Get Positioned for ChristmasSample

 Get Positioned: The Shepherds Celebrated

Joseph cooperated; the shepherds celebrated. To be positioned for blessing this season, we have to be like the shepherds and celebrate that God is with us. 

Luke 2:10-11 "but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!" Luke 2:16 "They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger." [NLT] Luke 2:20 "Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything they had seen and heard. It had been just as the angel had told them." [NCV]. 

Christmas is a festival, not a funeral. Make up your mind to be happy this Christmas because God wants you to celebrate. If you want to be blessed like the shepherds, celebrate that God is here with us. Celebrate Emmanuel. As a child of God, be excited about the fact that God is with you. 

God expects us to celebrate and celebration is contagious. It is big with God that we are joyful people. When people see you joyful as a child of God, they get interested in your God. But, if you are always gloomy and cranky, no one would want to have anything to do with you or your God. God wants us to celebrate with thanksgiving just like the shepherds did. Luke 2:20  "Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything they had seen and heard. It had been just as the angel had told them." [CEV]

Our celebration is based on what God has said and what God will do. Our celebration is a witness; you need to, through the glow of your life, make a huge statement to people around you. The statement is, 'My past has been forgiven. I have a purpose for living. I have a home in heaven Jesus is Lord!' Guess what? The shepherds did not only celebrate, but they also started gossip about the Gospel - they told everyone that cared to listen, the Good News. We have the best news on earth, and we should never be quiet about it. 

Let's turn the Shepherd's response into a prayer today: Lord, help me celebrate at Your Word, at the promise of what You will do and not be silent about Jesus, in Jesus' Name.