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Obedience of Joseph & Mary protected the life of Baby Jesus.

Day 8

Reading: Matthew 2:19-23 (NKJV)

v.21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel

Jesus was born in in a manger in Bethlehem. The wise men from the East was guided by the Lord to see the Baby Jesus. As the wise men carefully listened to the leading of the Lord God, they left the country through another road. God knew the wicked plans of King Herod.

v.16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth, and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem, and all its districts, from two years old and under…

However, the Lord guided Joseph and Mary already before the horrible killings of children happened. An angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in his dream again.

v.13 “Arise, take young child and His mother, flee to Egypt…”

And Joseph carefully obeyed the leading of the Lord through the words of the angel in his dream. Joseph did not doubt, and he did not dilly dally. Joseph realized that his obedience was a matter of life and death for his family.

v.14 when he arose, he took the young child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt.

Joseph, Mary and their child Jesus stayed in Egypt until the Lord guided them again through an angel. The angel spoke to Joseph that Herod was dead, and he instructed Joseph to take his wife and child back to Israel.

v.21 Then he arose and took the young Child and His mother, and came to the land of Israel.

The Lord guided Joseph and Mary throughout, since Mary’s delivery of the baby, until the baby grew up. Since Mary’s obedience to God’s call and will, God protected her, kept and guided her, including her husband and baby. Joseph also was obedient to the leading of the Lord, thus the family was protected.

Reflection:

We could trust a faithful and True God, as we obey Him. He will guide and protect us.

Prayer: Dear Lord help me and my family be sensitive to Your leading and guidance. Holy Spirit please help us to carefully obey Your leading in our lives .

Your Thoughts:

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Your Prayer:

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More photos from Mongolia trip.

The city of Ulaanbaatar- the capital city of Mongolia, with 1.5M people.

FEBC Mongolia operates Wind FM 104.5 in Ulaanbaatar.

IMG_4366B — Baggnur city- one of the 10 stations that FEBC operates in the country.

20181120_132430B — David working with the local technician in one of the transmitter’s site.

Breakfast after a staff devotion in which David shared words of encouragement.

A Ger in the city. A ger is the traditional dwelling tent of nomads and herders in Mongolia.

The road trip to Baggnur with lots of herds of animals.

Giant statue and museum in memory of Mongolia’s greatest leader Genghis Khan.

Day 7 – Jesus and the wise men!

via Day 7 – Jesus and the wise men!

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. ⁸And 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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Day7 – Matthew 2:7-18 Study guide in PDF.

Fun time with children! (FEBC Mongolia, 11.2018)

A fun day with the children of FEBC Staff!

Coloring a picture of Nativity- from the Story of Jesus.

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.

They shall call His name Emmanuel..

Day 5

Matthew 1:23

“Behold the virgin shall be with child, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us.”

Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

We are still in the story of the biological parents of Jesus, Joseph and Mary. An angel of God spoke to Joseph in his dream about the child that Mary his fiancée was carrying in her womb. The angel told Joseph the Mary will bring forth a son, and His name will be Jesus, v.21. And it was written that the birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of the words of God through the prophets in the Old Testament, Isaiah 7:14.

“Behold the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us’.

Since Christ came to earth 2000 years ago, God’s presence through the Holy Spirit has been with men. When Jesus came to earth, God literally came down to earth because of His love, His compassion, and His mercy. He chose to come and live among men, when Jesus returned to heaven physically, He sent His Holy Spirit, thus He still lives among us. Through the Holy Spirit we have the seal of salvation, a personal connection to the Father and with the Son. We have the power to overcome because God is with us.

Reflection: The Lord Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth so that God could dwell with His people. For me, as a follower of Jesus, it is an encouragement and comfort to me to know that God is always with me because Christ lives in my heart.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for sending your Son to us so that You could be with us always and forever, Amen!

Your Thoughts:

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Your Prayer:

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Day 4

Matthew 1:22

^“So,all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet”.

