Morning by Morning, December 13 - Born in Bethlehem with Purpose and Destiny Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I seek to begin my day in deep communion with You. ... “And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel’” (Matthew 2:4-6). Long before the wise men came from the east, long before angel choir sang for the shepherds, the Word of God declared the place of birth of the Son of God. The Christ -- Messiah of Israel and Savior of the World -- would be born in Bethlehem. The words “written by the prophet” were written about 700 years before the birth of Jesus by the prophet Micah: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting. “Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children 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 abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth; And this One shall be peace” (Micah 5:2-5). The name of the little village called Bethlehem, outside the city of Jerusalem in Judea, means “house of bread” from the Hebrew language. And out of her would come the One would one day declare, “I AM the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). And out of Bethlehem would come the One in whom there would be Peace,” (John 16:33), who would “stand and feed His flock” as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), who would one day rule as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16), who would be born as a Child in this earthly dimension, while at the same time existing eternally “from everlasting to everlasting” as One with God in the heavenly dimension (Psalm 90:2). Bethlehem was a little place with a big purpose, having a humble identity but with an eternal destiny. And it was all sealed in Scripture long before the fullness of time. It was even settled in Heaven “from before the foundation of the world” in the plans of God, even as we are chosen and blessed in Your eternal plans for us: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:3-6). In the spiritual mystery of both Your sovereignty and our will, You eternally know the place we’ll be born, the life we’ll lead, the choices we’ll make, and the impact we’ll have -- all according to “the mystery of (Your) will” (Ephesians 1:9). “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:11-14). So whether we are born in Bethlehem or a dusty little west Texas town surrounded by nothing but cotton farms and cattle ranches or anywhere else in this whole wide world, we’re born with purpose, to grow into our identity and fulfill our destiny according to Your plans in the mystery of Your will. And here’s what we know about those plans -- whether for the Messiah or for little old me: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Son of God and Son of Man, Child of God and Christ of all, fulfill Your plans in me, all in the fullness of Your time and the mystery of Your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, may you trust in the mystery of God's will for your life, secure in your identity and fulfilling your destiny in Christ, in Jesus' name. God bless you!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries Mailing Address: 412 S. Adams Street #148 Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org | 
