Galatians 4:4 – Modern Manger

Daily Devotional Bible Verse

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, (Galatians 4:4 ESV)

If you’ve grown up in a Christian setting, you’ve probably heard the Christmas story a gazillion times. So let’s rewind 2000 years again to Jesus’ birth:

We would expect a well connected royal family…
God chose peasant parents – a blue-collar carpenter with his teenage virgin fiance.

We would choose an influential city- possibly Rome or Jerusalem…
God chose the little town of Bethlehem, where the sheep very likely outnumbered the people.

We would reserve space in a comfortable palace…
God chose a stone manger in a cold stable hewn out of the rocky hills.

We would invite the religious and social elite…
God chose the social outcast and religious outsider shepherds.

The Apostle Paul writes, “when the fulness of time came, God sent forth his Son…” The people, the place, and the time were all on purpose. Apparently, when God sent His Son to launch His rescue mission for this world, He wasn’t utilizing the same strategic thinking that we normally would. Could this still be the case for today? Have we missed out on opportunities to be a part of God moving because we think a group of people or place would never be where God wanted to move? Do you think God still wants to move in these circles of the the poor and non-influential? As you make sure to go around certain parts of town because of crime or poverty, do you think God wants to move there? These can be places and people that we tend to ignore because of one reason or another, yet God decided to send His Son into their midst to redeem us.

Ask God to help you see Him at work this Christmas season.