Reading: Matthew 1:18-24

The coming of Christ was foretold by some of the prophets in the Old Testament many years before. One of the prophets that spoke of the coming of Messiah was the Prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel”.

Joseph and Mary were the chosen biological parents of Jesus. At that time, before they got officially married, Mary had the baby Jesus already in her womb. Mary having a baby was not from a union with a man, but a divine intervention from heaven. Mary that time was considered a virgin, and yet she conceived a Son. God put a seed in her womb. That became the fulfillment of the words spoken by the prophet Isaiah, ²³“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

God did not forget what He promised to His people Israel. Even though it took many, many years, about 700 years, yet God in Hi sovereignty and power fulfilled His plan of salvation, Jesus Christ was born. The Lord fulfilled His promise when Christ came to the world as a baby to save the people from sins.

Reflection: God keeps His promises. What He says, He will do. It is an encouragement to me that God keeps His words. God’s words say, someday Jesus will come back again, not as a baby but as the King and I will be with Him forever in eternity.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You that You are faithful and true. I praise You that I could trust You for the fulfillment of Your Word.

Your Thoughts:

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Your Prayer:

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Introduction to the Gospel of Matthew Devotion Studies

The past couple of years or so, I have spent time studying the Gospel of Matthew. With the use of only the Bible as a cross-reference, I took a few minutes most days to study the passages in Matthew. My desire and goal was to do this study daily, but due to intervening circumstances, I was not able to do it every day. But I tried. Anyway, I would like to share with you my devotional study of the Gospel of Matthew in hopes that you will enjoy it and glean insights from it. I started with 15 minutes, then gradually it grew to 30 minutes a day. Sometimes, I was able to have a good 40 to 50 minutes, it depends on how early I get up in the morning. My schedule sometimes is not able to do it, but I try to be consistent. And sometimes with travel schedules, it is a bit challenge to be consistent with my daily quite time. However, with the Lord’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, He keeps me going.

If you are interested to try this, here is a simple guide for a Daily Quiet Time (DQT) or hang-out with Jesus!

Spend a few minutes day with the Lord in His Word. If you could do one hour, that would be great! Sit still and think of God’s goodness. Thank Him for one or two things that He gave you for the day – the sunshine, clean water, etc. Thank Him for the big things – a call from a friend, passing a school test or a job promotion! And praise God for who He is – our Creator, the giver of life and the God of all. If you like singing, you could also sing a simple hymn or praise-song to the Lord!

Then take time in His Word. Read a chapter or a short passage in the Bible. I like to read systematically and chronologically, as it helps me with the sequence of events or story line. I like using the New King James version Bible as I am more comfortable with it, but you could use any version of the Bible that you are most comfortable with.

Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a spirit of revelation and wisdom. Some Christians who study the Bible look for what the Lord is saying to them through the passage, that is His message for them. For me, I like to look at the character of God in every story or Bible passage. As I study and read the words of God in the Bible, I get to know more about His character and His attributes. Through the stories and passages, I see and learn that God is good, merciful, just, compassionate, tender-hearted, patient, loving, holy, righteous, sovereign and powerful.

Other guidelines that help me with my study are the use of this questions in the story: Who, What, When, Where or Why or How. Who was speaking in the passage, Who he is speaking or who is the audience. What was said, How it was said, Where is the location, or Why it was said. These questions helped to understand the context of the story or the passage in the Bible.

I also included in the study guide, a portion of writing “your thoughts” and “your prayers”. Your thoughts could include “Application” and answer to question such as “What the study meant to you? How it would help you in your day to day life.

So, I challenge you to take the time – start with a few minutes a day spending time with the Lord Jesus and His Word and see how He will reveal Himself to you.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The Word of God has changed my life, and it is still changing me up to now. The Word of God has changed my heart, my attitude, and my character. That’s how powerful it is. And the Word of God has changed countless others from all walks of life, from the many different nations and continents, and in every place throughout all generations.