Joy To Your World - Children's Advent DevotionalSample

Eventually the shepherds returned to their fields and those smelly sheep they had left behind. The shepherds probably had some work to catch up on. Maybe a couple of the lambs had wandered off. Maybe the flock needed to be moved to a greener pasture. But none of those chores would have seemed very important to men who had just experienced a miracle.

The Bible says, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (Luke 2:20). They were surrounded once again by those same herds of sheep, but the shepherds weren’t the same. They had seen the glory of God. They joyfully praised Him for their blessings.

God eventually gives every Christian a group of “sheep” to care for. Your sheep are the people who learn more about God because they know you. You see your “sheep” at school, at church, and even in your family. Your sheep are influenced by your faith as you go about your daily life. What are people learning about your faith this Christmas?

It took a long time for the news about Jesus to spread after He was born. Today, news can travel in just a few seconds. Mary’s family didn’t even know that Jesus had been born. She was in Bethlehem and they were in Nazareth. But eventually people heard. Now, centuries later, almost the whole world knows the name of Jesus.

You influence a lot of people. Facebook calls them friends, but the Bible might call them your “sheep.” How are you sharing the joy of the Christmas story with them? The verse from Job says that God will “fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting.” God fills life with joy. If Job wrote that verse today, he might say that God would like to fill your text messages and timeline with joy.

The shepherds would have loved to tell their stories a little faster. How will you “shout” about your blessings today?