CAC LIVING WATER DAILY DEVOTIONAL October 27, 2021 (THEY NEEDED TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE)
TOPIC: THEY NEEDED TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE
Read Matthew 2:1-12
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
MEMORISE: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1)
EXPOSITION
The wise men (Magi) that came in search of the baby Jesus were from the East (not Jews). Obviously, they were astrologers (stargazers), hence their ability to follow the leading of the star that took them to Jesus. Unarguably, there was not much of media like we have them today; no radio, TV, Internet, etc., even as today commemorates World Day for Audio-Visual Heritage.
How would the news about the arrival of the Messiah on the planet earth spread fast without these advanced methods? God chose to first announce it from heaven, to and through a team of shepherds ‘keeping watch over their flock by night’ (Lk. 2:8b). Then He visited the gentile world, starting with the Magi.
The star had been leading them from the East, but seemed to have stopped as they came to Jerusalem (Matt. 2:1), only to reappear as they departed from the wicked king’s presence (v. 9). Ordinarily, one would have thought that losing sight of the star made them to miss road as they were forced to visit the palace. But, No, God allowed it.
Their presence in the palace actually caused the king and his people to go into research as to the Scriptural revelation about the coming Messiah. In a way, God was using the supposed mistake of the wise men to announce the arrival of His Son, Jesus. Subsequent events show the awareness of Jesus’ arrival that was created by the the presence of those wise men in the palace.
We need the eyes of God to see aright, most especially, when we ourselves, or others around us make supposed mistakes. There are sometimes these mistakes might be God actual way of fulfilling His purposes for, in and through us.
Many people might be blaming Joseph for divulging his dreams to his siblings and parents. Yet, God saw that mistake as an avenue to launch Joseph into the actualization of his destiny. You need the wisdom of God not to react abruptly to what people see as mistakes when God is seeing it as means to manifest His miracle (cf. Isa 8:12).
PRAYER POINTS
1. Holy Spirit, give me the right perspective for every situation around me, including supposed mistakes by myself and others.
2. Lord Jesus, I confess my silly mistakes of the past. Please, let Your mighty power, mercy and favour turn such mistakes to miracles.
3. Lord, deliver our parents from errors that can bring permanent damages on their children, in Jesus ‘name.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY:
Jeremiah 2:22 – 4:22; 1 Timothy 1:19 – 3:4
Author: C.A.C WORLDWIDE
Remain blessed!