Christmas Songs (6)

Witness of Grace

I really believe that the Lord will stop at nothing to help us. Absolutely nothing! He will use the high and mighty, even the government, to achieve this end.  As His children we have the privilege of experiencing His supernatural favor in our lives on a regular basis. Let me tell you one of my unforgettable experiences.

A few years ago I encountered a huge problem at work. Our company had started development of a new housing scheme and sales were very slow. Although the company was well established we were new to the specific locality. I was in charge of sales and it gave me a big headache and tremendous pressure. It didn’t help that our competitor at the neighboring scheme was also selling the same kind of product at very competitive pricing.  We tried advertising a lot but it didn’t work. We tried doing more road-show promotions but it didn’t work. I tried to work the sales staff harder but it didn’t work either.  I was at my wit’s end; all I could do was pray. I prayed that God would bless our hard work and the strategies we employed. But it didn’t happen the way I hoped it would. Then, something happened. The Lord had a better idea. Out of the blue the Government substantially raised the salary of all government servants. With that they not only were endowed with greater spending power but their housing loan entitlement from the government was also significantly increased.  Now, the location of our project was such that many of these government servants found it very suitable for them. It really made our day. From then on sales were really good.  You see, although I didn’t pray for this, the Lord more than answered my prayer because all I wanted was for the sales to improve. He did it in a way that far surpassed my expectation and benefited almost everyone. He used even the Government to advance my cause. How good is my God!

My friend, I know you may think that I am being presumptuous here. You may say that it was just a coincidence or that I was just lucky. But I won’t take it. I believe that Jesus had done it for me. You will not persuade me otherwise. Do I feel like I deserve to receive such supernatural favor? Do I feel like I deserve to be witness of such abundant grace? No, but all the same I got to witness His grace.

If there was anyone who would feel undeserved to be called upon to witness the birth of the Christ it would be the shepherds (Luke 2:8-20). They themselves would marvel that God should choose them to be His witnesses. These shepherds were at the lowest rung of the social ladder, living somewhat like social outcasts. Moving about the countryside, sometime they had mix-up over each other’s flock and there would be much argument. They had a bad reputation and their words were not considered reliable. In fact they were not allowed to give testimony in the law courts! Now if you were God, would you choose such people to be your witnesses? This was exactly what God did. One night while they were tending their flock in the country, an angel showed up and declared to them the greatest good news and gave them a sign to find the Savior borne in Bethlehem. They found the Babe and rejoiced at seeing God’s salvation. Couldn’t contain their joy they went about telling everyone!

Think about it, don’t you think this is a slap in the face of the law courts and whatever law it judged by. Here was a class of people that were found unworthy to be witness in the law courts, yet God chose them to be witnesses for Him on the birth of the Savior! These were people that were plainly told that they just didn’t live up to the standard. But when God came on the scene, they were found worthy to be the witnesses of the highest cause. They were made witnesses for God, not just anybody. But they didn’t do anything to achieve that state; it was purely God’s grace. Freely He bestowed this favor on them, and declared them worthy. Imagine how the shepherds would feel, they would be so happy to be given such honor that they wouldn’t mind anymore if they couldn’t give testimony in the law courts. They would go wherever the Lord sent them, to be witnesses of His grace. And whereas those of the law courts thought that the shepherds couldn’t possibly do a good job, God’s favor had empowered them to do a good job for Him. Loot at the result: And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds (Luke 2:18, NKJV)

I love one song by Rod Steward that goes like this: “Have I told you lately that I love you?…”. But my question to you today is whether you have been told lately that you are not good enough, for whatever cause. Take heart, my friend, the Lord says you can be a recipient of His grace. Then, you will be a witness of His grace.

Photo Credit: Dr Joseph Valks on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Scripture Reference Link: BibleGateway.com