The Kingdom of God is like none other. What ruler saves His people with a King born to a teenage girl and a carpenter, in a stable? What baby is first visited by dirty and outcast shepherds? What kind of a toddler has magistrates come and visit Him, to bring birthday gifts that are for the preparation of His death? The answer to all of those questions can be found in this series. In the beautiful, yet strange Upside Down Kingdom of God, each and every individual played an important, and possibly even peculiar role in the grand scheme of things. We hope you enjoy the long awaited Upside Down Kingdom Series!
When someone of high nobility is born, who would be among the first to meet them? At the top of that list would most likely be family, close friends, and maybe even the public. Now, I am sure the last thing any aristocratic family has in mind is inviting lowly peasants, but why would Jesus do it? After all, He was to be the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and sovereign ruler over all, yet, the first ones who came to see Him after He was born in the inn were shepherds, the lowest of the low.
We all know that story of angels visiting the shepherds, giving them specific instructions to find the child, the great and vast choir of angels singing in the Heavens, and declaring the birth of the Messiah that beautiful night. When you take those events play-by-play and break down the significance of the lowly shepherds being the ones God chose in this scene of His story, it truly is magnificent.
Because the storyline leading to our eternal kingdom is deemed "upside-down" to most, it makes sense for the events to be a bit mismatched (if you will), as well. Jesus came in the most humble way possible and was born to a set of ordinary Jews from Bethlehem. Instead of nobilities and important people coming to visit and celebrate His birth, shepherds came. This again shows how God not only has no problem picking the most upside-down and unexpected characters to play the parts in His story but also that He sees the humble, the lowly, and the meek. There was nothing special about the shepherds other than the fact that they were tending to their flocks, as they should have been doing. Little did they know that the Lord had other plans in mind for them. He gave the peculiar ones a purpose. He gave the outcasts a chance onward. He gave the lowest of the low a sneak peek at life eternal. No one is ever overlooked in the eyes of the Father: not even the shepherds.
END OF THE YEAR MESSAGE FROM GENELLE:
Dearest Philanthropical Faith Family Members,
We are closer and closer to our official one year anniversary! This means that for the past (almost) year now, The Philanthropical Faith has been here, and is a great testament to the faithfulness of God, and we want to take some time to reflect on that goodness!
From our very first devotional that came from my favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:6-7, to growing to having members and readers all across the globe, and even establishing not just one, but two flourishing social media platforms, we could not be more grateful! God is good! Doing this has been nothing but a labor of love, as I have strived to be intentional in the way I run and manage this devotional, as well as taking the time to deeply study the Word of God, and what I feel Him lay on my heart, and through all of that, He is still good to me!
With this season of old coming to a close, there are incredible and great new things on their way, and I declare over this platform that what is coming for you and me will be greater than the latter, in Jesus' name.
I love you family!
<3 Genelle
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