12/23/2024 – Keep Striving Toward Christ
Matthew 2: 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’
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When the wise men from the East came looking for the Messiah, they went to Jerusalem. We can estimate that they traveled over 1,000 miles guided by the light from a star; but when they got to Jerusalem, they stopped. They were only six miles from Bethlehem; but the last few miles in your race for the goal are the most difficult.
Your intellect, your strength will only get you so far… the only way to get into the kingdom of Heaven is the work of the Spirit through the word of God! Many of us only have a few miles to go. Make sure you get there!
After they were exposed as the wrong place in terms of God’s choice, the prophecy we just read came to light. Seven hundred years earlier, God had made His choice clear. Here is the power of God in prophecy and in the fulfilment of His word! But this prophecy also exposes our inability to understand and believe God’s choices. We too have been derailed at times as we move toward our Lord Jesus and His purpose. The important thing is that, like the wise men, we always get back on track. Keep striving toward Christ, with your eyes fixed on the author and finisher of our faith.