Be Obedient to the King (Nov 7)
Matthew opens his gospel with
a genealogy to prove Jesus is the descendant of both King David and Abraham, just as OT had predicted.
Jesus’ birth didn’t go unnoticed,
for both shepherds and Magi
came to worship him. The Jewish
people were waiting for Messiah
to appear. Finally, he was born,
but the Jews did not recognise
Him because they were looking
for a different kind of king.
Almighty God, You sent Jesus
not only to be our saviour but
also to be our Master and King.
Help us learn from Matthew 1-4
to Be Obedient to our Master Lord.
Help us to be like the Magi who
diligently Seek and Worship You.
Help us to be like Joseph who
was so Responsive to Your Word.
Help us be like Jesus submitting
to God’s will & Do What’s Right.
Help us to be like Jesus who Wait Upon God for needs to be met. Amen
Lord, we’ll Obey Your Messages:
Mary was engaged to be married
to Joseph. But while she was still
a virgin, she became pregnant by
the Holy Spirit. Joseph decided
to break the engagement quietly
so as not to disgrace her publicly.
As he considered, he fell asleep
and an angel of the Lord appeared
to him in a dream: For the child
within her has been conceived by
the Holy Spirit. And she will have
a Son and you are to name Him
Jesus for He will save his people
from their sins. All this happened
to fulfill the Lord’s message through
his prophet: Look! The virgin will
conceive a child! When Joseph
woke up, he did what the angel of
the Lord commanded (Mt 1:18-25).
Lord, help me to be like Joseph
who is Sensitive to needs as well
as so Responsive to Your Word
and Obey Your command. Amen.
Lord, we Seek and Worship You:
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in
Judea during reign of King Herod.
About that time some wise men
from eastern lands arrived in
Jerusalem asking: Where is
the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw His star and have come
to worship Him. King Herod was
deeply disturbed and called a
meeting of the leading teachers
of religious law and asked: Where
is Messiah supposed to be born?
In Bethlehem in Judea they said,
for this is what the prophet wrote:
O Bethlehem for a ruler will come
from you who will be the shepherd
for my people Israel (Matt 2:1-6).
Lord, we note the wise men
traveled Thousand of miles to see
and worship the King of the Jews.
Help us Search Diligently for Him,
so that we may offer our lives
with praise & thanksgiving. Amen.
Lord, we will Do what is Right:
Jesus went to the Jordan River
to be baptised by John. But John
didn’t want to baptise Him. I’m the
one who needs to be baptised
by You; he said: so why are You
coming to me? But Jesus said:
It must be done because we
must Do everything that is Right.
So then John baptised Him.
After His baptism, as Jesus came
up out of the water, the heavens
were opened and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a
dove and settling on Him. And
a voice from heaven said: This is
my Beloved Son and I am fully
pleased with Him (Matt 3:13-17).
Holy Spirit, help us to submit to
God’s will and Do What Is Right.
For doing what God wants, even
if we do not understand it, often
involves risk because we cannot
be sure of the outcome. Amen.
Lord, we submit to Your way & time:
Then Jesus was led out into the
wilderness by the Holy Spirit
to be tempted by the devil.
For 40 days and 40 nights He ate
nothing and became very hungry.
Then the Devil came and said to
Him: If You are the Son of God,
change these stones into loaves
of bread. But Jesus told him:
No! Scriptures say: People need
more than bread for their life;
they must feed on every word of
God… Next the devil took Him to
the peak of a very high mountain
and showed Him the nations. I will
give it all to You if You worship me.
Jesus told him: Scriptures say:
You must worship the Lord your
God; serve only Him (Matt 4:1-8).
Lord, we have human desires and
needs, which are normal & good.
HS, help us have the patience and
perseverance to wait upon You for
the right way and right time. Amen.