This morning (Christmas Eve) while reading through the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke, I stopped to read some of my Bible’s footnotes, and there’s one that I can’t seem to stop thinking about. In reference to the shepherds coming to see Jesus, the footnote reads…
Jesus’ birth was not first announced to royalty or people of high social status and influence. It is likely that such people would have been preoccupied with other concerns. Intellectuals would have been skeptical and authorities would have been insecure about what Christ’s coming would mean for their own position. But the shepherds were common people – the kind who would almost always receive Jesus’ message more enthusiastically. They did not presume to have anything more important in their lives. They responded to the message immediately; and after they had seen Jesus, they spread the good news about him without shame or hesitation.
There may have been many different reasons why the shepherds were the one chosen to first hear the news of our Savior’s birth. The reasoning given in the footnotes isn’t what definitely happened. No one knows what God was thinking in that moment. As I read over them, though, I realized that these are all things that keep people today, myself included, from all that God has planned for us.
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Let’s look at the list again…
Royalty & high status: Preoccupied and busy
Intellectuals: Skeptical
Authorities: Insecure
Have you ever felt God call you to something? Maybe a change in major. Decision in a relationship. Spending a few weeks or months on the missions field. Accepting an internship or job far away from home. Getting more involved in church. The list could go on. Whatever it was, can’t you potentially see these three human tendencies getting in the way? For starters, we often make our lives so busy that we don’t even leave time to spend with God. Spending time doesn’t mean three minutes to read two Bible verses. Actually taking the time to quiet your mind and focusing on Him. The royalty and high-status people of Jesus’ time may have been too busy to go stop by and see a baby in a stable. We are at risk of being too busy to even hear what God would like to use us to do.
The intellectuals were at risk of being skeptical of such an event happening in Bethlehem. We’re at risk of trying to reason and logically explain our way through everything. In reality, God doesn’t live by our 21st-century logic and reasoning. Maybe you have a bachelor’s degree in biology, but feel like God is calling you to something totally unrelated. Or maybe the world is telling you that you need to get a master’s as soon as you graduate undergrad, but information about missions keeps coming up. Don’t immediately become skeptical. Pray about it. Bring the situation to God and see if it is Him speaking to you about the change or decision.
Lastly, the authorities might have been insecure if they heard that the Savior had been born. In Matthew, it says that this actually was a concern of King Herod. We might not be insecure of someone taking our power away, but it’s not rare to feel insecure about our capabilities. One of my favorite quotes is, “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” The thing God is calling you too might seem outrageous. It might actually be way out of your comfort zone, but that’s not a good enough reason to say “No”. If God is calling you to something, He’s not just going to abandon you once you start. Trust that He is always right there by your side.
That’s really what it all boils down to. Trust. If we trusted God’s plan for our lives we wouldn’t be so busy that we fail to spend time with Him. If we trusted Him, we could be a little skeptical, but we would continue to trust through it. Insecurity stems from situations that lack trust. During this last week of the year and as we head into 2017, take the time to think about your life. Are you at risk for missing out on the great things God is doing like the royalty, intellectuals, and authorities of Jesus’ time? It's break, you have lots of time, take a few minutes and think about it. Commit 2017 to being a year where you open your life up more to God’s leading and direction than ever before.
