Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2016 December 7

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. (Micah 5:2-5)

Today's Morsel:  A couple years ago now, my wife and I, and some other ministers from our organization, got to go to Israel on a Holy Land Tour.  What an exciting time it was to walk the grounds of our Lord and Savior.  The Bible truly does come to life when you are there.  One of the places that we got to visit and tour was Bethlehem, the birth town of our Savior.   Just knowing that we were walking in the land of the Nativity of our Savior was awesome, and especially during the month we as Christians celebrate His birth.  This little town, just five miles south of Jerusalem, attracts visitors from all over the world.   It is not only revered by Christians as the birth place of Jesus Christ, but it holds great significance to the Jewish people as the burial place for Rachel (Jacob's wife), the home of Ruth and Boaz (found in the story of Ruth), and the birth place for King David, and from it, you can see the shepherds' fields. According to some, Bethlehem had only about 300 to 1,000 inhabitants at the time of Jesus' birth.  To know that I was standing in this little town that our Lord had chosen thousands of years before I was ever conceived in my own mother's womb left me mesmerized.  And today, having been there, makes the Christmas story even more enjoyable to me.  

Sing:  O' little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie; above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by: Yet in the dark streets shineth the everlasting Light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

Thought For Today:  Isn't it amazing that the Bread of Life would be born in the City of Bread?   

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