“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah,out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Micah 5:2 NIV
Bethlehem
Back in 1991, TMB Industries, an investment company, announced it and the Onex Corporation in Toronto had agreed to buy the Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s freight-car unit for an undisclosed price. The operation, based in Johnstown, PA, makes all types of freight cars except tank cars. Its sales had totaled about $200 million the previous year. Bethlehem said the sale was in line with its plan to divest itself of its non-steel businesses. It said the sale included the unit’s car-building shops and plants.
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Small towns have produced some pretty famous people. Dolly Parton grew up in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Brad Pitt is from Shawnee, Oklahoma. Martina McBride is from Sharon, Kansas, a hamlet of 150 people. And Jesus was born in Bethlehem. God had planned for that to happen. The Hebrew prophet predicted it to be so – Micah 5:2 tells us “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Even in Jesus’ birth God was making a kingdom of God principle evident – He chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong. The world teaches that it’s the powerful, the wealthy, the strong who are most important. God chooses to have Jesus born in a tiny village just far enough from Jerusalem to seldom be on anyone’s mind. But it was on God’s mind. So are you. Even if you aren’t powerful, or famous, or on the minds of many people, you are on God’s mind, and He has a plan for you.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley