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Praise, Presence, and Glory Empower True Calling
Praise, Presence, and Glory Empower True Calling
David W Palmer
(Luke 2:20 NLT) The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
For these true shepherds, the sequence was:
(1) They began in their regular routine; they were:
(2) God chose them to be the ones with whom he would share the exhilaration of his son’s birth. An angel stood before them; the glory of the Lord shone around them. The angel shared God’s joyous message about the birth of a Savior, Christ the Lord. He told them they would find a baby in a manger, and that this would be a sign to them.
(3) Suddenly, the shepherds were confronted by a multitude of the heavenly host, who were praising God.
(4) They immediately rushed to Bethlehem to see what the Lord had made known to them.
(5) They found Mary, Joseph, and the baby. Jesus was lying in a manger.
(6) They overflowed with the good news and made it widely known.
(7) Those who heard them must have believed their exuberance and conviction; they marveled at what the shepherds told them.
(8) The shepherds went back to their routine—out in the field, watching over their flock by night. But now they were glorifying God and overflowing with praise and gratitude.
This is an amazing story; but it could have ended so differently and with two good, but way less than best, conceivable outcomes:
Possible scenario 1: What would have happened if they had not gone to seek for Jesus? What if the secluded angelic, mountaintop experience was all they accepted? Maybe like many of us, they could have been content to receive an angelic visitation, enjoyed heavenly praise, and experienced God’s glory. They would have had a great story to tell; and they could have returned to the same place next year, next week, or even the next day, looking for a spiritual experience to top that one.
In other words, for the shepherds, the glorious angelic appearance could have been like the ultimate church camp, Sunday service, or deeply intimate quiet time at home. But if they were content to leave it there, they would never have seen Jesus first hand and then shared his gospel widely. I’m so glad they saw the angelic visitation as simply a messenger bringing a message. What he said to them was the real issue, and their obedience to it was of paramount importance—not just the spiritual experience of receiving it.
Possible scenario 2: What if, after seeing angels, heavenly praise, receiving personal revelation about Jesus from an angel; and what if after having encountered Jesus first hand, these shepherds hadn't returned to the flock over which God had assigned them?
You see, I’m sure they could have been tempted to abandon their God-given assignment out in the field, at night, tending their flock. Instead, they could have been celebrities, had their photo in newspapers, gone on tv and radio, and been booked up on the speaking circuit. Their testimony was astounding, their conviction real, their background authentic, and their revelation accurate. These shepherds could have had a long and successful career giving their testimony of the night angels appeared and of the signs they had witnessed.
However, instead of being lured by fame and prominence, these humble, true shepherds returned to their modest flock. They went back to the cold, lonely field; they cared for the newborns, protected the sheep from thieves and wolves, ensured they were fed, and kept them from straying. Yes, it sounds like a mission far from the glamour and notoriety of celebrityism; but this was the ministry assignment to which God had called them. As a result, they had true life—not merely adulation, acclaim, and pseudo significance; they had eternal security in God’s fold, not just the temporal security of financial and visible income;
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By DAVID W. PALMERPraise, Presence, and Glory Empower True Calling
David W Palmer
(Luke 2:20 NLT) The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
For these true shepherds, the sequence was:
(1) They began in their regular routine; they were:
(2) God chose them to be the ones with whom he would share the exhilaration of his son’s birth. An angel stood before them; the glory of the Lord shone around them. The angel shared God’s joyous message about the birth of a Savior, Christ the Lord. He told them they would find a baby in a manger, and that this would be a sign to them.
(3) Suddenly, the shepherds were confronted by a multitude of the heavenly host, who were praising God.
(4) They immediately rushed to Bethlehem to see what the Lord had made known to them.
(5) They found Mary, Joseph, and the baby. Jesus was lying in a manger.
(6) They overflowed with the good news and made it widely known.
(7) Those who heard them must have believed their exuberance and conviction; they marveled at what the shepherds told them.
(8) The shepherds went back to their routine—out in the field, watching over their flock by night. But now they were glorifying God and overflowing with praise and gratitude.
This is an amazing story; but it could have ended so differently and with two good, but way less than best, conceivable outcomes:
Possible scenario 1: What would have happened if they had not gone to seek for Jesus? What if the secluded angelic, mountaintop experience was all they accepted? Maybe like many of us, they could have been content to receive an angelic visitation, enjoyed heavenly praise, and experienced God’s glory. They would have had a great story to tell; and they could have returned to the same place next year, next week, or even the next day, looking for a spiritual experience to top that one.
In other words, for the shepherds, the glorious angelic appearance could have been like the ultimate church camp, Sunday service, or deeply intimate quiet time at home. But if they were content to leave it there, they would never have seen Jesus first hand and then shared his gospel widely. I’m so glad they saw the angelic visitation as simply a messenger bringing a message. What he said to them was the real issue, and their obedience to it was of paramount importance—not just the spiritual experience of receiving it.
Possible scenario 2: What if, after seeing angels, heavenly praise, receiving personal revelation about Jesus from an angel; and what if after having encountered Jesus first hand, these shepherds hadn't returned to the flock over which God had assigned them?
You see, I’m sure they could have been tempted to abandon their God-given assignment out in the field, at night, tending their flock. Instead, they could have been celebrities, had their photo in newspapers, gone on tv and radio, and been booked up on the speaking circuit. Their testimony was astounding, their conviction real, their background authentic, and their revelation accurate. These shepherds could have had a long and successful career giving their testimony of the night angels appeared and of the signs they had witnessed.
However, instead of being lured by fame and prominence, these humble, true shepherds returned to their modest flock. They went back to the cold, lonely field; they cared for the newborns, protected the sheep from thieves and wolves, ensured they were fed, and kept them from straying. Yes, it sounds like a mission far from the glamour and notoriety of celebrityism; but this was the ministry assignment to which God had called them. As a result, they had true life—not merely adulation, acclaim, and pseudo significance; they had eternal security in God’s fold, not just the temporal security of financial and visible income;