The Time Came. . . and She Laid Him in a Manger

Luke 2:1-7 (NLT)  

   At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancee, who was now obviously pregnant. 

   6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

God's plan through the ages of history was playing itself out. Centuries earlier Prophets foretold this event, that the Messiah from God would come this way, first as a child of special circumstance, then grow into a man without succumbing to the plague of humanity-- sin. Here, Joseph and Mary carrying the Lord of the Universe within her, followed human orders of a human emperor, but all that had been long before planned. And, as promised, the Messiah would come to Bethlehem, even while it slept. These descendants of wise King David, were mere nobody's on the road. They were poor and hardly noticeable among so many other poor that crowded the roads and residences during this time of upheaval called census. But not even their poverty could prevent the coming of the Son of God. Not event he hard journey of a young woman across miles of desert within days of delivering her baby could forestall the coming of God's Messiah and Mankind's Redeemer.

You see, God has a plan. God always had a plan then and does yet today. No matter what we might be facing, no matter how overwhelming the troubles might be, God's plan is in motion. We are blessed to be but a party to God's plan. We need to resist discouragement by remembering that God is working His plan and when we have yielded our lives to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, then we are forever a part of that plan as redeemed children of God. Make Christmas special among your family members this year by focusing on this truth.

Your servant in Christ's Love
Dan
drdanelliott@gmail.com