Advent Devotional: Day 1
“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”
Did the town of Bethlehem have a self-esteem problem? Perhaps not … it may be that they were just as God planned for them to be: small. While this prophecy acknowledges Bethlehem’s size, and the town’s unlikeliness for anything “big” to come from there, it’s more important that God declares, against all odds, “You are in My plan, and it’s gonna be big!” God would not be thwarted in His plan to bring our Ruler, the Savior Jesus, to us. Hope will arrive … in Bethlehem? Yep, Bethlehem!
Now, some believers may relate to Bethlehem. Like lowly shepherds, already small, already humble, all ready for our God to work His plan through you to love and lead others to His glory.
You may know that this is also the prophecy King Herod received when the wise men came a long way to find Jesus. Herod met this plan with hostility and rebellion. He was much too “big” and had no room for a surprise like this. (Which, by the way, was actually not a surprise. It was foretold.) It meant salvation, sanctification, a new way to live and be transformed. Herod’s response? “Nope! Not happening!”
But are WE open to a surprise? An abrupt irritation, an unusual revelation, a foreign message, even a big hurt? God told us these things would happen. Perhaps as His gifts to transform us. But will we “rulers” resist him? Or will we want transformation, enough to become small, make room, forsake our comforts even our power? If we clothe ourselves with humility, we will be a part of God’s plan. It doesn’t take much to begin; Jesus found just enough room in a backyard stable when all the inns were full.
Here’s the best part: God plans to use us anyway. You can’t UN-plan what God plans! Herod tried and failed. We are not “large and in charge.” We never were. But we can humbly take in God’s unexpected gifts, let Jesus rule within us, and lead as shepherds in His great, big kingdom. No matter how unlikely.
“We pray; cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.” -Anonymous
“We pray; cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.”
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