On this significant day of this year, I am challenged to think about the new year approaching. I will never see another 12-12-12 here on earth. Am I living today with the faith of the shepherds at the time of Jesus' birth? I want my faith to increase in 2013. Here are 12 thoughts on the shepherds of Luke 2:8-20.
1.They were going about their daily duties when the angels appeared. {I have duties God has placed in my life.}
2.They “heard” what the angels said and understood. {Am I listening to what the Holy Spirit says to me?}
3.They left their duties to see the most important One. There was no public ado, no pomp, no prizes… just a simple announcement that the Savior was being born near a manger. {I have an ongoing invitation to meet with my Savior each day in a quiet, undistracted place.}
4.They were expecting this birth to “come to pass” and knew that the promise had been from the Lord. {What promises am I claiming with belief, expecting God to bring them to pass in my life?}
5.They went hastily to see Baby Jesus. {Do I go quickly to meet with Him each day? Do I expect to see God's promises come to pass?}
6.They “saw” God's miraculous doing with their own eyes. {Am I looking for God to answer my prayers? Am I looking for His promises to me found in His precious Word?}
7.They “made known abroad” what they had heard and seen come to pass. {Am I sharing with others what God has done in my life?}
8.They did not force their God upon others, but others “wondered” at what they shared about their God. {Do others ever even wonder about my God by how I live and by what I share about Him?”
9. They could not stay at the birthplace of Jesus forever, and they returned to their daily duties. {There is a time to meet with God, and there is a time to return to daily work and schedules.}
10.They glorified God.{I can glorify God by letting Him work in me and through me.}
11.They praised God. {With my mouth, I can speak or sing of His greatness and His goodness.}
12.They recognized God “in all the things” they had experienced. {In ALL the things that I have to do, in ALL the things I cannot change, in ALL the things God does… I can praise Him.}
Luke 2:20 “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”