MATTHEW 2 :1-2

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

TO PONDER

Back in my late teenage years and early 20’s I had formulated a checklist for a future spouse, well I would have if I was the type of person to actually do checklists…

I knew the “one” I was searching for, I knew what marriage would be like with the target of my search.Turns out, I knew nothing, but was blinded by my ignorance.

In today’s verses we hear about the wise men/magi who were coming to pay homage to the new king of the Jews, the one foretold in the heavens, guided by astrology, they thought they knew who they were coming to see. Their gifts were fitting of royalty, selected specifically for a king they expected to find within a palace. We know this because the initial place they went in search of this king was at the palace of King Herod.

The king they found was certainly not the king they expected, while the nativity scene we see celebrated at Christmas is a fictional recreation of the wise men’s visit, they did not meet the newborn king while he was swaddled in a manger, the King they found was not in a palace, this King was not even in a mansion, the King they found was in the house of a carpenter, in the dwelling of a peasant.

The king of the Jews they found was a child of peasants in a humble dwelling, with no crown, no royal sceptre for a rattle. They found someone not fitting of a visit from such company.Yet, the wise men fell to their knees to worship this King who was so much less than they expected but also, so much more than they could have ever imagined.

If the god we worship is who we expected to find, if the god we serve agrees with us, if the god we follow never challenges us, then chances are, we are worshipping a fictional recreation. Our King is so much more than we expect. So much more than we can imagine

PRAYER: Almighty Lord Jesus, you are so much more than I could ever imagine, more than I could expect. I repent for creating a god I could control. I worship you. Amen

Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside