Day 152
Matthew 2:2
“Saying where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”
Nearly 2,000 years ago, some men who studied the stars (possibly astronomers and astrologers) came to Jerusalem in search of a king they believed was there. They were led in their search by an unusual star in the east. We cannot be certain how far they came from, but we know they traveled for some time, because their journey began about two years before they arrived in Jerusalem. If they began following the star several months after it had appeared, they would still have been traveling for several months. According to Matthew’s account, these men were so confident they would find the young king, that they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and asked, “Where is he?”They did not ask if a king had been born. They asked where he was.
This story is a lesson to us about faith. To what extreme will, we go if we really believe what we say we believe? Because the seekers from the east were so confident, they left their homes and traveled for a long time to discover what they were sure they would find. People sometimes make sacrifices for things they are not sure of. Hope alone drives people to extremes.
How then, do we explain the faith of those who say they are convinced and make no effort to find or accomplish anything? The confident expectation of the woman with the abnormal bleeding condition caused her to ignore the rules of society and press through a crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. Four men believed Jesus could raise up their friend. Their belief caused them to climb a roof and let him down through the tiling where the Master could get to him.
It is important that we realize the need to increase our faith, by hearing God’s Word and acting on it on a consistent basis. As James said, faith is demonstrated by works, not just words. When our faith is strong, we will not just talk about it, but we will also show it. Until we can “put our money where our mouths are,” let us be slow to speak around others about what we believe, and speak mostly to God and ourselves, as we build real faith.
I will measure my faith by my works . I will hear and act on God’s Word and build strong faith continually. My faith will be seen by my performance.