Can you remember the excitement of announcing a special event? Perhaps it was your engagement, a new birth, or a new job opportunity. Can you remember the kind of thought and preparation you put into making public your exciting news? God showcased His excitement in the starry night sky over the fields of Judea when Christ the Savior was born.
According to Luke 2:8-20, God made public the birth of Christ with a choir of angels lighting up the night sky. Interestingly, Caesar Augustus had no knowledge of this from his palace in Rome. Even King Herod was not yet aware from his palace in Jerusalem. No, the Lord chose to make His public announcement to shepherds. This was the lowliest occupation in all of Israel. Why would you suppose God would announce the greatest news in human history to the lowliest people?
Could it be that God shares His best secrets with people who have humble obedience? Notice Luke 2:15, “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” They did not wait for their shift to end, nor did they wait for a better time in the week or month. According to verse sixteen, they went with haste. It is the people who are quick to obey that God reveals His best to. The principle we learn from these lowly shepherds is swift obedience.
Many of us know what God wants us to do, yet we are slow in getting started. In God’s eyes, delayed obedience is the same as disobedience. Why was the immediate act of the shepherds following the directions of the angels so important? Because like us, their obedience was directly tied to their worship. As you examine your heart this Christmas season, are there any areas of disobedience or is anything hindering your worship?
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