"And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2: 6-7, ASV*).
Yes, our King was born in a stable. His birth witnessed by farm animals. Can you imagine? The stable was little more than a dug-out cave. Also, being a stable, can you imagine the conditions, and all the muck? It would have been damp, musky and drafty. One would walk in and “yikes, what is that smell?” A place for the coming King? He surely confounds the wise and man's ideas of how things should be done.
He sees more than a dirty stable. He sees what it truly is, what it can become, a place He desires to be to reach us where we’re at, in the condition we are in, even if among some “smelly” farm animals, He sees the treasure within the stable that others overlook.
Everyone has a stable in their life. I have one; every Christian has one...a dark, cave-like area in their life still yet untouched by the Master's hand, an area that is not yet fully surrendered to Him.
+ Perhaps it's an unknown area to you, a hidden character flaw, one that He has not yet shone His revelatory light upon because it is not its time.
+ Perhaps, you know that the area is there and is so "embarrassed" at the smell and the dampness that you try to force a change to take place, thinking that this place in your life is so completely unacceptable to Him that He would not want to come, or your so ashamed that you think you must "hide" it from Him and others. You "try" so hard to be that good Christian witness and think that means you must be “Suzy Super-Christian,” that all you do is spin your wheels, miss His leading and remain unfulfilled.
+ Or even perhaps, this is a place may even be a dark area in your life: death of a loved one or friend, long-term illness or sickness, a shattered dream... This cave may not be a direct consequence of anything you have done, but what you do while in it, is still up to you.
So what do you do? Will you wallow in this place, think this is it, nothing can change, there is no hope? Will you say the way you've been living is good enough for me, all you deserve and give up, and choose to settle there? OR are you preparing for the Savior, looking forward to His coming, His transforming and resurrection power?
He is HOPE (in a darkened world -- or in a darkened life):
“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you" (Isaiah 60:1-2).
He is LOVE:
"See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure" (1 John 3:1-3).
"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony" (Colossians 3:12-14).
He is JOY:
"You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy" (1 Peter 1:8-9).
He is PEACE:
"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord : He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him" (Psalm 91:1-2).
"Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).
He is PURITY:
" 'Come now, let’s settle this,' says the L
ord . 'Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.' " (Isaiah 1:18).
He meets us where we’re at, takes us as we are, and loves us without any strings. And that love, birthed through a tiny baby, and given unto death upon a Cross, manifested His resurrection power upon this earth. It is this unconditional love uplifts the poor and lowly, comforts the hurting, heals the broken and transforms every heart that submits to Him. All for His Glory.
*All scripture New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.
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