Sunday, December 25, 2011

BETHLEHEM BRINGS HOPE!!

Bethlehem Brings Hope!

Verse for Today: Sunday, December 25, 2011


Micah 5:2 – “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me One who will rule over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Prophet Micah lived during a time when all hope about Israel was gone. There seemed to be no future for God’s people. They were bewildered about the uncertainty which loomed large in front of their eyes. Hopelessness pervaded all spheres of activities and all walks of life. But when everybody gave up on a meaningful future, God spoke about a small, poor, insignificant and unimportant town called Bethlehem. It was a town which meant bread, but there was spiritual famine there. There were heartaches and disappointments in the air. But God asserted that Bethlehem would become a place of hope for His people because a King would be born there. This King would change the destiny of Israel as a nation and the whole world. When there was no hope, this town would bring hope back into the hearts of the people because Jesus, the Hope of the World, was going to be born there. Micah prophesied during the 8th century B.C. and put hope in the hearts of the concerned people of Israel. In order for this prophecy to be fulfilled, God moved the hearts of the rulers to make it necessary for Mary and Joseph of Nazareth to take a trip to Bethlehem. The little town of Bethlehem speaks to us today that the baby born in the manger in Bethlehem is the only hope for this decaying world. He was born in Bethlehem as the Savior and He made the salvation of the world possible through His death on the Cross of Calvary. One of these days, He would come back to establish His Kingdom here on earth and rule the world with justice. Hope for this world cannot be found in technology, science, globalization, peace summits or arms race as they all failed us miserably. Our hope is in a Savior born in Bethlehem and died on the cross. This is our moment of truth to entrust our lives to Him and find true hope.

Dear friend, Jesus was born in Bethlehem to put hope in the lives of people and nations. Perhaps your circumstances might look hopeless. You probably can’t find reasons to expect any thing good in this life. But if you commit your life to Jesus, He will put hope back into your life. If you entrust your life with Him, He will receive it, reshape it and put it back to work for His glory. So you don’t need to give up or quit, but allow Jesus to rebuild your life. He is the Master Designer and Builder of lives. He builds and rebuilds. He creates and recreates. He wants to reshape and remold your life so that you will become a vessel of great prospects. Yes, there is hope for you and about you. Even if the whole world gives up on you, Jesus will not. Any one who comes to Him will never be cast out or rejected. He can wipe your canvass clean and help you to draw your life picture all over again. He will forgive and forget your past failures and rewrite your story in His way. Today Jesus reminds us that He is the Prince of Hope who came to a hopeless place called Bethlehem to make it the citadel of hope. So let us put behind us all our past failures and losses and go to Jesus and ask Him to take hold of our lives to put hope back in us to go forward. Today let Jesus become your hope for the future. He will make the sun shine upon you and send bright rays of hope into your life to brighten you your pathways.

John 7:42 – “Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”

Thought for Today

When Jesus, the Hope of the World, is born in our hearts, hope will fill our lives to help us live in peace.


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