“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means, least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.”  Matthew 2:6

From Pastor Ron Gray’s Christmas Newsletter:  “One of the great truths concerning Christmas is that Christ came to us.  So many times we tend to think that we came to Him.  It was the love of God for His creation that caused Him to send His Son. He came to redeem us. He came to bring us abundant life. He came to be our Savior, Lord, & King. Today…Jesus comes and brings light, hope, & a future…I believe that God will come to you today in the middle of whatever you are going through.  You may think He is not interested, but I believe He cares, & knows what you are dealing with.  Jesus is making Himself real to you today. Give Him an opportunity to work. Stop for just a moment and talk to Him.  He has come to you to bring you joy.  I trust Him today to work a miracle in your life.”

Part of the glorious Christmas Story involves living in the stable!  So how do we go from “Living in the Stable” to “Sitting in the Heavenly Throne Room with Christ?”   How do we get from the hardship of the stable to the glory of the throne?  We trust & wait!

What do we do when there’s no room in the Inn?  We give birth in a stable!

(My definition of a stable) A Stable is a place we find ourselves physically, emotionally, or spiritually, where we don’t want to be!”  Mary & Joseph wanted to be back in their home in Nazareth in Galilee, or at least in the Inn in Bethlehem, especially when Mary was ready to give birth!!  But, they found themselves in the stable!

It’s a mistake to label someone in a “stable” situation as:  A transient, a fugitive, a drifter, an orphan, etc.  Often a gradual process of circumstances got us there.  I know my All-Powerful God could have delivered Jesus, Mary, & Joseph out of the stable, kept them in Nazareth in Galilee, and not sent them to Bethlehem in Judea, but there was a purpose & a prophecy that had to be fulfilled!

What is the prophecy concerning us & our families?  What is our promise from God that needs to be fulfilled because we’re in a stable right now?

Are we, like Jesus, headed for the throne room?  We are, if we know Christ!  How did baby Jesus get from the stable to the throne?  Through suffering & trials…’til He went back to the Father.  True for us, too!  Suffering & trials, ‘til we return to our Father in Heaven.  But, we can bless the Lord through our trials…Jesus did.

How long did Jesus, Mary, & Joseph stay in the stable?  One day, two days?  A while!

What were the conditions?  Stables are smelly, loud with animal sounds, uncomfortable, lacking the simplest comforts, lacking family support, & it’s a lifestyle that is at the mercy of strangers.  Have we ever found ourselves in a stable?

Was there stress?  Mary glorified God, even after submitting to a pregnancy she could never explain, months of village criticism, & all God’s requirements for bearing the Son of God.   Our belief & obedience is what magnifies God!  From The Fruit Of The Spirit Bible, we read:  “It is always the heaviness of the burden that teaches us the best song.”

Mary was faithful…which is defined as, “always doing what God tells us to do, exactly when He tells us to do it!”  Amen!!

Patience never argues with God, and it has a habit of praising God while it waits for miracles to take place.  There’s never any reason to hurry God!  “May it be to me as God has said!”  Mary said, and then she sang as she waited.

Who was there with them in the stable?  No family.  But God knew where they were.  And He blessed Mary & Joseph with the birth of their son, Jesus..in the stable! And support (&worship) came to the stable from everywhere…  Even Shepherds need a Savior!

He knows where we are, too, even if we’re in a stable.  And, He will bless us with birth, too!  Perhaps, the birth of a job, the birth of a house, the birth of a dream, the birth of a vision, and the birth of a purpose.

What was the result of Mary & Joseph’s stable experience?

Christmas!  Jesus’ birth in a stable brought joy, brought faith, brought vision, & brought a promise for us.  It got the attention of angels, kings, magi, & shepherds.

In our stable experience, we can’t discount the enemy at work, but don’t give him any glory either!  Satan’s a liar!  We shouldn’t ask, “Why are we here in this stable, Lord??”  We need to ask, “What are You trying to birth in us, Lord, right here in this stable?”

We must know that God plans to take us from the stable to the throne, just as He did for His son, Jesus.  But, we’ve got to let Him!  Hope is here!  We’re children of God!  And, this is the season when God reminds us of His Love.  Christmas is for those of us in the stable…So God can show us that His purpose is to bring us out of the stable to His throne!

We’ve got to go to God, & want everything He wants for us!! We need to be faithful to God’s favor & guidance, even in the stable of small beginnings to get to the glorious ending…the throne!!

Even if we’re in a “stable” situation right now, we must accept the gift of Jesus…because even in the stable, God’s right there with us!!  His Son was born there!

And, once we’re out of the stable, don’t look back; just look up to where the throne is!  Amen!!

“And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself RESTORE you & make you strong, firm, & steadfast.”  I Peter 5:10

You can’t have Christmas without Christ!  Christ is the heart of Christmas!  Merry Christmas & God’s Abundant Peace to all of you!