GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” . . . So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Luke 2:12, 16 (NIV)

If we believe what we say we believe, then when God says it is so, it is so. But, we so often doubt.

The interaction between the angel and the shepherds in Luke 2 shows a simple, yet significant sequence: The angel says, “You will find a baby lying in a manger,” and when the shepherds got to Bethlehem, “there was the baby, lying in a manger.”

God told them what they would find, and they found exactly what God told them they would find.

You and I would live very differently if we followed a similar sequence: When God says it, we know it is true, and when we follow what we are told, we see that God’s promise is true.

If we could just stop slipping and sliding in our faith, we’d be so radically different!

Practical Nativity:

• Faithfully respond to what you hear. The shepherds could have questioned the message: “You know, maybe God really meant to check for the baby in the hotel. It just isn’t logical that a newborn would be out with the livestock.” In faith, they followed God’s voice.
• Toss the “Believe Harder!” hat. God’s not tapping his foot with his arms crossed, ready to pounce on you with a reprimand. He’s walking on the water, encouraging you to join him in his walk! Rest in God’s grace, knowing he wants you to succeed at hearing what he says and doing what he tells you to do.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.