LUKE 2:15-19 – 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.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
THEME OF THE DAY. THE FUEL TO FIRE UP ZEAL FOR CHRIST. You’ve gotta love the shepherds in today’s scripture. They were so excited about the news of the Lord Jesus. They went to the birth scene in haste. And what they heard couldn’t remain to themselves. A valuable lesson here for us who know the Person of the good news – the Lord Jesus. It is the lesson of spiritual zeal to make Jesus known. That is our responsibility and privilege. But sadly, unlike the shepherds, as we go on in the Christian life, we tend to cool in our passion for the Christian life, particularly, the cooling of first love for Him who is the Christian life (Revelation 2:1-7). To test that statement, when is the last time you talked to anyone – Christian or non-Christian about the Person of Jesus Christ, not about doing the Christian life or attending church, but a conversation about the Person of Christ? Did we know that it was said of one of the greatest evangelists the church has ever known, George Whitefield, that he would not be in the presence of another human being more than thirty minutes before he would inquire about their spiritual condition? We call that “zeal for the Lord Jesus” and a “burden for people’s spiritual state.” Oh, that we would be a people of such zeal and burden! However, today’s nugget isn’t about the zeal of the shepherds for Christ. It is about the fuel to fire up zeal for Christ and that comes from the example of Mary.
In the midst of all the excitement with the buzz all through the air of Jesus’ birth, pay attention to Mary, his mother. She is meditative. She is pondering. She is thinking through all that has happened. And she does so with her whole being – her heart. More often than not, the Bible describes the heart far beyond just affection to include the entirety of a person – mind, affections, and will. This would have been Mary. This should be us.
To live a life of zeal, consistent zeal, for Christ demands a close walk with Christ. The means of this closeness is through meditating on God’s Word, prayer, obedience, and fellowship with other Christ-centered believers. It is just like a roaring fire in a campground or fireplace. Stay close to other logs and the fire stays hot. Remove one log, leave it alone, and it burns out. Consider meditating on the Word of God, prayer, obedience, and fellowship with other believers as “spiritual logs” to keep up the fire of spiritual zeal. But the key to all being effective is being Mary-like. Not in a rush concerning the things of God. Not being hasty to get through Bible readings, not quick to leave a prayer meeting, not ignoring obedience to God’s Word, and not neglecting extended fellowship with other believers.
The zeal of the shepherds – great models for us, but even greater is the meditative heart of Mary towards the things of God. She exemplifies what it takes to put fuel into our spiritual zeal for Christ.
PRAYER: “Father, forgive me when busyness in my temporal life takes me away from the important thing in life – You.”
QUOTE: “Be in God’s Word. Read it, study it, meditate upon it. It isn’t a nice thing to do, but a necessary thing to do.”