A Savior for Nobodies

This week we are taking a look at the Christmas story through the eyes of yet one more person who got to witness it firsthand. When Jesus was born, the news was shouted from the highest heights, but it was shouted to the least likely people to receive the message. Out of this, God revealed something important to us. Keep reading to find out what that is and what it means for our lives today.

A Savior for Nobodies

Another cold night. Just like the last one. And the one before that. And the one before that. I can’t even remember the last time I was warm. I mean, the sun is nice during the day, but man do the nights get cold at this time of year. I know what you’re thinking: Who would be outside at night when the temperature is like this? Me, that’s who! Me, the guy who does the work nobody else wants to do. Me, the guy who always gets overlooked. Me, the guy nobody ever seems to want around. I’ve got to tell you, the lot of a shepherd is rough.

Read the rest…

Morning Musing: Ephesians 3:20

“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever had in mind exactly what you wanted to happen and then things did not go that way? I suspect so. I suspect so not because I know you, but because that’s common. That’s the root of all disappointment, and in a world broken by sin, disappointment is par for the course. But, when things didn’t go the way you wanted them to go, did they ever turn out better than you imagined? If you are a follower of Jesus, you serve the God who specializes in doing just that.

Read the rest…

Morning Musing: Luke 1:37

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

What exactly does it mean that something is impossible? At a strictly practical level, it means that whatever it is cannot happen. There is no chance of it taking place. The way we generally use the word, though, it means simply that we consider whatever it is to be highly unlikely. What Gabriel said to Mary here, though, seems to demand a bit of explanation. Nothing will be impossible? Really?

Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Jeremiah 1:5

“I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

Mary was called to a big task. I mean, in an entirely practical sense, she wasn’t called to anything she wasn’t already going to experience herself in a few years—Jesus had other siblings—but the timing, the nature, and the birth circumstances of this particular child were going to be a big task. And because God Himself was so invested in this task, we can rest assured that He wouldn’t have chosen Mary for it unless He was certain she could handle it. The same goes for us. Let’s talk about why.

Read the rest…

Morning Musing: Isaiah 53:4-5

“Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever set out down a path you knew wasn’t going to end well? Or, let me change that just a bit. Have you ever set out down a path that you knew was going to eventually have a good ending, but the journey to get there was going to be exceedingly difficult? When God the Son left His throne in heaven and came to earth as a baby, He knew just what He was getting into. How do we know? Because He told us long before He got here. Isaiah tells us about it in this passage.

Read the rest…