Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 759 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Shepherds Were Astonishing – Meditation Monday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 759 of our trek, and it is time for our new segment which we started last week called Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.

For some, it may just be a time alone for quiet reflection. Some may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you too will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind. 

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Only two weeks until Christmas! When God became human on that very first Christmas, it was not ushered in with great fanfare that would normally be part of a new king being born. Instead, God shared this great proclamation with the least likely people.

First, He was born in a manger with a few smelly animals to witness his birth as He was laid in their feeding bin. The next account was before those who were charged with taking care of yet more animals that smell and are rather dumb. That was the shepherds as they cared for their flocks in the hills around Bethlehem.

Today in our Monday Meditation let us consider lowly shepherds and the proclamation made by God’s Messengers. So today let us reflect on:

The Shepherds Were Astonishing

If you were a shepherd in the time when God came to earth in the form of a baby and chose to dwell among us, you would never have expected anyone to be astonished at anything you could ever say or do. You would have been “just” a lowly and despised shepherd. Most shepherds (like those who celebrated Christ’s birth) were quite young and most often ignored. Like all good shepherds, they smelled like sheep — they were not the kind of folks you invite into your house for a long conversation or a dinner party. Shepherds, in general, were not considered intellectually astute. Most people felt that shepherds would have little to say that was important. In fact, the occupation of a shepherd was looked down on, as one of the lowest occupations.

Then came Jesus’s birth. Look at what God made of these shepherds. They were the first to share the good news of Jesus’s birth. They were the first “missionaries” sent to tell the story of God coming down to live with people. These shepherds were told this good news by God’s messengers sent from the glory of heaven.

People were astonished. They were astonished that God would use shepherds. They were astonished at what the shepherds told them about the angels. They were astonished at the story the shepherds told about who Jesus was and where He was born.

Look at what the Father made of these shepherds. They were the first to know and to proclaim the astonishing good news of God coming to the world as a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and placed in a feed bin — the glory of the newborn King of the Jews, the Messiah of Israel, and the Savior of the world.

And what about you? Are you astonishing?

If you listen closely to the passages below, you will see that Jesus has done something just as astonishing with you as He did with the shepherds. Because of Jesus, you are now “holy, blameless, and totally free of imperfection.” Just like the shepherds, you have been given the opportunity to be astonishing!  Let’s look at God’s Word as we see simple shepherds share the astonishing news!

After seeing him [baby Jesus], the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished…Luke [2:17]-18 NLT

In the flesh, Jesus bring you this same astonishing identity as we read in Colossians [1:15]-23.

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Let’s pray as we conclude our meditation for today.

O Father, help me to be a willing and humble servant as the shepherds were on the first Christmas day. Help me to study your Word daily so I will be prepared to share your Good News as you grant me the opportunity. May my life during this Christmas season and throughout the year be a picture of you when you chose to come to earth and dwell among your creation. In Jesus, my Savior’s name I pray, Amen.

Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday and explore more of the Christmas story. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 758 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe to iTunes and Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!