“So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.” (Luke 2:16–20, NASB95)
The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. When we have something good to share, we share it! This has been a rule in our house since I can remember.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t like to share! Like you, I don’t want someone else dipping their fingers into my buttery popcorn. I mean, consider the sanitary issues alone! (OK, you got me. I’m busted. My aversion to sharing has nothing to do with health and everything to do with my selfishness. I just don’t want to share!)
However, I know that I should share when God gives me something wonderful. And so, I discovered the 12-pound bag of popcorn kernels. Yes, I still pop popcorn the old school way – it tastes better! So, with my electric popper, I can make bowls and bowls of popcorn and still have enough for my hungry self.
The shepherds understood what I so often forget. You can’t out give God! They came and told Joseph and Mary all they had seen. They shared what they knew. And, after they left the baby Jesus, they went and told all they had seen, again!
The nature of a God-fearing person is to share. We don’t have to be taught or told. We just share. It’s our nature to tell all we have seen and heard.
We have so much to share, don’t we? God has been so good to slather us with His grace – giving us what we don’t deserve out of His abundance and compassion. He also has chosen to shower us with His mercy – withholding those things that we do deserve that would bring about our demise. Today would be a great day to share both of these!
Train Them Thursdays seeks to wed the Great Commission directive of Jesus with the practice He employed while on Earth. Each nugget is meant to encourage the reader with a “can-do” spirit to realize that discipleship is something each person is both capable of and empowered to accomplish. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each thought and they flow out of decades of his tried and true field-testing in multiple settings from rural to inner city. He welcomes your comments below.
