Leg 1 Day 16 - Life Along the Way

Leg 1 Day 16

GET UP AND DO IT

Jesus With Us

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Scripture:

MATTHEW 2:13-18 (MSG)

After the scholars were gone, God’s angel showed up again in Joseph’s dream and commanded, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.” Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod’s death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: “I called my son out of Egypt.” Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he’d gotten from the scholars.) That’s when Jeremiah’s revelation was fulfilled: A sound was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lament. Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace, Her children gone, dead and buried.

Life Lessons from Jesus:

Would you be ready to leave your current life and start a new journey at a moment’s notice? What if doing so was necessary in order to protect the people you love? You could call Joseph’s faith walk a “get up and do it” journey. Joseph didn’t have the luxury of whining or overthinking things. When God told him to do something, he got up and did it. Joseph didn’t understand everything about his circumstances. He didn’t know where each step would lead or what would come after, and he didn’t know how his family’s presence might affect the community around them. But he trusted God anyway and did what was asked of him to keep his family safe. Joseph’s obedience to God’s instructions saved his child from a cruel fate no one deserved. It also saved himself and his wife, Mary, from experiencing the horrible grief and misfortune that fell on every other parent of a young boy in Bethlehem. We can’t control how others act. We can only control our own actions. God doesn’t determine anyone’s actions—we make our own decisions. And we can never know what will happen next or how our decisions will affect others. What we can do is put our hope in Christ and His plans for us and keep following Him.

The WAY:

Consider these questions as you reflect on today’s reading:

This is a tough passage for many people. When have you faced grief?

What motivated Herod’s violent decree?

How did his horrible actions fulfill prophecy?

Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for the example of amazing faith You have given us in Joseph. Help me to trust Your promises and plan even when I don’t understand. Increase my faith, Lord. In Your name, amen.

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