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Daily Devotion: Luke 2:8-11

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Luke 2:8-11   "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  (9)  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.  (10)  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  (11)  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Have you ever wondered why the Lord chose to reveal this amazing event to the lowly shepherds?  It seems in that time that the shepherds were considered as lesser citizens. Remember when the Lord sent the Prophet Samuel to anoint the second king of Israel? Even Jesse, the father, thought the older sons would surely be the one selected by God; yet, God chose the younger son, David the shepherd.  On this momentous occasion, God chose to send the birth announcement to those shepherds who must have been forgotten by everyone else; but, they were faithful in carrying out their appointed duty of keeping the sheep. It is not insignificant that we are told, they were "keeping watch over their flock by night."  They were not sleeping. They were not inattentive to their responsibility; rather, they were "keeping watch."  They were doing what they were supposed to be doing and they were doing it well.  It was to these men that God sent the angel with the glorious message, "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."

We are told throughout Scripture that God reveals Himself to those who are lowly in heart. Hear the words of Jesus, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight." (Matthew 11:25-26)  Then the Apostle Paul was inspired to write these words, "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." (1 Corinthians 1:21)  He went on to say, "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25) To me, this is saying that in order to see, understand, and rejoice in the glorious message of Christ's birth, we must lay aside our own thoughts and ideas.  The simple truth is this, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)  Let us receive and rejoice in this blessed truth.

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