Jesus is power, personified.

The question is how will we respond to Jesus?  Will we cling to power like Herod, or do everything we can to find and worship him, like the Magi?

We all have some degree of power in our lives – over our own choices, over our dependents, over loved ones and others in our lives, or perhaps over employees and corporations.

Given power, Jesus and Herod use it very differently, and Herod and the Magi respond to Jesus’ power very differently.  How will you?

The Magi responded in worship and service, and go down in history as first non-Jewish worshippers, first missionaries to the larger world.

So today, with the same history presented to us, we are invited to decide how we will go down in history…as clinging to power, as knowing much but doing nothing, or as worshipping the true King of love and peace.

Challenge: Give some of your power and influence to help others.  One great way is to come to the Original Christmas Party and make a generous gift of toys to families who won’t have much at Christmas, but you can find other ways, too!

Reminder: We have a great Christmas event coming December 14th, 2013: The Original Christmas Party.  Hope you’re coming!

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - April 16, 2013

Tuesday - Study It - Perfection

In Matthew 5:48 Jesus said, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. What's your reaction? Do you laugh? Yeah, right, I'm supposed to be perfect like God! Or do you feel guilt? I'm so not perfect…but I should be. Do you try to rationalize it? He doesn't really meant that? It's not a mistake. This idea comes up elsewhere in the Bible. i.e. Be holy as I am holy. Leviticus 11:44 Holiness is God's quality. Good, perfect, godly. Is Jesus really asking us to be like God in some way? If people were trying to redefine holy to get around this passage from Leviticus, Jesus makes it clear. I really mean I want you to be perfect and holy. By our usual definitions, it seems overly idealistic. Something for young, dreamy-eyed people. But have you ever tried to follow all God’s laws to the letter? The Sermon on the Mount can be discouraging if we treat it this way, and this line is the cherry on top. We'll see tomorrow what this means. Question: Jesus seems to expect the impossible of his followers. How do you react to this?

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