Behold it Yourself~

Luke 2:10-11 

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. And the angel appeared to them and said, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"

The angel who spoke these power-packed words really wanted the shepherds to whom he said them to to activate their heart and minds  -  to purposely consider how great and incomparable Jesus is, to keep their focus on Him, to get Him into the depths of their being through faith and hope.  To absorb into their souls that they had just heard the very best of the very best possible news ever given.

So what did the shepherds do? They went and checked it out.  

"...the shepherds said to one another, 'Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger." Luke 2:15

Try to picture this scene.  A bunch of shepherds are minding their own business when all of a sudden an angel appears with a powerful message.  They decide to "behold" for themselves, and as a result, they have an up close and personal encounter with Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind.

Don't you wish we could do that? We can! The angel said these good tidings of great joy shall be to all people! That means you and me!

Let's choose to behold our Lord.  To feast our eyes on Him. To make note of all He has done for us.  To make Him the focus of Christmas day and every day. When we do, we will be like the shepherds who, "were glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen."

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for the life-changing news the angel brought.  And even though it was so long ago, You wanted us to receive the message right along with the shepherds.  We choose to behold You today in all Your splendor and miracle-working power.  Release it into our lives.  In Your name, Amen~