Decisions are at the core of any business.  Being willing to take responsibility for making critical decisions earns more money, but failure risks reputation and future employment.  Although shepherding was not a highly paid job, they risked losing their livelihood if they failed to guard the sheep at night, leaving them as prey for wild animals.  Yet, they decided to leave their sheep and look for Jesus.  They were not irresponsible; they believed what the angels had told them.  They had an inner God-given conviction that God’s Messiah (Christ) had been born, and that they must go to see Him (Luke 2:8-14).  They risked everything to find the Saviour.

As far as we know, none of them had met angels before.  If they left their sheep for a hoax and the livestock was killed by wild animals, they would receive the mockery of the town.  But, deep down in their hearts, they knew that God had told them the truth.  They even received identifying details about this baby: He would be wrapped in cloth strips and be lying in a cattle feeding trough.  There was no time to waste.  They left their sheep and ran down the hillside.  They found Jesus and discovered that He matched the information they had been told.  They believed who Jesus was and why He had come.  Their conversation with Mary and Joseph confirmed that they had met the Saviour of the world.  No wonder that Mary treasured the encounter and was about to accurately relay the story to Luke in her old age (Luke 1:1-4).

They decided to tell everybody!  It really was wonderful news.  The event every Jewish child had been taught to expect had actually happened.  Their faith in God’s Word led them to God’s Messiah.  They heard that He had come for all people (Luke 2:10-11), so they told everybody.  Amazed, they would have come to Jesus too.  

When God speaks, He expects action.  Refusal might be disguised as prudence, wise reflection or prioritising other things - but God calls it disobedience.  Some deride 'simple faith' saying that it lacks intellectual rigour.  But once God's Word has been explained, clever arguments are merely a sophisticated way of arrogantly rebelling against the Almighty.  The shepherds had no such problem: God spoke to them ... they responded ... the Word was confirmed ... and they wanted to tell others.  They may not have been thought of as astute business brains, but they made the right decisions.  They humbly agreed to do what God said.  That is the first step to salvation, obedience, blessing and glory.  So, let us put away pride and intellectual arrogance; simply trust the Lord and prove our faith by being obedient and then telling others.    These responsible decisions will bring you and others to peace with God now and share His glory in the end.