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God Guides the Wise
The star
sign was enough to lead the magi to Jerusalem - but it took Scripture to lead
them to Jesus
.
God will not
leave us in the dark. He is the pursuer, the teacher. He won’t sit back while
we miss out. So He entered our world. People see signs of God every day.
Sunsets that steal the breath. Newborns that bring tears. Migrating geese that
stir a smile. But do all who see the signs draw near to God? No. Many are
content simply to see the signs. They do not realize that the riches of God are
intended to turn us toward Him. Today, may we see and recognize signs of God
and turn our hearts to worship Him! What signs do you see?
Max Lucado
Ever
since the magi packed their bags for Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus has caused
people to hit the road.
Our
Christmas trips have a lot in common with the one of the wise men.
We
don’t camp with camels, but we have been known to bump into a knobby-kneed
in-law on the way to the bathroom.
We
don’t keep an eye out for star lights, but flashing lights of the highway
patrol?
We
watch for them at every curve.
And
we don’t ride in a spice-road caravan, but six hours in a minivan with four
kids might have made the wise men thankful for animals.
It’s
not always ho ho ho on the high, high highway. Extended time in the car reveals
human frailties.
Dads
refuse to stop. They hearken back to the examples of their forefathers.
Did
the pioneers spend the night at a Holiday Inn?
Did
Lewis and Clark ask for directions?
Did
Joseph allow Mary to stroll through a souvenir shop on the road to Bethlehem?
By
no means. Men drive as if they have a biblical mandate to travel far and fast,
stopping only for gasoline.
And
children? Road trips do to kids what a full moon does to the wolf man.
If one child says, “I
like that song,” you might expect the other to say, “That’s nice.”
Won’t happen. Instead the other child will reply, “It stinks and so do your feet.”
There
is also the issue of JBA — juvenile bladder activity.
A
child can go weeks without going to the bathroom at home.
But
once on the road, the kid starts leaking like secrets in Washington.
On
one drive to Colorado, my daughters visited every toilet in New Mexico.
The
best advice for traveling with young children is to be thankful they aren’t
teenagers.
Teens
are embarrassed by what their parents say, think, wear, eat, and sing.
So
for their sakes (and if you ever want to see your future grandchildren), don’t
smile at the waitstaff, don’t breathe, and don’t sing with the window down or
up.
It’s
wiser to postpone traveling with children until they are a more reasonable age
— like forty-two.
Christmas
and travel.
Jesus
was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time
some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,
“Where is the
newborn king of the Jews?” — Matthew 2:1-2 NLT
Matthew
loved the magi. He gave their story more square inches of text than he gave the
narrative of the birth of Jesus.
He
never mentions the shepherds or the manger, but he didn’t want us to miss the
star and the seekers.
It’s
easy to see why. Their story is our story. We’re all travelers, all sojourners.
In
order to find Jesus, every one of us needs direction. God gives it. The story
of the wise men shows us how.
“We have seen
His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” — Matthew 2:2
NKJV
God
uses the natural world to get our attention. Earth and stars form the first
missionary society.
“The heavens declare the glory of God.” — Psalm 19:1
NKJV
“The basic
reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a
long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able
to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the
mystery of his divine being.” — Romans 1:19-20 MSG
God
led the wise men to Jerusalem with a star. But to lead them to Jesus, He used
something else:
“King Herod
was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He
called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and
asked, ‘Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?’ ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’
they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the
land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will
come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.”’” — Matthew 2:3-6
NLT
The
star sign was enough to lead the magi to Jerusalem. But it took Scripture to
lead them to Jesus.
People
see signs of God every day. Sunsets that steal the breath. Newborns that bring
tears.
Migrating
geese that stir a smile. But do all who see the signs draw near to God? No.
Many
are content simply to see the signs. They do not realize that the riches of God
are intended to turn us toward Him.
“Perhaps you
do not understand that God is kind to you so you will change your hearts and
lives.” — Romans 2:4 NCV
The
wise men, however, understood the purpose of the sign.
It
is interesting to note that the star reappeared after they learned about the
prophecy.
The star “came
and stood shining right over the place where the Child was” (Matthew 2:9, emphasis mine).
It
is as if the sign and word worked together to bring the wise men to Jesus.
The
ultimate aim of all God’s messages, both miraculous and written, is to shed the
light of Heaven on Jesus.
“They came to
the house where the Child was and saw Him with His mother, Mary, and they bowed
down and worshiped Him. They opened their gifts and gave Him treasures of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh.” — Matthew 2:11 NCV
Behold
the first Christian worshippers. The simple dwelling became a cathedral.
