Advent: A Calendar of Devotions 12/23/2019

Monday, December 23, 2019

Micah 5:2-6

“But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace. If the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil, we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight installed as rulers. They shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword; they shall rescue us from the Assyrians if they come into our land or tread within our border.”

Jesus is the great Shepherd! He seeks the lost to bring them home.

“Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” ~Hebrews 13:20-21

As we approach Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, let us remember the love and sacrifices Jesus made to seek us and redeem us. The picture above remind me of cards with Bible stories printed on them that I received when I was very young and attending Sunday school. I had a wonderful teacher by the name of Roberta “Birdie” Smith. I’m so grateful for her faith and love for Jesus. She taught me so many value lessons, many I didn’t not fully understand until I was well into my adult years. She planted seeds that she was unable to see grow, produce and come full circle. If you are reading this and you know “Birdie” I’m confident that you too, were blessed by her. Christmas is a time of sharing with family and friends, gift exchanges and sharing meals and giving thanks for all these things. Most important of all is the celebration of Jesus’ birth, Jesus reunites is with God the Father. My hope is to remind everyone to keep “Christ” in Christmas and that Jesus, is the reason for the season. Gifts from the heart no matter the size, quantity or price tag are the most value, in fact they are priceless. I simple hug can made all the difference in the world to someone who feels like they don’t exist. Diamonds may be a girls best friend but having Jesus in your heart is out of this world spectacular!

Friends, we are never too far gone that Jesus can’t bring us back home.

Prayer:

Lord Almighty, you search after the lost because we belong to you. We try to extend ourselves beyond your reach, not realizing you will stop at nothing to find us. As we try to run, bring us back and remind us of your grace and mercy. ~Amen.

~Hope-Peace-Joy-Love~

References:

http://www.biblegateway.com/

https://biblehub.com/library/newton/messiah_vol_1/sermon_xiii_the_great_shepherd.htm