What Jesus did? - for January 16

Divine Partnership - Matthew 2:19-23

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream. This happened while Joseph was in Egypt. The angel said, "Get up! Take the baby and his mother and go to Israel. The people that were trying to kill the baby are now dead." So Joseph took the baby and the baby's mother and went to Israel. But Joseph heard that Archelaus was now king in Judea. Archelaus became king when his father Herod died. So Joseph was afraid to go there. Joseph was warned in a dream. So Joseph left there and went to the area of Galilee. Joseph went to a town called Nazareth and lived there. And so the thing happened that God said through the prophets. God said that {the Christ} would be called a Nazarene. (ERV)

Key Thought
In this passage, we see Joseph caught in a wonderful and mysterious dance with God. God revealed his protective guidance in dreams, through angels, and in visions. Joseph, however, still had to discern the meaning of God's help and had to choose to obey his direction. So often we want everything spelled out, "just like they did in the Bible." We forget that Joseph and Mary were living a mystery that was too big to wrap their minds around; at times it was frightening and at other times it was just bewildering. The human guidance, advice, and training they received to prepare them for what lay ahead of them is remarkably similar to our own -- little or none. This, of course, made them rely more on God each day for his direction and protection. Interestingly, after the initial burst of divine revelation, Joseph and Mary appear to have been faced with the same kind of child raising issues that most of us face, with one exception: they were raising God's Messiah. They had to rely on God to lead them through this mystery. So must we!

Today's Prayer
Ever-present Father, I am comforted to see your protection of your Son when he was so vulnerable. Please inspire my confidence in your presence in my life, too. I long for you to make yourself known in my life each day as I seek to live for you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Toate bucuriile durabile se afla pe drumul Calvarului

Ce tragic este când oamenii se îndepărteaza de la drumul Calvarului dragostei şi suferinţei. Toate bogăţiile gloriei lui Dumnezeu în Hristos se află pe acest drum. Şi părtăşia cea mai dulce cu Isus se găseşte tot acolo. Şi toate comorile siguranţei. Orice extazuri ale bucuriei. Cele mai clare privelişti ale eternităţii. Cele mai nobile prietenii. Cele mai umile sentimente de dragoste. Cele mai delicate fapte de bunătate iertătoare. Cele mai adânci revelaţii din Cuvântul lui Dumnezeu. Cele mai fierbinţi şi sincere rugăciuni. Toate acestea sunt pe drumul Calvarului, pe care Isus umblă cu poporul Său. Ia‑ţi crucea şi urmează‑L pe Isus. Pe acest drum, şi numai pe acest drum, viaţa este Hristos şi moartea este câştig. Umblarea pe orice alte căi înseamnă risipirea vieţii.

John Piper - "Nu-ti risipi viata!"

Above all

What Jesus did? - for January 15

The Lord's Continuing Presence - Matthew 2:19-20

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream. This happened while Joseph was in Egypt. The angel said, "Get up! Take the baby and his mother and go to Israel. The people that were trying to kill the baby are now dead." (ERV)

Key Thought

Isn't it interesting how the same place can mean different things for us? Egypt was that way for Israel. Egypt was a place of bondage, but it was also a place where they found food to preserve them during a famine. Egypt was a place of oppression and yet at the same time it was a place of God's great deliverance. Egypt wasn't home, but it was a place where God still was active in guiding and protecting his people and fulfilling his promises to them. As Matthew relates how Jesus was protected in Egypt even though it was not his home, all these connections with Israel's past fill our hearts and remind us of this great truth: If we are seeking to live for our Father, he knows us, he knows our situation, and he is working for our ultimate deliverance no matter where we are!

Today's Prayer

Ever-present Father, I am comforted to see how you protected your Son when he was vulnerable. I am thankful to know that there is never a place or time that your presence is not with me. Please make yourself known in my life each day, as I seek to live for you right where I am, until that day you bring me home. In Jesus' name I pray.

What Jesus did? - for January 14

Slaying the Innocents - Matthew 2:16-18
Herod saw that the wise men had fooled him. Herod was very, very angry. So Herod gave an order to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and in all the area around Bethlehem. Herod had learned from the wise men the time {the baby was born}. It was now two years from that time. So Herod said to kill all the boys that were two years old and younger. So the thing God said through the prophet Jeremiah happened: "A sound was heard in Ramah. It was bitter crying and much sadness. Rachel cries for her children; and she cannot be comforted, because her children are dead." (ERV)

Key Thought
I don't know about you, but I don't like this story. It spoils the sentimentality of the birth story of Jesus. But, at a more primal level of truth, this story of Herod's brutal paranoia shocks us awake, and helps us understand why Jesus had to come. Without a reverence for God and his Word, we human beings have shown a remarkable propensity for brutality, as culture loses sight of the preciousness of each person created in the image of God. The slaying of the innocents reminds us of how easily we slip into a mentality that puts personal protection, reputation, and position above the rights of those who are vulnerable and powerless. Just because Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, that doesn't mean he came to a safe and pristine world, or was somehow insulated from the realities of evil unleashed among us. This brutal world awaited him. That's the core of the story. Even the innocents are not protected, even if that Innocent is God among us -- as later events in Jesus life will reveal.

Today's Prayer
O God, please forgive us for the slaying of innocents today -- this is especially true when we do such things to maintain appearances while we extinguish any unexpected and unwanted "surprises." Thank you for sending Jesus in a time and in a way that exposed him to the brutality of a world, a brutality that still haunts us to this day. Thank you that his blood will cleanse any repentant sinner, even those who have been a part of the brutality. Father, please forgive me for the times I have looked at others without your love for them in my heart. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.