Rule Book of Life - the BibleНамуна

2:14 DAILY PRAISE

Luke’s infancy narrative is my favorite. He provides more detail about the “childhood” of Jesus than the other 3 Gospel writers. In chapter 2, we see the visit of the shepherds. Isaiah 9 foretells the Messiah as Father-Forever and the Prince of Peace. Royalty? Yes. So wouldn't you expect the visitors to Jesus to be kings? That’s not the case, lowly shepherds in the field are visited by the angels who praise God. And the shepherds went in haste and found Mary and Joseph and the infant lying in the manger.

How often do we praise God? How often do we give thanks to God? Only when good things happen. When we are blessed to work with a great crew; or participate in a well-played game, it is easy to praise the Name of the Lord. But what happens when we encounter difficulties during the season - tough game; tough crowd; tough calls? Do we give glory in those hard times? Our Lord was born in a smelly cave; in a manger, because there was no room for Him to be born in the inn. And yet, the Heavenly Host with the Angel praised God. In our strive to be obedient to the Lord’s commands, may we never stop praising the Name of the Lord no matter what we encounter this season.

When you encounter difficulties in the season, who do you turn to first?

How can our Lord direct our hearts as we prepare for this upcoming season?