Friday, November 6, 2020

FMF: Ahead

"After hearing the king, they went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on AHEAD of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy."
(Matthew 2:9-10, NASB)

"And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will let Myself be found by you... "
(Jeremiah 29:13-14a, NASB).


It might feel a little early to be reading a part of the Christmas story, but that's what makes this passage so wonderful. Most of the wise men's time following the Christ-star was not Christmas.  (I hate to totally destroy your ideas about the nativity scene, but, if you were not already aware, it was likely long after Christ's birth that the wise men reached Him.)

The wise men knew the star would take them to "the King of the Jews" (2:2), but I don't think that meant they understood the journey's end. When we read Matthew 2 carefully, we see that the wise men did not go to Herod's palace to find their King; they only went to Jerusalem. However, the town was so stirred by their arrival that the news made it to Herod, and Herod called them to him secretly (2:7). But the wise men were not seeking Herod, and, eventually, the Christ-star led them to the King.

When we follow the Christ-stars in our life, we don't see the whole picture.  We might only see one bright idea that we hold onto for a long time.  If we continue to follow what God has placed ahead of us, we will find something better than we imagined: Sometimes great adventures. Sometimes foreign countries. Sometimes royal palaces. But we always find Him.



This post is a prompt from Five Minute Friday and was written in approximately five minutes. For more information, visit fiveminutefriday.com.

8 comments:

  1. Amen! I'm reminded of a documentary we watched The Star. It opened my eyes to God's ultimate plan and how He set the stars in place. awesome video ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9exnD6MiCg

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  2. Beautiful, visiting from FMF. Loved the thoughts you shared.

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  3. Love this! Beautifully said. "When we follow the Christ-stars in our life, we don't see the whole picture. We might only see one bright idea that we hold onto for a long time. If we continue to follow what God has placed ahead of us, we will find something better than we imagined". Yes!

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  4. Beautiful. So wonderfully spoken. Thank you for sharing your wonderful insights and encouragement. Visit from FMF #11

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  5. The wise men are a great example of following faithfully even when they weren't sure exactly where they were going!

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. Sorry about the deleted comment...I totally messed up the rhyme scheme!

    Here's what it's supposed to look like, thinking about how the Magi might have been just a little bit surprised. They expected, perhaps, something of a boy-king...

    And so they came from lands afar,
    the wise men, from the east,
    following one shining star
    that led to what they least
    expected at their journey' end,
    not a ryalo boy-king,
    but the humble Son the Lord would lend
    to change most everything,
    to be the vine that would not bend,
    to redeem from modest birth,
    that hell’s defeat He would portend,
    whose death would prove our worth...
    our faithful Jesus, strong to save,
    and the Magi met Him as a babe.

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