The Eternal rests On Obedience

We come to the final players in the nativity story, the Magi.

The wise men, kings, of the East.

They traveled miles and years just to get a glimpse of this king,

who they understood was a King of kings.

When they finally reached Jerusalem, they asked King Herod

about the baby who was destined to be a king.

The questions disturbed Herod's peace.

Afterall, he was king, and no baby was going to take his place.

Right? of course right.

And if Herod wasn't happy, no one was happy.

We all know people like him.

People who make sure that their unhappiness spills over on to those around them.

So, how did Herod decide to make sure there could be no other king?

He decided to kill all the baby boys two years old and under.

Now all of Jerusalem was in unrest as well as Herod.

But God was there watching and caring for that baby.

The Magi whom God had sent on a mission to worship the King of kings

were warned by that same God not to go back and report to Herod.

They were warned to go home another way.

They left immediately for the east, traveling by another way as they had been instructed.

This simple act of obedience probably saved the life of Jesus.

Herod never learned from the Magi where the king he wanted to kill was staying.

This single act gave Mary and Joseph time to flee Israel

before Herod could destroy the savior of the world.

Each of the people in the story of the nativity was obedient to the nudge, whisper, and shout of almighty God.

Each act of obedience was necessary.

Anyone of these people, or all, could have chosen to ignore Gods voice opting for a more

comfortable way.

But they didn't. They chose obedience and earned a place in the story in the birth of Jesus.

None of them knew or understood the magnitude of their obedience at the time.

But they did know and trust the one giving the orders.

At times God may ask us to do something or say something,

that seems crazy,

will cost us something,

will require going against the flow of public opinion

and we will need to be obedient to what God asks, no questions asked.

We may not ever know why because not every story is the nativity.

But your obedience may have eternal results.

results that we will only see when the page has turned.

Comments

Live Fearlessly

As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the road. Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride. As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping. I could have and should have but I didn't. Why? I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid. It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into overdrive. Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting. Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy. As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid. Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know. As I was driving away from a misse...

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story. We were new parents. When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes. One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house. The next thing I heard was a thud. I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened. There was my son with a table on top of him. He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over. We put him in the car and dashed for the ER. It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches. Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike. She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road....

Just A Word of Praise!!

On Sunday, after church, we went to a town about thirty minutes away. On the way we drove through an area where they were working on the road. It was no big deal. We had lunch, bought some food for the week, and drove back home. Later, as we were on our way to church for the evening service, I heard the ominous flapping sound that a tire makes when it’s flat. Yikes! I pulled over and while I was debating how I was going to change a tire. A car coming in the opposite direction drove by and stopped. As the driver appeared from the vehicle, I recognized him as a neighbor and fellow believer. He approached the car, and asked if I had an air compressor to inflate the tire. My answer, “Yes, but I’m not sure how good it is. I’ve never actually managed to inflate a tire using it. I may not be using it properly.” I produced it from the trunk of the car and handed it to him. Within...

Inspirations

Search This Blog