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.

By Jon Walker

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. . . . And everyone went to his own town to register. Luke 2:1, 3 (NIV)

Jesus was born in Bethlehem because God decreed it. His birth in Bethlehem was foretold by the ancient prophets. But what would compel Joseph and Mary to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, especially late in a pregnancy?

How would they, just as human as you and I and still looking through the glass darkly, know they were to go to Bethlehem for Jesus to be born?

In Luke 2, we see God used a bureaucratic announcement made by a secular authority to guide Joseph and Mary. Augustus said the population should be counted, and that meant everyone was required to return to their “ancestral home.” Joseph was a descendant of King David, so he headed toward David’s ancient home—Bethlehem (Luke 2:4–5).

Practical Nativity:

• You were born at the right time. God was not surprised by your birth, the circumstances of your birth, or where you were born. He spoke you into your mother’s womb and he knows you by name.
• You can be active, not passive in circumstances. Move from “Why me, God?” to “What’s up, God?” God is working all things out; look for where he is at work (Romans 8:28).

You have a hopeful future. How would you view the circumstances of this Christmas season differently if you were certain God was working in those circumstances? “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).

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.