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Bethlehem And Magi

Matthew 2:1-6

The second chapter of Matthew is a continuation of the birth narrative of Jesus Christ, and the first few verses focus on the place of his birth, foretold in the Old Testament, and confirmed by the magi.

Bethlehem And Magi - Matthew 2:1-6

While the beginning of Matthew contains several significant details concerning the birth of Jesus, it is not exhaustive. As you read this, you should also read Luke 2, which adds more to the story, details not given by Matthew, and the one recorded incident in Jesus’ life between his birth and his baptism – the visit to Jerusalem at the age of twelve.

But here in Matthew 2, we see that the Kingdom is not yet ready for the King, and the only celebration of his birth, outside of his immediate family, comes from foreign magi, who travel for months to visit and pay him honor. The birth of Jesus was predicted in the Old Testament, but few people in the nation of Israel noticed. As you read this chapter, take note of the phrases “It has been written (or spoken) by the prophet” and “that it might be fulfilled.” These point to the many different passages that predict the coming of the Messiah in the Old Testament… passages that most missed when they came to pass.

The second chapter of Matthew begins with the place of Jesus’ birth. This is one of those details that were given long before, in this case from the prophet Micah, in 5:2. Bethlehem was the home of Boaz and Ruth, of Jesse and King David. It is five miles southwest of Jerusalem. Even though the current home of Joseph and Mary was Nazareth, the prophecy clearly stated that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. God coordinated the details of this event by using the Roman Emperor to conduct a census. This caused Mary and Joseph to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, “to register for the census, each to his own city” (Luke 2:3).

Bethlehem is one of the oldest places in the land of Judea, with a rich and full history. It had been in existence at least 1500 years before the birth of Christ, and was home to many significant events and people, including King David. The tag, “of Judea” was added to distinguish it from another location named Bethlehem found in the territory of Zebulon, according to Joshua 19:15. The name Bethlehem means “house of bread.”

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Coffee Break – 07.30.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1729, the city of Baltimore was founded in Maryland. In 1956, the phrase “In God We Trust” was adopted as the U.S. national motto. And in 2003, the last of 21,529,464 classic Volkswagen Beetles built since World War II rolls off the production line at Volkswagen’s plant in Puebla, Mexico.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Cheesecake Day!
You know what to do, and invite a friend to join you!

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How To Stop Wasting Money On Clothing – I have too many articles of clothing in my closet that serve no real purpose. Antonio’s advice here is solid. Take a look.

A Five-Minute Guide To Better Typography – I can really nerd out over this kind of stuff…

What A Dollar Gets You Around The World – While the text bubbles in this video have numerous grammatical mistakes, the information is intriguing.

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Memorize Scripture: Psalm 119:77-80

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

The tenth stanza of Psalm 119 contains some interesting insights into the nature of suffering and affliction. We began to see in the first half where such things come from. In this passage, we continue that thought. Take a look at this passage in Psalm 119:77-80:

Psalm 119:77-80

This stanza is the tenth part of Psalm 119, and focuses on the source of our suffering and affliction. The psalmist expresses his desire to learn from such times, and specifically mentions four things that he has come to understand. Two of these we looked at in last week’s passage, the remaining two are our focus for today.

In the first half of the stanza, the psalmist expressed his understanding and his belief that, first of all, God is faithful in all things, even in – especially in – affliction and suffering. Second, he shared the insight that God’s love is unfailing, and it brings comfort during such times. We can rest assured that God is focused on what is best for us, and draw comfort in the fact of his love.

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Seasons Of Dryness, Springs Of Refreshing

Watching God At Work When I Rest In Him

There are seasons of life where I have found that God is more at work doing the little things than he is showing me the big things. Have you ever experienced that?

Seasons Of Dryness, Springs Of Refreshing

A year ago, I would probably have said that I was in a spiritual valley. I don’t know if I could identify anything that was wrong, but it just felt like I was in a dry season of my spiritual life, and I didn’t even know why. But as it turns out, now that I can look back at the last several months, maybe it wasn’t such a dry time after all.

For the past several years, I can honestly say that I have never felt more consistent in my spiritual journey. My spiritual disciplines have been growing steadily. I have been learning more and more about God’s Word, consistently becoming aware of new things as I read. My prayer life has never been more more solid. And yet, I felt dry… drained.

But one of the habits I strive to as consistent as possible is the discipline of journaling. And a week or two ago, I took some time to look over and read some of my entries for the last year or so. And frankly, what I read surprised me. I saw two very consistent themes in those pages. The first was that I have frequently felt overwhelmed and tired, to the point where I needed to take a rest. The second was that when I took the time to rest, the next thing in my journal was God pointing something out to me in his Word.

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Reminded Of God’s Love

When God Uses a Big Dog And A Bigger Man

Every now and then I need to be reminded that God loves me. And sometimes, that reminder needs to be a pretty severe kick in the head. Fortunately, God loves us enough to do just that.

Reminded Of God's Love

A few weeks ago, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed with some things going on in my life. I decided to go for a drive to clear my head. I ended up down by a river somewhere south of where I live. I couldn’t tell you what river it was, I have no idea even where I ended up. In fact, I tried to find it again a few days ago and couldn’t. But it was beautiful. And it was just what I needed.

I didn’t plan on stopping but the scenery was beautiful, and the river bank was wide and clear, and looked like it would be a good place for a walk. So I stopped driving and started walking. I hadn’t made it too far when a big, mean looking dog came barreling out of the woods and joined me. He looked like a cross between a German Shepherd, a T-rex, and a grizzly bear. That’s how big he was.

His appearance kind of startled me, but he was a friendly pup, and he joined me as I walked along. It wasn’t long before I found the people he was with. I’m just walking along, and this guy, who owned a big, super-friendly but mean looking dog, who looked to be part grizzly bear himself, was sitting there with his feet in the water with a couple of other people.

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Coffee Break – 07.23.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1715, the first lighthouse in America was authorized for construction at Little Brewster Island, Massachusetts. In 1829, William Burt patented the typographer, which was the first typewriter. And in 1878, Black Bart robbed a Wells Fargo stagecoach in California. Wearing a flour sack over his head, the armed robber stole the small safe box with less than $400 and a passenger’s diamond ring and watch.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Vanilla Ice Cream Day!
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

The Best Coffee Brewing Set-Ups On Any Budget – You don’t have to spend a fortune to make great coffee. But if you have the budget, you can expand to add some pretty creative and incredible items to your coffee bar. Check this article out and see where you can start building a great coffee set-up.

How To Match Jeans With Anything – Some people think jeans can go with anything at all. And they can… if you have the right jeans. Check out this article for more information.

Underwater Photography Of The Year – Here are the winning images for 2018 in various categories of underwater photography. Some of these are stunning!

Darwin’s Bark Spider – This spider can build the world’s largest orb spider web, and uses the strongest silk to do so. It’s pretty fascinating.