Good morning family, in today’s devotion, let’s talk about today’s thought, “Let Us Now Go To Bethlehem”.

Today’s thoughts come from Luke 2:15-18 which says,
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

Luke shares Jesus’ birth story from the viewpoint of God’s interaction with the common man. From Luke’s account, we see four main characters in the text, and each of them gives us a different perspective for better understanding God’s love as he gave the gift of His Son unto us. We have Mary and Joseph, the angels, and the shepherds. 

Let’s look at the shepherds.

Why do the heralds (angels) appear to the shepherds, of all the people they could have appeared to? They didn’t appear to the wise men, who studied the stars, watching for the prophecy to be revealed; They didn’t appear to the Priests of the temple, who knew the law and what it foretold about the coming Messiah; They didn’t appear to the ruling powers or authorities who sat as princes in their palaces. Why come to shepherds?

What we see is a BIG GOD with a common touch; a King of the Universe who has chosen to deal with the common man. God is loving, yet wise and strategic in His dealings with mankind.

There were many different professions during the time of Jesus’ birth; you had blacksmiths, fishermen, farmers, carpenters, soldiers, priests, and many others, but shepherds were somewhat peculiar.

People lived in many small communities or family groupings, and the wealth of the community was often tied to the livestock (sheep). The sheep gave them milk, clothing, and food. 

Oftentimes, each family would only own one or maybe two sheep, so the community would choose a few trusted men to gather all the sheep and take them out to feed while also protecting them. 

These shepherds, therefore, were often looking after sheep that didn’t belong to themselves personally, but rather, they were the gatekeepers of the wealth and well-being of their community.

When God sent the angels to the shepherds, He knew that they were already trustworthy in looking after important things for others, so He entrusted them with the glad tidings of the Saviour’s birth.

Further, because these men were trusted by their communities to look after their best interests, the people would pay attention and listen to whatever news they brought, while also believing their words. What can both people and God trust you with today?

Pray with me: Father, I thank you today that like the shepherds in the story, give me the grace today that I too may become trusted with looking after the best interests and well-being of others; that I too may be an effective witness of the good news of Christ Jesus to the world around me. Amen.  

Remember to make time in your busy life to become a part of a good weekly Bible Study group so you can connect with others, build you faith, and learn and grow together as a family; because the truth of life is, you can’t succeed alone. 

Hey, if you’ve enjoyed this, share it with your family and friends, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to our channel/page. 

Blessings.