Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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A New Dawn

Micah 5:1-9


Bently Joseph
St. John’s MTC, NY

4“He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.”
    “It’s almost Christmas!” this is a line we hear very often when we enter the holiday season. Some of you probably heard it even before Thanksgiving. We are reminded every day that the holidays are fast approaching from the Christmas decorations we see hanging from our houses and buildings to the commercials bombarding us with last minute sales and deals. Before you know it , Christmas has come and gone, and we approach the New Year. But in all the hustle and bustle of the holidays we forget what Christmas means to us. As Micah describes in the passage it is the fulfillment of a promise.
    The subheading reads “A Promised Ruler from Bethlehem”. Taking a quick glance at the passage we can see the prophet telling the people that they will endure hardship but to fear not, for out of one of the small clans of Judah a ruler will rise to shepherd his people. This is the promise that we sometimes forget when Christmas comes around. The birth of Christ was God’s promise to us His people. He will deliver us from our suffering and we will find salvation through His son. On Christmas we celebrate not only the birth of the Savior, but His life and sacrifice as well.
    In the world we live in today we look around and listen to the news, and it seems like we see more bad than good. We look at our lives and remember the hardships we experienced or are experiencing. But this Christmas season let us remember the message of this great promise. Though we will experience hardship in our lives and get hurt, we cannot give up on hope. God has sent us a Savior to shepherd His flock into a new dawn. ”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

PRAYER

Lord, help us to realize that we don’t walk this path alone but that You are carrying us and holding us. Lead us on this journey of healing and wholeness so that we may become closer to You. Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God has given us His son, not so that we may keep the message of salvation to ourselves, but to share it with others.  

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