Daily Devotional For Wednesday, December 4, 2024

The word of Christmas we are focusing on today is MANGER. The Bible tells us this in Luke 2:4-7, “And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. (5) He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. (6) And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. (7)  She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them” (NLT).

Why did Jesus have to sleep in a manger? Because the innkeeper missed his opportunity to welcome a miracle into his home. Everybody did. Bethlehem was bursting at the seams with people and noise and activity. The birth of the Messiah was the last thing they expected. 

What exactly is a manger, anyway? A manger is a feeding trough. And isn’t it just like God to have Jesus — whom the Bible calls the Bread of Life — laid in a feeding trough in the little town of Bethlehem, which means “house of bread?” Amazing, isn’t it? And so profound. The Bread of Life lying in a feeding trough in the House of Bread. Only God could do such a thing.

Think for a minute about the humility of God that we see in the manger. It’s as clear as it could be. Jesus could have come to earth as a conquering king on a war horse with an army of angels trailing behind — with pomp and circumstance and fanfare. But instead, the One who spoke the world into existence humbled Himself and became a speechless newborn baby. The One who clothed all of nature in its boundless beauty and order humbled Himself and came to us wrapped in rags, lying in a feeding trough. The One who gave the stars their light humbled Himself, veiled His own glory, and stepped quietly into the sea of humanity with barely a ripple, unnoticed by everyone except a handful of blue-collar sheep herders. 

You would expect the King to be born in a palace. That’s why the wise men came looking for Jesus in Herod’s mansion in the capital city. But that’s not the way of our King. Jesus comes to us, not in the mansions of life, but in the mangers of life. Not in our moments of glory, but in our seasons of suffering. He meets us in the lowliest places, the least-expected settings, and so often at the most inconvenient times. 

It’s not at all how we would do it if we were Him. Yet it’s in these times and places that we are most likely to meet Him. It is in the manger that we first experience the wonder of the incarnation. It is in the manger that we first meet the Prince of Peace. It’s in the manger that we first encounter the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. The birthplace of our King is the last place anyone would think to look for him.

If you think about it, babies are vulnerable and dependent on their parents or guardians for everything. The God who is dependent on no one chose to come to be like one of us. He did this to model and teach us how we are to be dependent on Him for everything. Most of us may want mansions, but we often find ourselves in the mangers of life, which are messy, stinky, unsanitary, and unclean. Jesus came to live in our mess and help us learn how to live in this messy world. 

In what area of your life do you need the King to arrive? Will you welcome Him if he doesn’t do things your way? Will you worship Him even if your situation looks more like a manger than a mansion? Don’t be too quick to escape the places you are most likely to meet your King.  During this Christmas season, learn to recognize the humility of God hiding in plain sight amidst the people and noise and activity of your world. Learn to expect the unexpected.

Scripture To Meditate On: Micah 5:2, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on My behalf” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray:  “Lord, open my eyes to see what You are doing. Help me not to miss the opportunities to welcome You into my world. May my heart be a manger — a humble place that You can call home. I love you Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside!—Pastor Kelly