It’s easy for us to be amazed by Jesus. People have always been amazed by him — until something else catches their fancy.
That’s the way it was 2,000 years ago when Jesus was born. Angels appeared in the sky to shepherds radiating with God’s glory and singing his praises. They announced that the Messiah, the Savior of the world, was born and they’d find him in the little town of Bethlehem, lying in a manger. Angels appearing to lowly shepherds?! The Savior born in a stable?! What an amazing story!
When the shepherds found the newborn Savior “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them,” Luke says. But then he adds the contrast, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:18-19).
Mary was more than amazed — she chose to delight in the Lord and to think deeply about him.
We Like to be Entertained
Time and again during Jesus’ public ministry crowds of people swelled into the thousands to be amazed by him. Inspiring stories. Miracles. Bravo! Bravo! Do it again Jesus! Of course, we too love for Jesus to lift our spirits and do great things for us.
But if being amazed by Jesus doesn’t quickly lead us to ponder and delight in the Lord then before long we’ll find someone or something else to entertain us, as did all but a few hundred of the many thousands of people who were amazed by Jesus in his day. It happens so subtly.
It happened to me today.
In between my appointments with pastors I had a short break. I had been doing a lot of listening and wanted to relax. I thought, “I wonder if the Lakers (my favorite basketball team) have made a trade yet?” So I checked online and started reading articles. Ten minutes later I realized, “This is empty entertainment. It’s just a silly curiosity. Why am I wasting time doing this?”
Let’s Delight in the Lord Jesus
Instead I started reading and praying over a section from The Imitation of Christ. I began to treasure the risen Christ in my midst and ponder over what he was teaching me… “He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:3).
Thank you Father God for drawing our attention to Jesus! Thank you for answering my prayer this morning that I would live by the attitude of Mary. Let it be more and more true for me and for my friends reading this now that we are captivated by Jesus and keep thinking about him all day long.
Soul Shepherding’s Advent Resources
Devotionals and Prayer Cards for Advent will prepare your heart for the coming of Christ. The prayer cards work great for facilitating conversation between friends and family at a holiday gatherings, as well as, designed for devotionals and small groups.
