“And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and…
“And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.” John 12:21-22 Jesus had just ridden into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, as…
“We have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2
The wise men are always included in Nativity scenes and in pictures. But we know that they did not visit the Baby in the manger; they came later when Mary and Joseph were living in a house.
They followed the star and came to bring gifts for the promised one. This was all part of God’s plan, for, no doubt, those gifts provided the means of support of Joseph and Mary when they had to flee to Egypt. Where God leads, He provides.
So many times we can look back at circumstances in our lives and realize how the Lord was with us, and provided for our needs even before we know we had them. I can remember a Christmas when my parents did not have money for gifts, and just a couple of days before Christmas, a cheque arrived in the mail and met the need.
Prayer: Lord, you have blessed us so much. Open our eyes today to see the needs of others, and show us what we can do to meet those needs.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him,” (Matthew 2:10, Holy Bible, New King James).
- An old saying, one can only find something when one is looking for it is the best way to describe the wise men’s daring adventure. They had consistently studied the heavens for signs of a promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. When His star appeared in the skies, these wise men left comforts of home and journeyed to a distant land. Nothing deterred them from their purpose to present treasured gifts to the child Jesus. How far are you willing to go to find Jesus?
- Prayer: Jesus, I have no treasure to give but myself. Here I am, Lord. Amen.
- Devotion by Violet Carr Moore