Scripture: Matthew
2:2-3
"Where
is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and
have come to worship Him." When Herod the king heard this,
he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Insights: Today’s verses cover two aspects of
the magi’s message. The first one deals
with why the magi came seeking the Lord Jesus in the first place. The answer to that why is worship. They told Herod they had seen the star in the
east and had come to worship this Child.
Herod’s response leads us into the second aspect of the magi’s message
for today. It answers the question of
what. In other words, what is the
response people have to the gospel? They
are either obedient or rebellious. Herod
is an example of a rebellious heart. We
know this because the verse states he was troubled and all Jerusalem with
him. Why was Herod troubled? The answer was because he thought his reign
was coming to an end because of this Child.
As a result, he was going to do everything he could to hang on to his
reign and rule; therefore, he made it very difficult on the people of Jerusalem
as he was stressing over his own situation.
Beloved, these truths also affect us today. In every situation and circumstance of life
we have the same choice in regards to God’s grace. We can either choose surrender which takes on
the form of obedience or we can choose to be stiff-necked which takes on the
form of rebellion. When we rightly
choose obedience to the Father and His will, it will inevitably lead to worship
of Him. These magi saw His star and immediately
began to obey Him as they traveled a great journey to worship the Christ
Child. It is my prayer that as we
approach 2014 that we will live our lives like these magi. We will daily strive to walk in obedience to
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I
pray we will be compelled to worship and adore Him because of His great love
for us. Make the decision now, in
regards to next year, to walk in obedience to Jesus. It will be the best decision you make.
Questions:
- How
would you describe your worship before the Lord?
- Is
your life characterized as one of obedience or rebellion?
Prayer: Father, transform
my heart to obediently worship and serve You.
As this year of 2013 closes, I truly want You to be my one desire in
2014. Mold me daily as I worship You
into the image of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
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