Devotional Song: Go to this link … Please take the time to take in video of group of children singing the old Christmas carol, While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, … telling the story of the first emissaries and evangelists after the birth of our Savior, … the lowly shepherds near Bethlehem.
Highlight Passage #1 Luke 2: 17-18 [NKJV] … The lowly shepherds in Bethlehem at the birth of the Savior, … the first evangelists.
17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
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Highlight Context - Luke 2: 8-20 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … The story of the blessed shepherds at the first Christmas
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Reference Passage #1 - Isaiah 9: 6 [NKJV] …
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Reference Passage #2 - Luke 1: 52 [NKJV] … … Mary sings of her coming child Who would be “God with us” …
14 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread devotional entry, authored by Randy Kilgore, reminds the ODB readers [that’s me!] of the fascinating Christmas irony where God gave the lowest of the low in the culture in those days, … shepherds …, the opportunity to be the first evangelists, telling of what they had seen near Bethlehem at the birth of our Messiah.
The shepherds, abiding their flocks in the field near Bethlehem, saw the Star and were visited by God’s Angel, announcing the birth of The Messiah; and they dropped everything (very unlike shepherds) to go and see this child. And having seen Him and worshipped the Christ child, they went about the countryside telling of what they had witnessed; and the people were amazed at their proclamations [see the highlight passage linked above].
Today is the Advent celebration of the birth of Our Lord, … THE MESSIAH!! And if we truly believe that He is THE ONE, the Good Shepherd, Who came to save us all, should we be any less enthusiastic than those shepherds in Bethlehem to share what we have seen? Has Christ changed your life? He certainly has mine.
So, in today’s ODB devotional I’m convicted to be more of a shepherd of the message of One we celebrate His coming today.
My Prayer for Today … Lord, … let me by a more vocal shepherd of the good news of Your coming to save lowly sinners like me. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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