12/24/2024 – “Almost” is not Enough
Matthew 2: 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “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.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
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“Almost” is not good enough. There are many examples of people who were so close to salvation, but never received it. Our Lord Jesus told a scribe: you are not far from the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34). The entire people of God came so close to the promised land, but when they saw giants, they feared. The closer you get to the promise, the greater the opposition! King Agripa said to Paul: you almost convinced me to be a Christian. If you are almost there, I hope you decide to come in.
When wise men from the East came looking for the Messiah, they went to Jerusalem. Even though they were guided divinely for a very long distance, they stopped in Jerusalem. We can estimate that they traveled over 1,000 miles guided by the light from a star; but when they got close, they went to the wrong location and the incorrect person. We can be easily deceived, even as we walk towards God’s purpose. We can understand, in a sense, how it must have seemed logical to them that the king of all the earth would be born in a palace, from “royal” blood. Their mistake led to the death of the innocents. The grandiosity of king Herod, chosen by the roman empire, was attractive. Make sure that the glitter of this world does not seem brighter to you than the light of God, shining from the heavens!