From Livestream
by Guest Speaker on December 04, 2016
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger (Luke 2:7–16, KJV).
In the day we live in today, we can see the world has developed a distorted view of Christmas; our ideal today couldn’t be farther from the original intention. Christmas is not about gifts, family, or the like. Christmas is truly all about one thing—the birth of a Savior.
In Scripture, we read about the birth of Jesus in Luke 2. In this story, there’s one seemingly insignificant piece of furniture mentioned. This piece of furniture is the manger.
A manger is a box or trough made of wood, found in a stable or a barn. Its sole purpose is to be the feeding place of livestock. Our Savior, once born, with nowhere else to lay His head, was placed to rest in a manger.
If it weren’t for Jesus, most of us wouldn’t know what a manger is. It would still be an insignificant piece of furniture in a stable. But, once Jesus was laid inside a manger, He transformed the world’s perception of what a manger was. The manager took up a whole new significance in our lives.
Like the manger, we are all defined a particular way by the world—by the way we look, what we’re made from, and what’s inside of us. But, the moment Jesus comes into our lives He completely changes us. Our lives no longer hold the same truths, follow the same pathways, or abide by the same characteristics. We’re completely new in Christ.
When we have an encounter with Jesus, we’re changed inside and out. Scripture tells us:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Corinthians 5:17, KJV).
If the world is allowed to have its way in our lives, we will be changed, but for the worse. We need to allow Jesus to reign in our lives and transform us to His image (Romans 12:1–2). We cannot change ourselves and follow our own regime of self-reformation. The only change that can place in our lives with a lasting impact is that of Jesus Christ.
Our lives can become a manger if we just let Jesus in. Starting today, what will our choice be?
