Welcome to my randomized study & miscellaneous thoughts about the Awesome God of the universe, who He is and what He wants us to be.

---

---

---

---

Verse of the Day

---

Today's Quote

---

 
It's all in the Timing

Luke 2:1-20

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. NIV

My only sonny boy, who is in 1st grade, has been off for Christmas break for the past 2 weeks. But his last day he had a Bible memory verse to recite, Luke 2:4-14. We practiced while driving around in the car for the two weeks beforehand, and he did it perfectly! :-) But after hearing those verses recited by myself and my young son, day after day, I thought of the timing of God's gift to the world.

The Word says, "the time came for the baby to be born." After aproximately 400 years of scriptural silence, the time came. Preordained and foreknew by God, the Roman emporer called for a census that required each head of the household to return to the town of their birth to rgister to pay taxes. Mary, who at this time was carrying what could only be considered a bastard son, had to make the 4 to 6 day from Nazareth to Galilee. A journey of about 60 miles while she was at full term. My wife didn't want to go 6 steps at that point!

God had pre-announced the birth to both Joseph and Mary and then sent a herald to alert the shepherds out in the fields of the coming of the Christ. They were wise enough to make the journey to see the babe. Then the rushed to tell everyone they encountered about what they had seen, heard and experienced.

We too have been told and although we cannot physically "see" the babe in the manager (lying in a animals feed trough in a cave used to house the livestock), we can see the proof of His existence in the world around us, in the changed lives of His followers and in the record that He left for us. May we too return, glorifying and praising God for all the things we have heard and seen, which are just as we have been told.

Praise God for His perfect gift!
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 1:41 AM