Bethlehem and see this thing,(Rhema) the Lord has told us about.” They had been given God’s Word…the Greek word is Rhema…and their enthusiasm was infectious. And after they had found the Christ child, their elation didn’t wane, for in Luke 2:17 it tells us that, ” When they had seen Him, they spread the Word ( Rhema) concerning what they had been told about this child.” These plain, ordinary men were the very first missionaries, spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. They had no Theological degrees or advanced education… God’s Word had touched them and couldn’t contain their elation. They were compelled to tell others just as we should be. For the greatest story ever told is the one they spread…a Savior has been born to you; He is Jesus Christ the Lord.
Tag: daily devotion
Luke 2:8-11 ” And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.’ “
Why did God choose to proclaim the coming Messiah to the shepherds? They were far from the politically elite…and at the other end of the spectrum from the powerful religious circle. So what did God see in that rag-tag group of blue-collar workers in that field outside of Bethlehem to warrant such a grand and glorious display to announce the coming of His Son? In a word, He saw us. He didn’t wish to address the political or religious bigwigs…He chose rather to tell the working class…people like you and me the good news of Jesus Christ. And this holds true today…the Lord Jesus Christ has come for you and me… common, ordinary people who need a Savior.
Luke 2:6-7 ” While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 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.”
For Mary, this was her first baby…and for the world, it was likewise a new beginning. For Mary, it was her first labor and delivery in rather dismal conditions.. for us, it was the gift of a new start. It tells us in Colossians 1:15 that, “He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over all creation.” When that tiny baby was born, the manifestation of God the Father came to earth to dwell among us. And when Mary laid baby Jesus in that manger, surrounded by livestock and hay, the preeminence over all creation arrived to light the way for sinners.
Luke 2:4-5 ” So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.”
Caesar Augustus had given a command that the whole Roman Empire should have an official count of the population. So we see Joseph and Mary headed to Bethlehem…Joseph’s home town to be recorded. This earthly father of Jesus was a kind carpenter by trade…a conscientious Jew who adhered to the Law…but who had to totally trust God when he found out Mary was pregnant. This quiet man had to work through hurt, confusion, and wounded feelings to rely solely on the Lord’s promise of the coming Messiah.
Isaiah 7:14 ” The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
This may be one of the most well-known prophecies of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Uttered by Isaiah in 734 BC, this unbelievable miracle is so far-fetched, so difficult for us to put our heads around, that it can be only be God that can accomplish it. It goes far beyond Anatomy and Physiology…far beyond our scope of understanding…into the realm of signs and wonders. ” And He will be called Immanuel”…God with us. If you stop to think about it, this is probably the greatest miracle of all. Almighty God came down from heaven and lived among us in the tiny form of a baby…that we may be saved from our sins.
Isaiah 42:6-7 ” I will keep You and will make You to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
The Prophet Isaiah again speaks of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. These verses speak of the promise to come for both Jew and Gentile… of life, salvation, wisdom and justice in place of spiritual blindness, falsehood, and ignorance. At the very beginning of His Ministry, Jesus confirms this in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus is the covenant between God and us…He’s the bridge over the deep chasm that keeps us far from God… for no one can come to the Father except through Him.
Isaiah 28:16 ” So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.’ “
This Messianic prophecy of Isaiah’s pointed to the coming of Jesus Christ. It correlates with the verse in Psalm 118:22 which says, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.” Jesus is the only firm foundation on which anyone can build their life. He is the chief cornerstone of our faith and trust…for only through Him do we have the forgiveness of sins and hope of eternal life.
Isaiah 11:1 ” A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
Researching genealogy and our ancestry has become a popular pastime…and it’s fun to find out where we came from. Likewise, we can start to trace Jesus Christ’s lineage from this verse. Here Isaiah spoke of the coming Messiah as the branch or shoot spouting up from the stump or roots of Jesse, King David’s father. Matthew 1:1-14 then gives us the complete genealogy of Jesus…all 42 generations. This family tree is spoke about again in Revelation 5:5, “See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” But Jesus also transcends all genealogy, all ancestry as we know it…for He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end…all man, but all God.
Ephesians 2:10 ” For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
God has things for you to be doing. It says here that with loving forethought, He readied them at the dawn of creation just for you. The Lord created you to fulfill these deeds of good to your fellow man…using the gifts, talents, and passions you possess in a totally unique way only you can. Even the vilest of us have the capacity to be kind…for we all are made in God’s image and capable of showing consideration towards others. We love because He first loved us is shown clearly in Titus 2:14, “Jesus gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people who are His very own, eager to do what is good.” Let us be a people who are eager to do what is good.
Matthew 6:27 ” Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? “
In our minds, we’d love to have it…the perfect Christmas, complete with bells and mistletoe, gifts and family. But it usually doesn’t work out that way, and in the weeks leading up to Christmas stress takes over and we find ourselves focused on the wrong things. We’re worshipping the problems by worrying…we’re devoting ourselves to a crazy schedule out of desperation…and we’re putting up on a pedestal the to-do list only we think must get done. Quit fretting and stewing over the small stuff…Christmas will happen with or without every detail being done and it will be perfect in its imperfect way. For if you think about it…there has been only one “perfect” Christmas…and it happened in all places – a cow shed.
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