Month: November 2018
Day 7 – Jesus and the wise men!
Day 7
Reading Matthew 2: 7-18
v.12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
In Matthew chapter 2, continues with the account of the events during the birth of Baby Jesus.
Then Herod, when he had secretly called the [b]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.” V.7-8
At that time Israel was occupied by Rome and as mentioned in the previous passage, King Herod was the appointed governor or ruler in Israel by the Roman government. Herod had heard about the prophecy of the coming Messiah or Deliverer of Israel. And Herod was insecure and afraid to lose his power and authority. When he heard about the wise men who came from the East, he made plans to meet with them. Herod wanted to know more details about the coming of the Messiah. He made plans to stop the coming of a new power. He felt threatened so he told the wise men,
“When you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also”.
The wise men told Herod about the words of prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, the One who was to Rule Israel as their King forever. Herod did not want that. So, he misled or deceived the wise men and told them, that he want to worship Him too.
The wise men continued their journey following the star they had seen in the East. They rejoiced when they found Baby Jesus, His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph. They worshiped the baby Jesus as they brought their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. V.9-12 They rejoiced gladly that their eyes had seen the fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by the old prophets.
v.12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
The Lord God guided the three wise men, because they were truly seeking the Messiah. For many years, the wise men from the East have heard of the coming of Messiah, the Deliverer of the Earth. They had studied the ancient Scriptures and the words of God through the prophets, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others. The wise men believed in their hearts for the fulfillment of those Words spoken and written by the men and prophets of God. The wise men carefully watched for the signs in the heaven, such as the moon and the stars. I guess God knew their hearts, so the Lord guided them throughout their journey and waiting.
Only God can know the hearts of men. King Herod spoke nice words to the wise men about finding Jesus. King Herod told the wise men he wanted to worship Jesus too. And it seemed the wise men took Herod’s words. The wise men did not know the evil plan of Herod. But God knew, so God guided the wise men and spoke to them in their dreams.
Reflection: As we trust our Lord Jesus, God will guide us as we seek Him with all our hearts.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for Your Words and the assurance that You are always guiding me and taking care of me as I seek You in my life with all my heart.
Your Thoughts:
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Your Prayer:
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Fun time with children! (FEBC Mongolia, 11.2018)
A road trip, east of UB.
Our second week in UB was another eventful week (November 5-21, 2018).
Road trip to visit stations in two cities, east of UB.
We enjoyed the landscape, countryside, hills and herds on the road. There are about 3 million people in Mongolia and 60 million plus animals!
An added bonus to see the Genghis Khan museum on the way. (G.Khan was the great emperor of Mongolia in the 12th century).
Visiting a station.
Another station.
David and Tomroo fixing a transmitter.
Third Day- Ulan Batar
Our first day to go out on the street after arriving the city, three days ago. We arrived Wednesday night, (Nov 7th, 2018) after a very long trip from Alabama, Atlanta, Seoul and Mongolia. I didn’t keep the number of hours, it was very long from Monday night flight to Wednesday night. Neither David nor I have been in this country before. Both our first time. We were relieved to meet by our FEBC Mongolia staff at the airport. Tomroo (photo in the red shirt), is the technician that David has been working with the past few months. Now they finally met face to face.
Day 2- Thursday, we were brought to the radio station, Wind FM 104.5 and met the staff. We hit the ground running and started our work right away. David met with the engineering team, and I met with the accounting team.
Day 3 -Friday- David shared his faith journey or testimony during the staff chapel. We had a very good time of worship and fellowship. We felt the move of the Holy Spirit. I felt the Lord was saying, the Christians in Mongolia has a “pure devotion”. We continued to work with the staff in the afternoon. And I also met with 5 workers who are volunteering to do Children’s outreach for the staff. We had a good planning time.
We are thankful to the Lord that the weather is okay, it’s in the 20’s and 30s F, but bearable because it is sunny and not windy. Besides, when we are inside buildings it is usually very warm. Thankful for those who are praying for us. Grateful to the Lord for sustaining us.
Day 6 – Matthew 2:1-6
Day 6
Reading: Matthew 2: 1 – 6
v.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”.
Matthew Chapter 2 shares the account of the birth of Jesus in the town of Bethlehem during the days of Herod the king. At that time there were wise men from the East who came to Jerusalem. Those wise men were known in Bible history as men who had heard of the coming of the Messiah in Israel. They may have studied the Scriptures and the wise sayings of the prophets in the Old Testament. They knew the signs to look for and seemed to be aware of the times and the seasons regarding the Messiah that was to come. So, they traveled from afar to Jerusalem to look for the Baby who was born to be the “King of the Jews”.
v.2 “Where is HE who was been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him”.
When King Herod and the people of Israel saw the coming of the wise men who were looking for the Baby Jesus, they were troubled. King Herod called all the chief priests and inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. Since the priests and the scribes knew well their history and the Scriptures, they told king Herod, “in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet;
v.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.”
The quote in Matthew 2:6 was written by Micah the prophet. In Micah 5:2 it says:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet, out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting”.
Reflection:
God chose Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the true King of Kings. I have not been in Israel nor Bethlehem, but according to the book of Micah, it was a small place compared to the other places in Judah and Israel. God chose the small village of Bethlehem to be the birthplace of the King of Kings to express the humility, humbleness, and meekness of Jesus. God did not choose the mighty and great, but the least, so He could show His power.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, we praise You for your humbleness and meekness when You came here to earth. You chose the small things and the humble because You love humble hearts. Help me to always be humble before You and before others too.
Your Thoughts:
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Your Prayers:
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