Saturday Morning Devotional

Lessons from the Christmas Shepherds

Can you imagine being the first person to get to see Jesus in the Flesh?   That would be mind boggling.  In today’s world, there is no way you could even come close to a baby of a celebrity or world leader, and yet this Baby was the King of all Kings! You would think that you would have to be of the utmost importance to have that honor!  However, things aren’t always as they seem. He chose lowly shepherds to see His Son first. Let’s take a look at lessons from the Christmas shepherds.

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You all know the story.  The angels announced His birth to the shepherds – lowly shepherds who were rejected by society.  They were considered the lowliest of people.  After working in the fields for days and weeks, they probably had quite a stench!  So many times they had been ignored, avoided, and scorned.  Society may have rejected them, but they were accepted and chosen by the Lord.

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“And in the same region shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the Glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” Luke 2:8-9

“But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the City of David a Savior was born for you, Who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.'” Luke 2:10-12

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When a person is beat up emotionally, the last thing they usually want to do is to draw attention to themselves.  I feel like this described the shepherds; they would have tried to stay out of the limelight for the most part.  However, after experiencing the Lord’s acceptance, they had a newfound confidence.  They went with boldness and urgency to see Christ, and they left sharing the Good News with people they passed, most likely even ones who had rejected them.

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“When the angels had left them and returned to Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the Baby Who was lying in the manger.” Luke 2: 15-16  

“After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this Child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” Luke 2:17-18

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The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:20

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Lessons from the Christmas Shepherds:

• The Lord is not a respecter of persons. He created each one of us and loves us all. We just need to receive His acceptance.
• There is no reason to categorize people. If the Lord loves and accepts us, why should we even consider putting down someone else?
• If we have the Lord, we shouldn’t worry about what others think about us.
• The love of Christ should give us a boldness and urgency to share His Good News with everyone we meet.
• Just the fact that Christ forgave us of our sins should make us more forgiving and gracious to others, even those who have hurt us.

As we go through these days of Christmas, let’s have the same boldness and urgency to share the Good News that the shepherds had long ago. This Christmas season is the best time to start sharing.

Quotes of the Week

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Song

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“Go Tell It On The Mountain” has a great message for each one of us. Click here to listen to it.

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5 of the Easiest Candy Recipes You Will Ever Find

Remember to subscribe to get these recipes. Even if you subscribed earlier, it will still send you the email to get the downloads. I cannot tell you how quick and easy these candy recipes are, right in time for Christmas! These are the candies included:

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• Peanut Butter Fudge
• Creamy Chocolate Fudge
• Nut Clusters
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars
• Toffee (This is my new favorite!)

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If you missed the 1st two devotionals in this series, you can see them here:

1 – Lessons from the Christmas Inn Keeper.

2 – Lessons from the Christmas Star

I hope you enjoyed today’s devotional! I look forward to the next few weeks as we look at some of the different perspectives of Christmas.

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Have a Grace & Joy-filled day!

Susan

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“When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy.” Psalms 94:19