God chose a stable so no innkeeper could boast, He chose the comfort of my inn! God chose a manger so that no wood worker could boast, He chose the craftsmanship of my bed! He chose Bethlehem so no one could boast, The greatness of our city constrained the divine choice! And he chose you and me, freely and unconditionally, to stop the mouth of all human boasting. This is the point of Romans 11 and this is the point of Micah 5. The deepest meaning of the littleness and insignificance of Bethlehem is that God does not bestow the blessings of the Messiah--the blessings of salvation--on the basis of our greatness or our merit or our achievement. He does not elect cities or people because of their prominence or grandeur or distinction. When he chooses he chooses freely, in order to magnify the glory of his own mercy, not the glory of our distinctions. So let us say with the angels, Glory to God in the highest! Not glory to us. We get the joy. He gets the glory. -Christmas Devotional John Piper
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 02:50:26 +0000