GOLDEN WORDS
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ* the Lord.
Luke 2:11 NIV
The simple shepherds heard the voice of an angel and found their Lamb; the wise men saw
the light of a star and found their Wisdom.
– Fulton J. Sheen
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December 22
"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished" (Luke 1:45).
What the Lord has said, He will do, and Mary believed this. Was Elizabeth thinking about her husband's lack of belief when he was told by the same angel Gabriel that he and his aged wife would now finally have a child?
God was about to accomplish what they had prayed for for years, and Zechariah asked, "How can I be sure of this?" (V.18). Mary asked in innocence and surprise but in acceptance, "How will this be...?" (V.34). How many times and in what manner have we questioned God about our circumstances? Our questions make a difference to Him.
Pat Nordman ©
Today's Bible Question
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Previous question and Answer: What prophet prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem? |
Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions |
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Spurgeon's Morning for December 22 |
Spurgeon's Evening for December 22 |
| "I will strengthen thee." - Isaiah 41:10 |
"The spot of his children." - Deuteronomy 32:5 |
Think not that the strength of man shall ever be able to overcome the power of God. Whilst the earth’s huge pillars stand, thou hast enough reason to abide firm in thy faith. The same God who directs the earth in its orbit, who feeds the burning furnace of the sun, and trims the lamps of heaven, has promised to supply thee with daily strength. |
Now, we are told concerning our Lord, "to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to as many as believed on his name." Then, if I have received Christ Jesus into my heart, I am a child of God. |
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Savior
Like A Shepherd
One Christmas Eve, Ira D. Sankey was traveling by steamboat up the Delaware River.
Asked to sing, Mr. Sankey sang the “Shepherd Song.” After the song was ended, a man
with a rough, weather-beaten face came up to Mr. Sankey and said: “Did you ever serve in
the Union Army?” “Yes,” answered Mr. Sankey, “in the spring of 1860.” “Can you
remember if you were doing picket duty on a bright, moonlit night in 1862?” “Yes,”
answered Mr. Sankey, very much surprised. —Religious Digest |
Christmas Quotation, Fact and Inspiration.
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Today's Devotion |
| "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD LORD. . . SHEPHERDS?!" by Tim Knappenberger |
Can't
you just hear the heavenly hosts: "Shepherds?! We're going to make THE most holy,
THE most monumental, THE most anticipated announcement of ALL time to SHEPHERDS??!! Lord,
are You absolutely sure?! No disrespect meant, Oh Most High, but we've been practicing for
millennia for this very event and you want us to deliver it to . . . well, uh, (Let's see,
how can we say this gracefully?) . . . SHEPHERDS!!??" OK, so maybe I've
imparted a few more humanly qualities to these heavenly beings than I should. After all,
one of the traits that make angels angelic is their unquestioning obedience to the Lord.
But I can very easily hear us say such things had we been permitted to stand near the
throne of God when the order to announce Christ's birth was issued: "For cryin'
out loud Lord, shepherds?!" God could not have chosen a more unlikely and less regal band of men. A modern day corollary might be sanitation engineers (garbage collectors, no less). Hard working, but of very low career-estate. Not ones noted for making public speeches, let alone entrusted with eternity-altering pronouncements. In 1st Century Palestine, shepherds were the lowest of the social status low. They were so disregarded and distrusted by Hebrew society at-large that they were not permitted to testify in court. They smelled and were considered rough and crude. A shepherd was not what you wanted your good Jewish son or daughter to aspire to. But shepherds it was. Thankfully for us, God could not have made a more reassuring choice. Picking shepherds says a great deal about what goes on in the mind of our Creator; imaginings that should stir our souls. In picking shepherds God says:
Yep, shepherds. Common folk like you and me. Smelly, rough, and sometimes liars to others as well as ourselves. But in the blink of an eye and with one word from Jehovah God, we, as they, become messengers and emissaries of the most fantastic news to ever hit this planet. LOOK OUT WORLD! YOUR GOD IS COMING TO YOU! Yes, it's amazing what God can do with shepherds. One day a herd-tender; the next a Messiah-announcer. Yes, shepherds crying out loud: Glory to God in the highest! |
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| 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. And suddenly there
was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:8-14 |
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Send a note to Tim Knappenberger at: TKNAPPENBERGER@neo.rr.com
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