‘…Wise men…came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?’ Matthew 2:1-2 NKJV
Why would someone leave the comfort of their home, travel thousands of kilometres by camel, brave blistering deserts fraught with robbers and hazards to follow a star to an unfamiliar destination? There’s only one answer: wise men and women have always hungered for God. It’s said that the three most sought-out words on the internet today are ‘work’, ‘sex’ and ‘God’. Work addresses our need for security; sex addresses our need for companionship and intimacy; God addresses our need to be forgiven, to experience peace and joy, and understand our life’s purpose on earth. It’s why primitive tribes who don’t know God make gods out of mountains, trees and rocks. Deep down we all have a need to experience something bigger than ourselves; someone capable of loving us, protecting and directing us. When his life fell apart Job cried, ‘Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat!’ (Job 23:3 NKJV) The ancient Greeks had an altar on Mars Hill with the inscription, ‘To the unknown God’. Then Paul told them, ‘…What you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.’ (Acts 17:23 NIV) The good news of Christmas is, you can seek God and find Him, by coming to know Jesus as your own personal Saviour. Hosea called Israel back to God with these words: ‘Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn…’ (Hosea 6:3 NLT)
SoulFood: Job 21-23, Luke 2:1-7, Ps 128, Ecc 10:5-9
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2013
