Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
In closing out our brief study of Jesus as our Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), let us return to Luke 2:8-20. In verse 14, the angels exulted, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” As I mentioned (in passing) on Wednesday, the shepherds responded to the advent of the Prince of Peace with their own praise (verse 19). It has always impressed me that they were still “praising God” as they “returned” to their difficult and often uncomfortable work of tending sheep. They had experienced the peace of God personally. Thus, although their lives were much the same in the months and years that followed, they were different. God’s peace had invested their lives with new meaning, with a higher purpose. As we leave Christmas behind and move back into our daily routines (including work), let us remember these shepherds, and let us follow the kind command of Colossians 3:23: “Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”