Have you ever heard someone use the term... "Put your money where your mouth is"? What point are they trying to get across? Most of the time people are saying that because they are telling someone to put some ACTION behind their words! I wonder how many of us need to "Put our money where our mouth is" when it comes to our faith? As Christmas is fast approaching, I sometimes wonder just what it was like to be there on the day when Jesus was born. What an amazing experience it must have been for those who recognized what was happening. In Luke chapter 2, we read about the shepherd's encounter with the angels. Luke 2:8-18 (ESV) reads... " 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
Just take a moment and picture this. These guys are doing what they do everyday. They are taking care of their sheep, keeping watch over the things they are responsible for and out of nowhere an angel shows up and gives them some pretty amazing news. Now I don't know about you, but I think that would have surprised me just a little. These guys were scared, and rightly so. It was dark and they were in their normal routine, then God shows up and takes them by surprise! The Angel then proceeds to give them the greatest news of all time. Isn't it just like God to bring the news of the birth of his son, the savior of the world, to men just doing what they normally do. You've got to love the fact that the shepherds got a full blown church service right there on the hillside. A phenomenal message straight from the Lord himself, and worship from the greatest worship team of all time! Then just as suddenly as the angels appeared, they left. This is what I want you to get today. What the shepherds do next will change their lives forever. They could have heard the angel, rejoiced with the choir and sat right on that hill and continued to do what they had always done. The angels told them what they would find, but to find the baby, took action on their part. They had to move! They had to have a "let's go" FAITH. What great message or promise has God spoken to you that is going to take a "let's go faith" on your part? Are you willing to move? Are you willing to step out of your normal routine to seek the greatness of God? When the angels left, the shepherds looked at each other and decided, we've got to go! When they arrived they found Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Can you imagine what a faith building moment that had to be? Yes, they had just been visited by angels and given the greatest news ever, but now they see the promise face to face. How awesome is it when our faith takes us to see God's word come alive and real in our lives! They had been visited by angels, been in the presence of the Kings of Kings, so now what? Let's read the verses in Luke 2:17-18 again,
17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
They just didn't sit on the miracle that God had done in their lives, they MADE IT KNOWN! They had the greatest gift in the world laying right in front of them. They could have stayed and just hung out with Mary and Joseph and rivaled in that moment for a long time. But they knew that what had just occurred was too amazing to keep to themselves! Scripture says, they MADE KNOWN what had happened and all they had seen, and that caused those who heard it to WONDER about what they had been told! One definition for the verb form of the word wonder is, "to desire or be curious to know something". Now, that's good! The fact that the shepherds shared all they had seen, heard and experienced, caused those who heard, to WONDER... It caused them to desire to know something... It caused them to desire or be curious about JESUS! Is your experience with the Lord, and your walk with Christ, causing people to WONDER? Is your life so impactful, the words you speak, the things you experience, that it causes those that God puts in your path to "DESIRE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT JESUS"? If not, we may want to get off our hillside, get in the presence of Jesus and let Him give us a "let's go" kinda attitude, so that we are reaching people for the kingdom. Now, having a "let's go" FAITH, may take you out of your normal, daily routine. It may take you out of your comfort zone. Over the last 18 months, God truly made me put my "money where my mouth is"! One of the things that I love to do is to encourage people to allow God to move in their lives in GREAT ways and to live out this life God has given them with a BIG FAITH! When God opened doors that seemed impossible and called my husband and I into the military chaplaincy after 22 years of full-time pastoral ministry, I needed a "let's go" FAITH! What I love about the faithfulness of God, is that not only did he give me the courage to have a "let's go" faith, but he did it in my kids too! What a blessing that was to this mama! Over the last several months, I can see how our "let's go" moment has caused my boys to "WONDER". It has caused them to realize just how amazing our God is. I was helping one of my boys with math the other night and he stopped an looked at me and said,"Mama, can you believe we get to do this. Can you believe that I get to play football in Texas? Can you believe that these amazing friends I have now, I didn't even know a year ago?" Got to tell you, it made this mama's heart smile! I love that even in the unknown and the sometimes uncomfortable, my boys are seeing the importance and JOY in a "let's go" FAITH!
I pray in this amazing time of year that God gives you a desire like never before for a "let's go" FAITH! Don't be surprised if he shows up when you are just doing what he called you to, but be willing to MOVE, to SHARE, so that your life causes people to "WONDER"! We serve a great God and we want everyone to know!

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