All People

In verse 10 the angel says the following to the shepherds:  “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people”.   I wonder how much the shepherds understood regarding those words, especially the “all people” part.  Shepherds were not typically well educated men and I doubt these shepherds knew a whole lot about God’s word but the idea of Jesus being for “all people” was not a new idea.  When God first spoke to a man named Abraham, Abram at that time, God gave him the following words: …and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3b)

God’s plan has always been for His Son to be a blessing to all people.  God’s plan for all time has also been that His people would be a blessing to all people.  And that has happened to a large extent.  Christians are primarily responsible for hospitals and other humanitarian movements that have been a blessing to hundreds of millions throughout the centuries.  And the gospel of Jesus Christ has spread around the world.   Yes, there is still much work to do but the message of Jesus Christ can be heard in most of the world today.

I find it fascinating that even in the tiniest of towns such as Bethlehem, in a non-descript part of the world, in a manger, laid a baby who would be “for all people”.  Is He for you?  God desires that He be for you.  God has made Him available as your Savior…will you receive Him?  For those who are currently followers of Jesus, are you making Him known?  There is someone that you will see this week, perhaps at a party or a dinner that doesn’t know Jesus Christ.  Would you be a part of making Him known to “all people”?  You’ve got nothing to lose and someone has eternity to gain.