Stop. Then Go!

Luke 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
 
IN 2000 I had the opportunity to travel to Baltimore on business. The night I arrived was the night the Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV. Two days later, the city had a parade for the Ravens to celebrate their victory. The parade route was on the street in front of the building where I was working. I was a football fan to some extent. This was a great opportunity to experience a moment of football history. But the truth is, I didn’t stop my work to go see it. I was too busy working. I have no idea what happened. I missed a touch of football history.  
   Suppose the angels had gone into heaven and the shepherds kept working? What if they did not “go to Bethlehem and see”? Of course, they would have missed the turning point of history. They would have missed Jesus.
   God commanded them to go, so they would experience the Savior come down to earth. God had given them the privilege to be the first people in the world to announce the Savior had come! Responding to God’s instructions, the shepherds experienced one of history’s greatest moments.
   God’s commands are one way he invites us into history – his story. Obeying God’s words almost always requires stopping what we plan to do, so we can go to do God’s will.
   One thing we must know is that God’s commands point us to his character. All he commands us to do is to help us know his love. To reject God’s commands is to reject the intimacy of his love.
   That is Scripture’s purpose, isn’t it? God wants us to truly understand the depth of his gift to us: “God so loved the world he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will be saved.” (John 3:16)
   When God commands, do you go in faith or stay with the sheep? Do you prefer to focus on your own work, or you go see what the Lord has for you?  
   God’s messenger today is the Holy Spirit. He comes from heaven to reveal Jesus to you. Unlike the angels that night, he does not literally shine into your dark nights. Instead, he comes in the Father’s love to open  your eyes to God’s saving glory. The Spirit today is the light of heaven who points us to the Light of the World.
   Thank God for his light, too, in friends who invite you to a Bible study. Thank God for his light shining from people who pray for you. Turn to the light. Trust the light. Know God’s commands. Stop the things you are doing that prevent you from obeying his directives. Then go, see God’s victory parade. He has won the battle for you.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Father, Son and Spirit for your victory over sin. Thank you for commanding me to the parade of life everlasting. Teach me to go, so I will see how much you love me. In your name I pray, amen.