“Unboxing God”

 

BIBLE READING :Luke 2-3


                “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”                                                                                  (Luke 2:11-12 ESV)

We love opening those packages from Amazon. We love seeing the package delivery truck pull up in front of the house, and we eagerly hop down the stairs to answer the door. Once inside, the package is immediately ripped open and whatever was contained inside is put to quick use. Many times, when we begin using the new product,(if it’s a good one that is), we discover many features we never knew it had! Sometimes, things turn out to be even better than we had anticipated.

The same is definitely true with God; He is infinitely better than we anticipate. But, we still try to keep God in a “God Box” and think of him in terms of the nifty features he comes with. In reality, he wants us to let him come bursting out of the box and show us how much more he is. God did this with the shepherds. He told them they would find a baby, who would save the world, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a feed trough. That is thinking outside the box! More than likely, they had their own “God Box”, likely with the savior being a military dictator-type. But, God burst that paradigm and displayed his abundant mercy and compassion. When He got out of “the box”, he showed them that He is a God who reaches out to those that no one else wants to. Shepherds weren’t considered the most moral. In fact, they didn’t often go to church because sheep needed to be constantly tended, and they couldn’t even testify in court. Yet, they were the first to hear the good news of the Savior’s birth. This was no accident!

As you read your Bible, don’t let your preconceived notions of who God is interpret what you read. Instead, let scripture and the Holy Spirit guide you in the characteristics of God. Let God break out of his box in your life today and show you who He really is. Remember, His thoughts and ways are not ours (Isaiah 55:8).

            Think today of the “box” you may have put God in….and then, set Him free!

 

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