Welcome!
Today: Missing God in “expected” places!
Passage: Matt. 2
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east[b] and have come to worship him.” (Mat 2, NIV)
When Jesus came into this world in the form of a human child, the Magi from far place came looking for him. People in and around Bethlehem did not know such a person had been born in their vicinity!
But the Magi looked for Jesus ion the wrong place, like we all did at times
We expect Jesus to be present in certain places/people and finally get disppointed, when we don’t see even a trace of Jesus there
We may not see Him in big Cathedrals or Cardinals; we may miss him in Pastors and preachers/prophets. But we could find Jesus in the most unexpected places/people. The Magi found Jesus in a place they never expected!
Looking for Jesus in the wrong places have its own consequences!
The shepherds did not miss Jesus (Luke 2:11). They were told specifically, where to look for Jesus. In their humble state, they found Him in the right place. The Magis were not ordinary people, but could be very educated and skilled
They used their wisdom and looked for the “king of the jews” in the palace!
We miss Jesus when we look above the heads of other people. Sometimes we miss the “Jesus” in our own family-in our spouse/kids or in our work place!
We miss that which is “good” or Godly in them because we are always concerned about so many other things
Mary and Jospeh missed Jesus in the temple, when Jesus was 12. They were into so many other things, hoping He was together with them!
Many people miss Jesus, as they celebrate His arrival into this world, calling it “Christmas”. I often mention this: when we take Christ out of Christ-mas, what remains is a “mess”
Whether we celebrate Christmas or not, Christ is still alive for us. He did come into this world one day. We missed Him that time; we were not even born!
But we you have another chance to have Him, if you never welcomed Jesus into your life. You
make Him the savior and Lord of your life. He will stay with you and in you,
not leave. He will come again another day, to add such people to Him!
Have a blessed day
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, there had been many times I looked for you in the wrong place. I paid the penalty for that. Help me not to miss the “Jesus” in the people around me. Help me to make sure that you are with me at all times. Amen
“Look for Jesus in the right place, not palace”