Respond by Faith
“The shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us” (Luke 2:15).
When the shepherds heard the news, they didn’t seek out the religious professionals for a second opinion. They simply accepted what the angels told them. When they were invited to visit Bethlehem to see the newborn Messiah, they didn’t worry about who was going to watch their sheep. They didn’t get bogged down in debates about how they were going to find one small baby in such a large town. They simply obeyed and went.
Will you do that today? God didn’t send an angel to give you the news, but He did give you His Word, the Bible. God is inviting you today, just like he invited the shepherds.
Will you receive His love? Will you believe what He says and do what He asks? Will you acknowledge your need of forgiveness and put your trust in Jesus Christ for salvation? You don’t need to be a genius or a member of the “in” crowd. You just need to believe and obey. Listen to Christ’s promise:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son (Jesus), that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
“Whoever comes to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).
I pray you will make that decision to trust Christ today.
But what if you don’t identify with these lowly shepherds? What if you identify with the social and religious elite, the gifted, the accomplished, the powerful?
Then recognize that in God’s sight, you are on the same level as everyone else. You don’t have a head start with God. In fact, anything that causes you to think too highly of yourself; anything that stimulates pride, actually puts you farther behind.
If that’s the case, then ask God to purify your heart and grant you true humility. Understand that you are accepted before God on the same basis as anyone else, only because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who gave His life and suffered the penalty for your sin so that you could have eternal life and receive forgiveness. Humble yourself before God, so that He doesn’t have to do it for you.