Seekers
of Christ found Him and knelt in His presence. They gave Him gifts: gold for a
king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for his burial.
They
found the Christ because they heeded the sign and believed the scripture.
Noticeably
absent at the manger were the scholars of the Torah.
They
reported to Herod that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
Did
they not read the prophecy? Yes, but they did not respond to it.
You’d
think at a minimum they would have accompanied the magi to Bethlehem.
The
village was near enough. The risk was small enough.
The
wise men earned their moniker because they did.
Their
hearts were open to God’s gift. The men were never the same again.
After worshiping the Christ child, “they departed for their own country another
way” (Matthew 2:12 NKJV).
Matthew
uses the word way in other places to suggest a direction of life.
He speaks of the narrow way (Matthew 7:13-14 NASB) and “the way of righteousness”
(Matthew21:32).
He
may be telling us that the wise men went home as different men.
Called
by a sign.
Instructed
by Scripture.
And
directed home by God.
It’s
as if all the forces of heaven cooperated to guide the wise men.
God
uses every possible means to communicate with you.
The
wonders of nature call to you.
The
promises and prophecies of Scripture speak to you.
God
Himself reaches out to you. He wants to help you find your way home.
Many
years ago I watched the television adaptation of the drama The Miracle Worker,
the compelling story of two females with great resolve: Helen Keller and Anne
Sullivan.
Helen
was born in 1880. She wasn’t yet two when she contracted an illness that left
her blind, deaf, and mute.
When
Helen was seven years old, Annie, a young, partially blind teacher, came to the
Kellers’ Alabama home to serve as Helen’s teacher.
Helen’s
brother James tried to convince Annie to quit.
The
teacher wouldn’t consider it. She was resolved to help Helen function in a
world of sight and sound.
Helen
was as stubborn as her teacher. Locked in a frightening, lonely world, she
misinterpreted Annie’s attempts.
The
result was a battle of wills. Over and over Annie pressed sign language into
Helen’s palm.
Helen
pulled back. Annie persisted. Helen resisted.
Finally,
in a moment of high drama, a breakthrough.
During
a fevered exchange near the water pump, Annie placed one of Helen’s hands under
the spout of flowing water.
Into
the other hand she spelled out w-a-t-e-r.
Over
and over, w-a-t-e-r.
Helen
pulled back. Annie kept signing. W-a-t-e-r.
All
of a sudden Helen stopped.
She
placed her hand on her teacher’s and repeated the letters w-a-t-e-r.
Annie
beamed. She lifted Helen’s hand onto her own cheek and nodded vigorously.
“Yes, yes, yes! W-a-t-e-r.”
Helen
spelled it again: w-a-t-e-r.
Helen
pulled Annie around the yard, spelling out the words.
G-r-o-u-n-d.
P-o-r-c-h. P-u-m-p. It was a victory
parade.
Christmas
celebrates a similar moment for us — God breaking through to our world.
He
is the pursuer, the teacher. He won’t sit back while we miss out.
So He entered our world. He sends signals and
messages: H-o-p-e. L-i-f-e.
He
cracks the shell of our world and invites us to peek into His. And every so
often a seeking soul looks up.
May
you be one of them.
When
God sends signs, be faithful. Let them lead you to Scripture.
As
Scripture directs, be humble. Let it lead you to worship.
And
as you worship the Son, be grateful. He will lead you home.
Who
knows? Perhaps before Jesus comes again, we’ll discover why men don’t ask for
directions.
Then
we can pursue the other great question of life: Why do women apply makeup while
they are driving? But that’s a question for ones wiser than I.
He
won’t sit back while we miss out. So He entered our world.
Your Turn
People
see signs of God every day.
Sunsets
that steal the breath. Newborns that bring tears.
Migrating
geese that stir a smile. But do all who see the signs draw near to God? No.
Many
are content simply to see the signs. They do not realize that the riches of God
are intended to turn us toward Him.
Today,
may we see and recognize signs of God and turn our hearts to worship Him!
What
signs do you see?
Come share with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily
Max Lucado
Since entering the ministry in
1978, Max Lucado has served churches in Miami, Florida; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
and San Antonio, Texas. He currently serves as Senior Minister of Oak Hills
Church in San Antonio. He is America’s bestselling inspirational author with
more than 130 million books in print. Follow his website at MaxLucado.com
Facebook.com/MaxLucado Instagram.com/MaxLucado Twitter.com/MaxLucado
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https://www.faithgateway.com/god-guides-wise/#.X85sinAzbZ4
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