Month: December 2019

TeacherStudent

The Wise Seek Wisdom: The Journey to Worship Christ

 

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” 1

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1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,  behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East, and have come to worship Him.”

. . .7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; 8 and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found Him bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.” 9 When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. (Matthew 2:1-2, 7-10)

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The wise men did not need Herod to prod them to follow the star in search of the Christ child. They had already determined in their hearts and minds that this was their path. They had traveled far and would not be deterred from seeking and worshipping Him who was prophesied.

The guide: A night light in the sky to lead them to the Light

Who would extinguish all night, all fear of darkness.

They had seen His star in the East.  Significantly, the east is the place of sunrise.  A new dawn for mankind was beginning in a birth that would change the world. The wise men came to worship this child who would grow and keep “increasing in   wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). As a young lad of twelve, He would be found “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; 47 and all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers”  (Luke 2:46-47). As a grown man, He would teach in the synagogue; and the teachers would be awed by His learning: “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to him, and such miracles as these performed by his hands?” (Mark 6:2)

 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and    righteousness and sanctification, and redemption… (I Corinthians 1:30)

The wise men sought the one who, they believed, had “been born king of the Jews.” They had traveled a great distance to find Him. “The star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was” (Matthew 27:9).    Although they did not understand His kingdom would not be of this earth, they were right to seek Him and worship Him, the embodiment of “wisdom from God.”  When we,      likewise, choose to seek and worship the Lord, He will go before us, guide us, and lead us through the darkness, even if by a glimmer, until His full glory is revealed.

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being,     sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins,   He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3)

And the wise still seek Him– not by a star, not by fate, not by destiny but by

earnest desire and need to find the Christ and worship Him.

( Sharon  G. Tate blog 12/22/19) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

1 Lisa Mantchev, Eyes Like Stars. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/stars

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SINGING TO GOD WITH THE VOICE OF THE HEART

 

“Music is well said to be the speech of angels;
in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man
is felt to be so divine.
It brings us near to the infinite.” 1

 “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.”  (Psalm 95:1)

Through the music, we sing to the Lord–

**expressing our joy, adoration, love, and thanksgiving;

**requesting His forgiveness, His grace, His mercy, and His hope;

**reaching up to Him in awe, in wonder, and in praise;

**crying out to Him in distress, in loneliness, in despair, and in grief;

**worshipping Him with the outpouring of our souls through song.

Through the music, we connect with each other on a spiritual level:

“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…” (Ephesians 5:19)

Through singing, we are in harmony before the Lord, lifting our voices and our hearts in one accord to Him. The words of the music become our devotion, our prayer, our praise, our thanks, our joy, our hope, our confession, our penance, and our love to the Father.

Through the music, that which truly dwells within us is given voice:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)

How we sing the music is an indication of the nature of our inner being. If the Word of the Lord is deeply rooted within us, firmly secured in our hearts, our voices will sing spiritual songs.

Through the music, we proclaim His Glory:

“I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.” (Psalm 101:1)

“I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” (Psalm 7:17)

“I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” (Psalm 9:2)

As we sing to our Lord and our God, let us remember that He is listening. As we sing to the Most High, let us not forget that He is hearing. As we offer our voices in song to our Father, let us bear in mind that He wants us, His children, to acknowledge Him with due respect and honor.

Let us each search within and ask:

What voice will the Lord hear from my heart today?

                                                                                                                                                                                      

 1 Thomas Carlyle (1795 –1881) was a Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher.

(Sharon G. Tate blog 12/15//19) teacherforjesus.com Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

IN AWE OF MY CREATOR

 

Through Him all things were made;

without Him nothing was made that has been made.

(John 1:3)

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Looking outside my window at the accumulating snow falling from the sky and the formed icicles decorating my deck rails like tinsel, my mind wanders back to a time when I looked forward to these days. Living behind the high school, there were always mountains of snow pushed up at the ends of the parking lot during the winter months. When school was closed, my brother and I, along with the neighborhood kids, loved playing in the winter wonderland of Michigan. Heavily bundled by our moms to endure the cold, we trudged off to the mountains to play out our imaginative stories of adventure.

Do my weathered eyes view this scene the same today? I am not one who engages outside in winter freely now due to health concerns. However, the beauty of God’s changing seasons always amazes me. In Michigan, it is never static, always changing, seasons within seasons intermingling, intertwining. God is an artist, Creator of snowflakes differing in form and shape; Creator of you and me differing in form and shape; Creator of individualized and unique patterns, differing in form and shape—all bearing the same label: Made by God.

Imaginative stories of adventure on mountains of snow are in my memory. The present view from my window reveals to me the beautiful reality of creation. With absolute awe of my God who can and does continue to amaze me, I am blessed to behold the falling snow draping the trees, resplendent; the forming icicles, glistening wet; the unadulterated blanket on the ground– pure and untouched beauty just for you and me.

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things,
    and by Your will they existed and were created.

(Revelation 4:11)

(Sharon G. Tate blog 12/01/19) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word