Joy To Your World - Children's Advent DevotionalExemplo

Did you know there is something God can’t do? God can’t say anything wrong. He is perfect, so every word He says is perfect too. God can’t make mistakes. So, when the angel of the Lord told the shepherds, “You will find a baby,” the shepherds knew they were supposed to go find that baby! God doesn’t make suggestions. If God says something, it is perfect and always the right thing to do.

We are given a lot of choices most of the time. What do you want for Christmas? Do you want the chicken nuggets or the chicken sandwich? What movie do you want to watch? Which color shirt would you prefer? The problem with choices is that none of us are perfect so sometimes we make the wrong decision.

The shepherds could have chosen to stick around with their sheep that day. After all, it was their job! They could have chosen to ignore what the angel had said. Or, they could have thought, “I’ve been up all night. I’ll just go look for the baby after I get some sleep.” But, the Bible says, “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger” (Luke 2:15–16). Those shepherds set a great example for all of us.

When God says to do something, it isn’t a suggestion. If God said it, it’s perfect! The only real question is: How fast can you obey? The shepherds went “in haste.” They left those sheep, their beds, their breakfasts and ran to obey what the angel had told them. The result: they got to see Jesus!

The shepherds could have ignored God’s message because they had other important things to do. But they didn’t choose to do good things. They chose to do the “God thing.” They obeyed and great was their reward!

Is there something you know God has told you to do but you haven’t done it? Is there someone you have felt a nudge in your heart to befriend but you really haven’t taken the time? Is there a choice you have made, or are thinking about making, that you know God has said is wrong? If so, then follow the example of the shepherds. “Make haste” to obey. God’s word is always the perfect choice. It is never a suggestion.