Jesus' First Coming part 5 - We Must Share That Peace Like the Shepherds Did

 ​ The hymn "Wer​​e you there on that Christmas night," has the words, "did you know it was God's own son. The salvation of the world begun." It was a long road from there to His victory shout of "it is finished!" However, we know God will finish what He started.

Our previous devotional talked about peace on Earth and how the V for victory sign is the same people use for peace nowadays. What we celebrate when we celebrate Jesus’ birthday is the start of that victory over sin which Jesus won for us on the cross.

Jesus’ mission was to come into this world to seek and to save that which was lost. 9Mat. 18:11, Luke 19:10) He came humbly because He wanted us to see He wouldn’t play favorites. It wouldn’t be because of our wealth or education or any kind of works that we’d get to Heaven. Salvation is by “grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

He came to the shepherds because their hearts were already humble. They realized they weren’t perfect. They didn’t have all the power and money and other things that draw our attention away from God. Sure, the scribes and Pharisees could have come; they could have heard the Wise Men were there, they could have gotten news as it trickled up from Bethlehem and gone before then even. But, they didn’t.

In the same way, Jesus tells us to go out and reach others. And, those who receive Him are more often going to be those who don’t have a lot in this world. Sure, some smart and rich and highly educated people come to know Jesus as Saviour. But they usually get saved either when they are children or are like my friend Sander, who has a Masters Degree and would only have to write a thesis to earn a Doctorate in History.

Sander became a believer about 18 months ago after years of slow, steady influence from me (33 years as best friends) and his girlfriend of 8 years now, Brenda. He had trouble with faith, and still struggles. He really needed that consistent friendship and to see God at work, like the faith I had and the way I healed so fast when I broke my leg. He says that was crucial, how I kept my faith; whether I recoverd or not, I knew God would heal me in Heaven if not before, and God was good no matter what. He saw I knew God had a perfect plan for my life.

It all began when Jesus came toEarth. Victory over sin comes because He became sin for us, though He knew no sin.(2 Cor. 5:21) He never sinned, you He took our sins in His own body, the just for the unjust. And, that victory is for anyone who will trust Him to save them

We all have favorite parts of “the Christmas story,” as it’s called. But, let’s not forget that while the people are all real, they can also represent people we know nowadays. Some of us know people who are like the Wise Men, some like the Shepherds, some like the scribes, etc.

Some are like the innkeeper, who told Mary and Joseph there was no room for them. He was trying to do the right thing; He didn’t want a young teenage mother and her newborn around a bunch of rough characters who might harm them, if by accident. Some of the people at the inn would have been drinking a lot, after all.And, he did provide them room, in a way; the stable might have even been on the inn’s property. It was perhaps warmer than the inn itself. He has been vilified so much you’d think he was Cruella DeVille, but rather people like that need mercy and love so they can see that man’s ways aren’t God’s ways.Sure, it can be a symbol for the problem when we don’t have room for God in our hearts and our busy lies, but it can also show the dangers of not being willing to understand and love others.

Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. Use this time to share in any way you can the love of Jesus and how He can save those you come in contact with; each of us is only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life.