Journey to Bethlehem: An Advent Challenge

Day 17: Read Luke 2:15-18

Shepherds Hear About Jesus

Luke 2:15-18 continues the shepherds' story. After the angels left the shepherds and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem. Let's see this thing that has happened which the Lord told us about." The shepherds went quickly to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby (Jesus). Jesus was lying in a feeding box, just as the angels had said. When the shepherds had seen him, they told everyone what the angels had said about the child. The people were amazed at the shepherds' words.

In the scripture angels and prophets are the primary source of God's messages to His people. Yes, He spoke to other people directly, but primarily the messages were delivered in the form of angels or prophets. So when the angels told the shepherds about the birth of Jesus and told them to go find him, this was a direct message from God. God was telling the shepherds, through His angels, to find His son and to worship God because of His son. The shepherds heard the news of the angels and chose to obey God. Their obedience brought them to the birth place of the Savior and they were able to experience a new aspect of God. When the shepherds found the family and when they saw the baby the angels spoke of, they decided to share the good news with the family. The shepherds didn't know that angels had already revealed the truth to Mary and Joseph and they wanted everyone to know the good news of the baby. The sharing of the angels' words invited more people into the good news of the Savior's birth and allowed more people to give glory to God.

From this passage we can learn how to be more like the shepherds. First, the shepherds took the directions they were given by God and obeyed them immediately. The angels appeared to them at night and the shepherds were likely tired, yet they still journeyed further to obey God. The shepherds didn't complain about the directions given to them, but instead excitedly acted upon their instructions. Second, when the shepherds found who they were looking for, thus verifying the words of the angels,  they immediately shared the good news that the angels spoke of to them. Their words could have been ridiculed and they may have even be seen as sleep-deprived, but the shepherds didn't allow the potential reactions of others to deter them from sharing the good news. When God gives us a direction we should obey Him immediately and then share the good news with everyone who will listen. The shepherds' decision to share the good news brought many more people into the truth of the Savior's birth.

Journey to Bethlehem: An Advent Challenge

Day 13: Read Micah 5:2-5

The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem

Micah 5:2-5 is an important prophecy for Christians, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are too small to be among the army groups from Judah, from you will come one who will rule Israel for me. He comes from very old times, from days long ago." The writer goes on to say that the Lord will give up his people until the one who is having a baby gives birth and then the rest of his relatives will return to the people of Israel. When this happens the ruler of Israel will stand and take care of his people with the Lord's strength. He will have the power of the name of the Lord his God. The Israelites will live in safety because his greatness will reach all over the earth. He will bring peace.

Israel and Judah had seperated. The people once united were at odds with each other and this made them open to temptation from the neighboring countries. The people would go through long periods of time where they didn't obey God and it was during these times that the people faced war, as well as captivity at the hands of their enemies. The prophecy recorded in Micah 5:2-5 would have come as a tremendous blessing to the people of Judah and Israel because it promised safety in the form of a Savior who would rule over them. 

Once again, we see that God likes using a small, insignificant object or person to be the source of His blessing for His people. In the prophecy we see that God has chosen Bethlehem, a town so small that it isn't allowed to be part of Judah's army, to be the birth place of the Savior, the one who will rule Israel for Him. The prophecy begins to illustrate that the Savior will be God by indicating that He is from old times, He will have the Lord's strength, and finally that He will have the power of the name of the Lord his God. Micah 5:2-5 also states that God intends to leave His people until the birth of the Savior. I believe that God gives up His people so that they will be ready when His son is born and will recognize Him as their Savior. When Jesus is born the people of Israel are so ready for their Savior that wise men are studying the stars looking for signs of His arrival. The birth of the Savior is the start of this prophecy, but the prophecy ends when He comes again. It is then that the Israelites will have safety and live in peace.

November Challenge: Day 1

Today is the first day of November, which means it is day one of the intentional gratitude challenge. Each and every day we are given dozens of reasons to be grateful, giving hearty thanks to God, but most of us forget we are blessed and overlook the very ways God is blessing us. When we overlook or forget God's blessings, it becomes very easy to be weighed down by life's circumstances and even become bitter. A bitter heart doesn't produce fruit. Much like the withered fig tree, as long as our heart's our bitter the heart will not produce fruit. Our heart is not a withered fig tree and this is where we are blessed. Jesus cursed the fig tree because it didn't produce any figs and the tree withered up, removing all possibility of producing fruit, but He didn't curse our hearts, which allows us the opportunity to remove bitterness, through pruning, and go on producing fruit. We can prune bitterness from our hearts when we are intentional about our gratitude and remember our blessings. A few days ago I presented this challenge and I really hope you join me in pruning our hearts for a fruitful harvest. 

Today's blessing came to me in the form of an email. Going into this challenge I had some ideas of what I wanted to write about, areas I knew I should be grateful for, but this morning as I read my email I knew that this (email) was what I needed to be grateful for. A few months ago, through FaithGateway, I joined a 40 Days to Glory memory verse challenge and after completing the challenge I started receiving a Devotionals Daily email as a thank you for participating. The Devotionals Daily emails are today's blessings. Every day I receive them I am given a blessing, an excerpt from a Godly person's book, and insight into my own life. Each devotional has a way of speaking to my present circumstances and encourages me to think about the impact that topic has on my life. One day was about evil and spoke about how our battle wasn't really with others, but with evil (Satan). This was encouraging because we know God already won that battle through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

While today's was about the danger of looking for a savior in anyone other than Jesus and in trying to be a savior to someone else. Today's devotional was surprising. Most people, when asked, would deny seeking a savior in someone other than Jesus or in trying to be a savior themselves, but often times this is exactly what we end up doing. We create a dependence on other people or other people create a dependence on us for their source of happiness and hope in the future. The result is a crushing weight and often the cutting of ropes. Relationships are ended and hearts are devastated. All of this because we had unrealistic expectations in ourselves or others. This harsh truth comes at a time when I need to analyze my own role and actions in relationships and I am grateful for the wisdom of this devotional. I am thankful there is one who still exists to save me and I am blessed by our relationship. With every breath I take I can be grateful that Jesus Christ is my savior. 

Today, what are you choosing to be thankful for?