Devotional Archives

December 19, 2021December 13, 2021

Come in Obedience

⁵ But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. ~ Micah 5:2

The Scripture says to the Little town of Bethlehem, you who are too little to be numbered among the clans of Judah… God does not choose the greatest or the largest. Neither does He choose the richest or the swift. It doesn’t depend on who you are, and neither is your past held against you.

Bethlehem was the smallest because the Benjamites had done an outrageous thing in Israel in Judges chapter 19. When the men of Gibeon wanted to rape the man from the hill country of Ephraim, he sent his concubine out to them, and they rapped her all night long.

In the morning, the man found her dead, her hand still clutching the threshold. A civil war broke out, and the men of the tribe of Benjamin were almost wiped out. Yet, God did not hold their past against them. But because of His servant David, the littlest town in all of Judea was chosen.

If God chose Bethlehem, because of His servant King David, in spite of their ancestors, how much more will He choose us in spite of our failures because of His Son Jesus Christ. He chooses those who are willing. All we have to do is come. For many are called, but few are chosen because few come in obedience.

Come in obedience. Come in faith, and the LORD Jesus will receive you this Christmas.

Heavenly Father, thank you for choosing us and loving us even though we were unlovable. Help us to live for You in obedience so that we might be pleasing to You. In Jesus Name, amen.

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Know Your Savior

¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. ~ Luke 2:12

Go on to Bethlehem and see so that you can have a personal experience with the Savior, and after you have that personal experience, you will know what to do. That’s what the angel was telling the Shepherds. Don’t just take my word for it; go see the Messiah. Go experience the Christ child, for He has come.

And when you come to Christ, you don’t have to be told what to do next. When you have the Christmas experience, God opens your eyes and shows you what to do next. The angel didn’t tell them that they had to tell others; when they got there, and they were in the presence of God, they knew what to do. When you know your Savior, He opens your eyes to the call He has on your life, for He is Christ the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know Your Savior.

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The Importance of Telling

¹⁴How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ~ Romans 10:14–15

That is why our Christmas Mandate is so important. Without it, many would perish, but because of the Christmas Mandate, they are now serving God. It is like the domino effect. One event causes another, and then another until it’s all accomplished.

What I mean is: First you must Come and See, so that you can have a personal experience. Then you must Go and Tell so that someone else can have a personal experience, then they do the same, and on and on it goes, in this beautiful circle, and it’s all for the glory of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Tell Someone of the Good News.

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Share His Experience

³⁸ Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹ He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. ⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). ~ John 1:38-41

If someone just tells you about an event or an experience, it’s not your experience; it’s theirs. But when you come and see, that experience is yours. No one can deceive you. No one can place doubts in your mind. No one can con you. It’s your experience, and therefore, it is personal to you. We must make the Gospel personal.

That doesn’t mean that we come and see and then keep all of the information to ourselves so that no one else can experience what we have experienced.

But rather, we now Go and Tell. We share the Good News of Christmas with others. We become the light in the darkness. We share the great news of Christmas; Christ the LORD has come.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Share His Experience.

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Share All You’ve Seen and Heard

¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ~ Luke 2:17–18

As soon as the shepherds had gone to Bethlehem and had seen and confirmed everything that the angel had told them, Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus lying in a manger, they made known the saying. In other words, they went and told.

They did not keep it to themselves; they shared the Good News of the Savior’s birth. It’s the Good News of Christmas. They felt they had no other choice but to share this exceedingly good news.

They were not asked to take the angel’s word for it. They were encouraged to go and see for themselves. Go and experience Jesus for themselves. Now that you’ve seen and experienced, go and tell what you have seen and what you have experienced.

It’s the Christmas Mandate. Go See; now Go Tell. Experience Christ for yourself. Don’t take your parent’s, your friend’s, your pastor’s, or anyone else’s word for it. Experience Christ for yourself this Christmas. No one can stand for you before Him on Judgment Day. If you have experienced Christ, share Him. Don’t keep Him to yourself. Share the good news. Go and tell of all He’s done for you. Fulfill your Christmas Mandate. Live your Christmas Mandate all year long.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Share All You’ve Seen and Heard.

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Go and Tell

¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ~ Luke 2:10-12

This is the very first Christmas. The long-awaited promise has finally come. The prophecy has finally been fulfilled. Joy should now fill every heart. A song should fill every mouth, for the LORD is come. Oh, come, let us adore Him. Oh, come, let us celebrate His coming. For He comes to seek and to save that which was lost. Praise the LORD.

The angel was, in fact, telling the shepherds, you need to go to Bethlehem and see this thing. This is the event you all have been waiting for your entire lives, and your parents before you, and their parents before them.

In other words, come and see. That is our Christmas mandate. Come and See; Go and Tell. It’s our Christmas mandate, and more than half of Christians do not know it even exists or can not recognize it. Maybe that is the reason why more and more Christians are falling down on their God-given responsibility of “Go and Tell.” They simply don’t know about it or are under the impression that it is not their personal responsibility.

According to Christ, it’s our responsibility. This is our call. This is our Don’tCommission. We are to tell the good news to anyone who will listen. Don’t wait any longer. Go and tell the good news. Christ has come. Hope is here. Salvation has been purchased for all of mankind. Don’t wait any longer. Don’t miss your opportunity. Don’t miss your Christmas mandate.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go and Tell.

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Listen to His Nudge

⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ~ Galatians 4:4-5

God didn’t wait until the last minute to send His Son into the world. He didn’t wait until it was almost too late. It was at the fullness of time that God gave the entire world hope. And we celebrate God’s gift of hope every Christmas.

Imagine if God waited. Imagine the lives that could’ve been lost. Imagine the people that wouldn’t’ve heard the good news. We all have a call on our lives, but if we aren’t awake and alert, paying attention to the times and to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we could miss our opportunity to share that hope with someone. The hope of eternal life. The hope of salvation. The hope of Jesus.

Don’t let all the bright shiny lights of the world null you to sleep. Wake up and pay attention to the subtle nudge of the Holy Spirit. He’s our guide, and if He could lead the wise men and the shepherds to be in the right place at the right time, then He can nudge and lead you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Listen to His Nudge.

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Safe in His Hands

²⁷My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰I and the Father are one. ~ John 10:27–30

There you have it from Jesus’ own mouth. No one can snatch us out of His hands. We are secure in His hands. All we have to do is to continue in obedience. All we have to do is abide in His everlasting, eternal love.

Therefore, Christmas is the security that we have in Jesus. That no matter what they take from us. No matter if they confiscate our property, and I believe that time is coming and is even right at the door when they will soon start the confiscation of Christian property to keep us compliant. Still, even if they do, they can’t take or confiscate our salvation.

So, no matter what may come your way, no one, and that means no one, can separate you from God. When we get all concerned about what’s happening around us, when we get all concerned when things aren’t going as we think they ought to, and we ask, what about all these times? We can have confidence that not even death can separate us from Christ, for to die is to gain.

Heavenly Father, help me to grasp the understanding that I am safe in Your hands. Help me to truly understand that nothing can penetrate Your love for me. Help me to understand that the only way I can be separated from You is to freely walk away, and may I never do so. Help me to build my life on You that my foundation may be strong and secure so that when rain and floods come my way, I can stand firm in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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