Thursday, January 7

Mark 1:15

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Reflection

Jesus Himself said that “the kingdom of God

has come near.” 

First, He says that this is good news – believe it!

Jesus says that you need to repent – turn around and go in the opposite direction – in order to believe.

And Jesus says that it is near.  So it is not quite here in one sense but is very near in another sense.  I like the phrase ALREADY AND NOT YET.

How can something (whether it is something secular like a vacation or something eternal like the Kingdom of God) be ALREADY AND NOT YET?  What does this mean to you?  If you believe this, how does that affect how you live your life?

Wednesday, January 6

Matthew 2:7-12

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”  After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Reflection

We read Monday that the Magi came looking for the new King of the Jews to worship Him.  King Herod says that he wants to worship the new King of the Jews as well.  However, we know that is a lie – Herod wanted to find the new King of the Jews so that he could dispose of him and not have his own kingdom infringed upon.

Beyond the chief priests and teachers of the law quoting Scripture as to where the Messiah would be born, we don’t see them reacting at all to the birth of Jesus.  They simply ignored the fact that the Messiah that their Scripture referred to, the one to save the people Israel, was coming to bring about His Kingdom.  They were simply indifferent.

What is your response?

Tuesday, January 5

Matthew 2:4-6

When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Reflection

So to answer the Magi’s question and most likely (as we will learn later) to satisfy his own needs, Herod calls together the “chief priests and teachers of the law.” Don’t miss this point.  (I am not sure I ever picked up on exactly what was happening until now.)  Herod asks the question, “where is the Messiah to be born?”  The people Herod asked – the chief priests and teachers of the law – would have been TOTALLY familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures and would have known.  In fact, they quoted the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2).

Micah tells us that a ruler and a shepherd will come from Bethlehem.  So the Magi and Herod and the chief priests and teachers of the law are all on the same page – a new King is coming.  If a new King is coming, then that implies that the King would rule over a Kingdom.

When you hear the phrase “…a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel,” what does that mean to you, and what type of action should that require of those people in the Kingdom that will be ruled and shepherded?

Monday, January 4

Matthew 2:1-3

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

Reflection

As Matthew tells about the Magi coming to visit the Baby Jesus, we hear that their first stop was in Jerusalem.  They saw the star but apparently didn’t know exactly where the king of the Jews was to be born.  Just the mere question sent Herod and all Jerusalem into a tizzy.  Herod was disturbed because the Magi, who would have known about the coming of the Jewish Messiah, came looking for the new “king of the Jews.”

Herod was called the king of the Jews but in title only.  He was not part of the lineage of King David and the true Jewish Messiah was to come from David’s line.  So most likely, Herod felt threatened.

Assuming for the moment that you believe that the Kingdom of God was inaugurated with Jesus’ birth, how do you react?  Do you feel that the status quo is being threatened for you?  Or do you feel empowered to act as if the Kingdom of God is already here?

January 3-9

Already but Not Yet

Matthew 2:1-12, Mark 1:15, Luke 4:16-21, Matthew 4:23-25

Are you a destination person or a journey person?  In other words, when you are on the move (either spiritually or physically), moving toward a destination, do you simply endure the trip to the destination or do you look at the trip, the journey as part of the ultimate destination?

Let me give you a secular example: if you are planning a destination vacation (say to Disney World), is the time leading up to the trip just a necessary evil that you have to endure in order to arrive at the destination, or is the planning and the time leading up to the destination part of the journey and met with the same excitement and attitude as the destination (Disney) itself?

Let me give you the Biblical example.  As a Christian, we know we are saved by grace through faith.  We are saved for the Kingdom of God.  But when does that Kingdom start?  Does it simply refer to the end times when we enjoy spending eternity in God’s presence?  Or somehow does it include the waiting time which would include everyday of our earthly lives – 24/7?  

This week, we will take a look at Scripture that shows that the Kingdom of God is ALREADY AND NOT YET, in other words, it is already here partially but not fully here.

Saturday, January 2

Acts 16:13-15

On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. 

We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.  One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth.  She was a worshiper of God.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.  When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home.  “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.”  And she persuaded us.

Reflection

We never know who will be open to receiving God’s love and grace.  Nor do we know where that openness will take us.  In the case of Lydia, she invited her entire household to hear the gospel and, in the process, planted the church in Philippi.

Who has God already placed in your path who is open to receiving God’s love and grace through you?  What actions will you take to look for and grow these relationships?

Friday, January 1

1 Timothy 4:10-16

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

Command and teach these things.  Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.  Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to preaching and to teaching.  Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid

their hands on you.

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.  Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Reflection

Our hope is in the living God, the Savior of all people.  This is why we labor and strive.  Our motivation for sharing the gospel through our lives and our story is so that others will experience God’s love and grace in their lives.  Doing ministry WITH people is one way to transfer God’s love and grace.

Where is God calling you to serve people?  Who do you feel a burden or passion for helping?