The NIV 365 Day Devotional
A Humble God
Every year since it first appeared in 1965, the animated TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas has retold the story of Charlie Brown’s search for the meaning of Christmas. The program shows him directing a Christmas pageant with his friends, none of whom can concentrate on the true meaning of Christmas. Even his faithful dog, Snoopy, is swept up in materialistic fervor when he wins a contest by decorating his dog house in lights and tinsel. Finally Charlie Brown desperately yells, “Can’t anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?” And his friend Linus answers by reciting the story of Jesus’ birth.
Ultimately, this humble and lowly birth shook the world. You’d have expected the birth of the long-awaited Messiah to have been surrounded by great wealth, ceremony, and important people. Yet Jesus’ “adoptive” father worked as a simple carpenter, and his young mother wielded virtually no influence. They placed the newborn King in a manger—a feeding trough for animals. They probably slept in a cave where the inn owners kept their animals. Sure, the angels announced Jesus’ birth and sang of his glory, but not to an audience of great men and women. Instead, only simple shepherds tending their flocks out in the field heard the angels’ fanfare.
Makes you wonder just what kind of God we worship. He possesses great power and wisdom, but he willingly humbled himself for our salvation. Jesus eventually died a criminal’s death on the cross. He lived with us, suffered for us, and died for us.
Just as Jesus first came to ordinary people, so also God appears to ordinary people today. You might feel more like a shepherd, farmer, or innkeeper than a king or prophet. Take heart. Jesus will come to anyone who will receive him. Know that when ordinary people decide to follow him, he can accomplish extraordinary things through them.
Taken from the NIV Men’s Devotional Bible.