Morning by Morning, December 19 - Something Began in Bethlehem
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are worthy of my worship and the first moments of my day - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
"But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore He shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of His kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they shall live secure, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth; and He shall be the One of peace" (Micah 5:2-5).
Father, You spoke to the prophet Micah seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, declaring Bethlehem to be the birthplace of the Messiah. It's another one of Your Scriptures that powerfully proves the Bible is true and inspired by God. In the little town of Bethlehem - the birthplace of David and now the birthplace of the Son of David - the virgin in labor would give birth to the Messiah who would be the One of peace, the One who would come in the majesty of the name of the Lord, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days, from everlasting to everlasting, who alone is great to the ends of the earth (Luke 2:4; Matthew 2:6).
Though our Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God, with no beginning and no end, forever One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit in the holy union and trinity of God, the Word became Flesh in a precise moment in eternity and was born in Bethlehem (John 1:1-14). The God of all eternity chose to humble Himself "in human form" to live and die and live again among us (Philippians 2:5-11). You are Emmanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7:4; Matthew 1:23).
Something began at Bethlehem. Though Your plans are eternal, there was a moment of time, in the unfolding of Your plan when the eyes of all of Heaven looked upon this little town on this earth to proclaim, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14 NKJV)
Something began that will have no end. "For a Child has been born for us, a Son given to us; authority rests upon His shoulders; and He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore" (Isaiah 9:6-7 fulfilled in Matthew 1:22-23). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
May all that began in Bethlehem continue to be birthed in you with the One of peace in your heart forever, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, I'm excited that we just published my new book Morning by Morning, Second Edition that is now available through Amazon and Kindle. It's a 365 Day Devotional with a selection of many of my favorite devotionals from the last several years of my prayer journey. Thank you for joining with me on this journey! And I pray these simple morning prayers are a great blessing and encouragement to you to start your day embraced by the love of our Father, centered in Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. God bless you and Merry Christmas!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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