January 02, 2025 | Be God's Family
God’s Family Direction
Scripture: Matthew 2:19-23(NIV)
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Devotional
There are times God will direct us outside of our comfort zone. Some of those times he will prepare us with a message directed toward us. When I was a teenager, we were at my uncle’s house and I had several cousins there. One of them was a non-verbal autistic boy who liked to do two things. One was to spin plates & lids and hear the sounds they would make when they would wind down spinning. The other was to go to their piano and play a note. When he played a second note, if it was in harmony he was happy. If it was off-key he would groan and try again.
I saw him being ignored so I sat down next to him and started spinning a lid, like he was doing. He ignored me and continued doing his own spinning. My aunt came over and told me “Wilbur, God gives special children to special people. He wants them to be loved. Do you think you could ever be one of his special people?” I will never forget that message. I think it was from God and was preparing Marsha and I for a special child. He showed us how to love her. She showed us how not to discriminate and how to love everyone. She has that special gift.
Many times God directs us to do things outside of our comfort zone. He prepares us and guides us through those times, just as he guided Mary & Joseph to eventually end up in Nazareth. By the way, living in Nazareth also fulfilled Scripture prophesies.
I ask us to pray for God’s discernment in our daily life decisions and listen to his guidance.
Poem
It Matters Much
Psalm 1
It matters much the path I step
Where I do stand
The seat I set
The company which I do keep
The dreams I dream
The voice which speaks
My quick response to Spirit prod
Obedience
To Word from God
It matters much my planting, thus
By running stream
Or desert dust
For when great danger comes my way
Will foolishness
Then claim the day?
Or will my roots sink deep and strong
Full bearing fruit
Despite drought’s wrong
Dear Father, may I righteous be
As you discern
The path for me
Allow your wisdom in me grow
That I may leave
All that I know
If you do call to foreign place
Away from fool’s voice--
Life disgraced--
To shelter hidden glory’s prize
To do what’s faithful
In your eyes
