|
The Words from Bible |
|
|
|
Subscribe Weekly Devotional Emails |
|
|
|
Out of Cradle
Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. -
Deuteronomy 8:11
Also Read
1 Samuel 6:20;1 Samuel 7:2;1 Samuel 7:6
The art, music and pageantry of Christmas focus on the "little town of Bethlehem" and the baby asleep in a manger. What a mother can't close her eyes and recall her own child asleep in the crib? We delight in these precious expressions of the coming of Jesus into the world. But we can't let a baby in a manger be the only part of our understanding of Christ. We don't bow in homage to a sleeping child. We have a living, vital relationship with the crucified, risen, glorified Christ!
1 Samuel 7 tells us how the Ark of the Covenant, the very symbol of God's presence and power, had long languished in a remote village (1 Samuel 7:2). The nation of Israel had not revered the Almighty God in a long time. He was shelved, forgotten. How could they do such a thing? Yet many of us show the same memory lapse. Do we think of Jesus only at Christmas time? Do our only thoughts of the King of all creation pictures Him as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes? Then we're still missing the true message of Christmas!
Dear friends, At this Christmas season, let us not keep Jesus in a nativity scene but let us understand that He longs for a living, dynamic relationship with us. Just as Israel brought the Ark out of obscurity and into everyday life, so let us bring Christ out of the cradle and into our lives.
When we look beyond the manger, |
