When God Says …
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12 KJV).
Amazingly, when the angel of the Lord announced the birth of God’s Only Begotten Son, the King of Kings, he gave the exact location to the fearful shepherds as the One "lying in a manger." The truths that Luke wants us to get a grasp on in these passages, can be described into these several powerful reveals:
* God pointed us to the imagery that ties him to the people of promise who were family of shepherds from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who were the ancestors of God’s chosen people, Israel.
* The shepherds who were profiled by the culture of the time as the least in the eyes of their class conscious society, God announced the birth of His Son to them first. This is part of Luke's emphasis on God's desire to reach all kinds of people across every strata. The King of All Kings was announced first to the least in the eyes of men!
* The Savior entered the world in humble form and circumstances, born to an ordinary and otherwise unnoticeable family in an animal barn.
God is showing a new way to the world that touches the grand and the overlooked, the noble and the ignoble, the glorious and the downtrodden, those who hold the promise and those who are reaching out for hope, are all combined into God's story of grace, love and salvation. The yarn that stitched this tapestry of grace is God's love. His loom is the Holy Spirit. His good news is that the Lord Jesus Christ, God's only Son and our Savior, has arrived at a location we can all find, knocking on the door of our hearts.
This exhortation of Apostle Paul sums it all up. “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment