January 7
The light of God is ever shining amid the darkness of heathenism. As these magi studied the starry heavens, and sought to fathom the mystery hidden in their bright paths, they beheld the glory of the Creator. Seeking clearer knowledge, they turned to the Hebrew Scriptures. In their own land were treasured prophetic writings that predicted the coming of a divine teacher. Balaam belonged to the magicians, though at one time a prophet of God; by the Holy Spirit he had foretold the prosperity of Israel and the appearing of the Messiah; and his prophecies had been handed down by tradition from century to century. But in the Old Testament the Saviour's advent was more clearly revealed. The magi learned with joy that His coming was near, and that the whole world was to be filled with a knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
Desire of Ages, page 59 from the chapter, 'We have seen His star'
The three wise men were interested in the world around them. Plenty of people have a similar interest. I'm interested in astronomy, I took the photo of the moon you can see to the left, just to illustrate my interest.
As I write I’m listening to ‘Stargazing LIVE’ on BBC2. Who says a man can’t do two things at once! Leading scientists are explaining the glories of the night sky. Experiments are being suggested for viewers. One is to find galaxies that are acting as lenses to enable people to see other galaxies behind them. Are you interested? Perhaps not – but there are thousands of people who are.
The three wise men who came to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem would have been happily identifying lenses on a Tuesday evening. They were interested in the world around them.
They weren’t just sitting out under clear cold skies plotting the track of the planets and naming constellations. Their interest in the stars also gave them an interest in God. Talk of great scientists and you need to mention Sir Isaac Newton. He spent much time studying theology, including Biblical chronology. Science and the study of God went hand in hand for him.
No wonder then that as the wise men developed their interest in the world around them that they also explored the Old Testament.
There are people near to us who are similarly interested in the world around them. They have access to the Bible. They just need a someone who will be there for them to explain what they read. Perhaps that person is you?
 |
Housekeeping details for you
The point of this short blog will become clear if you decide to use this reading in the way we intend it. Netherfield Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in healthy churches. You can see what that means if you head to the relevant Healthy Churches page of the website. We also want other churches to be healthy. That means you can join in our campaign to create healthy churches, with healthy people serving the people in those churches.
A healthy church is one where Jesus comes first. A healthy church is one where the people work together to put Jesus first. One thing we are doing is to join people together to spread that news. I would like you to look at our prayer partners page. This will explain how we want you to use this short devotional. Very basically we want you to find a like-minded Christian friend who you will join with to : choose to pray together every day, decide together on a way to serve other people together, to help them grow as Christians - and to invite the Holy Spirit into your life every day. This blog that you will receive every day simply gives a common spiritual purpose. If you are a newcomer and want to join the blog with this object in mind click here
