[Discoveries] 12-18-08 Disturbed by the news -- Matthew 2:3

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*For those struggling financially ...*/
/*When you have financial troubles, you will get rude, senseless and 
ridiculous counsel from friends and relatives. Some will spend plenty of 
time trying to get you to see the obvious. ("Don't you know that you 
could lose everything if you don't get a job soon?" And so on.) Accept 
it with a smile and a "thank you." Then, when you're all alone, take it 
to the Lord, so He can separate the wheat from the chaff. Sometimes 
there's nuggets of gold hidden in the mud of rudeness; let the Lord 
clean off the mud for you.*/

/*When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with 
him. -- Matthew 2:3*/

The world is full of people who are disturbed by the news that a King 
has been born.

Herod is so crazed with power that when he finds out the news that the 
Messiah has been born, his first response is to try to find him and kill 
him. The people of Jerusalem also somehow seem to know that this Messiah 
came to save them from their sins, and they wanted no such salvation.

Why do we resist letting Christ be King? I suggest it's because we 
believe a lie. Herod believed the lie that he could hold on to power and 
that power would protect him. But he died, just like everyone else, and 
all his power was stripped from him.

Where are we unwilling to let Christ reign? In our fears? In our lusts? 
In our pride? In our greed?

We all have a line someplace in our souls. On one side we say "yes" to 
Christ; on the other side we say "no." In between is the lie. That is 
our spiritual journey. Follow the "yes's" until we get to the lie. Then 
let Jesus tell us the truth, so that another "no" can be turned to a "yes."

I'm not saying this is easy. It requires great courage to find the 
border of our faith -- but that is where Christ takes us -- out into the 
deep. But it is out in the deep that we let down our nets and discover 
what we never dreamed was there.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

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