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February 26, Sunday————————–ACCOUNTABILITY TIME!
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Dedicated, Recognized, and Discussed — The dedication of Jesus in the temple reveals the righteous attitudes of Joseph and Mary in their obedience to God’s Law. They did exactly as they were instructed. Like the shepherds, Simeon was another “nobody” in the story of Jesus’ infancy. He was faithfully loving and serving God, and God gave him the privilege of recognizing the promised Messiah. In the temple crowd, the Holy Spirit led him to the baby Jesus, and he prayed in gratitude, “…my eyes have seen Your salvation” (v. 30). (The name Jesus means “Yahweh saves.”) Another elderly person, Anna, encountered Jesus in the temple. Perhaps she had heard what Simeon had said about this Child. In any case, her response was to thank God and to speak about Jesus “to all those who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (v. 38). Jesus’ parents were obedient to God’s Word, Simeon was sensitive to the Spirit, and Anna was open to share about the Son. All of us should be like those ancient people.
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February 27, Monday———————ACCOUNTABILITY REMINDER
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Miraculous Infancy — These magi were likely from Babylon, where the Jews were exiled for 70 years and many remained. Their Scriptures were probably read by the magi, so they would know of the expected, kingly Messiah and the prophecy that said, “A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel” (Num. 24:17). The star they saw in the east was miraculous because that same star later reappeared in Jerusalem, guided them south to Bethlehem, and stopped over the house where Jesus and His parents stayed. This was not the manger scene, but was probably more than a month later. The trip from Babylon would have taken about 40 days, so if they saw the sign when Jesus was born, it would have been over a month by the time they arrived. Also, although Jesus was circumcised eight days after His birth, the sacrifices we read about yesterday would have happened at least 33 days after Mary’s delivery, according to the requirements of Leviticus 12:4. Some think that Jesus could have been two years old by the time the magi arrived, but that is based on the age of the male babies that Herod the Great killed in Bethlehem. Certainly, that brutal man, who killed his own wife and several of his sons, would have allowed a wide margin of error to make sure he would kill the infant Jesus. Another miracle happened, however, when the magi were warned in a dream to return home without going back to Herod. We will read tomorrow about another dream miracle that protected Jesus. This was the Son of God, and the Father was protecting Him miraculously.
I could not find a good video with visual lyrics, but the
words in this video by Sandi Patty are clearly understood:
Come, Let Us Worship the King – YouTube
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February 28, Tuesday——————–ACCOUNTABILITY FINAL DAY
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Egypt in Slavery and Protection — Joseph, the dreamer, in Egypt. Does that sound familiar? The first Joseph was sent to Egypt by God through the jealousy of his brothers in order to preserve the lives of Jacob’s family. The second Joseph was sent to Egypt by God through an angel’s message in a dream in order to save the life of Jesus. If I were God, I think I would have just killed King Herod, since he died anyway about two years later. But then, there wouldn’t have been the double out-of-Egypt picture (v. 15), first mentioned by Hosea, referring to the exodus of Israel from Egypt (Hos. 11:1). God’s way is always the best. So, Jesus ended up in Nazareth in northern Israel. He would be called a Nazarene, not only because he would grow up in that town, but also because He would end up being despised, like His town came to be (John 1:46). How does God guide us to be in the place He wants us to be in order to fit perfectly in His plan? Sometimes we see His guidance only in hindsight, looking back on the way circumstances molded and directed us. Most of the time, however, we probably don’t see it at all, but God is continually using things like our family, our church, our work, our community, and our government to guide us in the way He wants us to go.
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah – YouTube
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March 1, Wednesday
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“Your father … My Father” — We find in this passage the Bible’s first recorded words of Jesus. Twelve years earlier, He was in the temple for His dedication to God as the Law required. At that time, He amazed Simeon, who was granted the privilege of recognizing the Messiah. This time, it was the teachers of the Law who “were astounded at His understanding and His answers” (v. 47). Those answers, however, were not recorded for us, so we also could be amazed. We will read about many of His words of wisdom later. When His parents found Him in the temple, Mary said, “Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You” (v. 48). “Your father” was referring to His legal father, Joseph. But Jesus turned it around in His answer to Mary: “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s [house]?” (v. 49; or “about My Father’s business”—NKJV). Here, “My Father” is referring to His heavenly Father. This is an indication that, by the age of 12, Jesus had the understanding that He was the Son of God, the promised Messiah. Perhaps those teachers of the Law heard Him make that identifying statement to his parents. Later, He would state this more clearly to Jewish teachers and leaders by saying, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:10), after which they picked up stones to kill Him for blaspheming, saying, “…because You, being a man, make Yourself God” (v. 33).
I couldn’t find a video for this song, but the words are fitting for our reading today.
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March 2, Thursday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Two Baptisms — John presents two contrasts in this passage. One was a contrast of power and position: “He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals” (v. 11). John was a very significant person, predicted by Isaiah to go before the Messiah, but he was insignificant compared to the Son of God. We should remember this when we think about Jesus as our friend. He is much more than a friend—He is the almighty God. The second contrast was about the nature of baptism. John’s baptism in water was a symbol of repentance; it represented a washing away of sin for a desired fresh start on the road to godliness. Jesus’ baptism, however, was of a much different kind: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (v. 11). It was a baptism of empowerment for some and punishment for others. Jesus would provide the indwelling Holy Spirit to change the believer’s heart and enable him/her to live a godly life. It would also separate believers from those who refused His spiritual baptism, which would result in their eternal punishment in hell. Have you been baptized with both water baptism and spiritual baptism? Does the Holy Spirit dwell within you? Is your life greatly different from those who are on the road to an eternal fire? If so, then praise God for what He has done!
Fire of God, Thou Sacred Flame (piano) – YouTube
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March 3, Friday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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The Heavenly Anointing — Since Mary and Elizabeth were relatives (Luke 2:36), John and Jesus certainly knew each other, and perhaps John had suspected or been told by his family that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Yesterday, we read that John knew that “He who is coming after me is mightier than I” (Matt. 3:11), and today, we see that he declared, “I have need to be baptized by You” (v. 14). Since Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21), He didn’t need John’s baptism of repentance, but He insisted on it to identify with the sinful people He came to save. He was also identifying with John’s ministry of repentance, so He came all the way from Galilee for this occasion. If you will forgive the pun, Jesus’ baptism came with a big splash—the whole Trinity was represented there. The Spirit of God descended to anoint the Son of God as Messiah and King (v. 16), while God the Father declared His approval from heaven (v. 17). This was a heavenly drumroll, announcing the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. If John had any doubts that Jesus was the Messiah, this voice from heaven would have cleared it up. We have discovered much about who Jesus is (and we will learn much more later), but at this point, we will begin to learn about what He did—what He came to do.
Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart – YouTube
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March 4, Saturday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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If You Are … — In two of these three temptations, the devil introduced his demands with the challenge, “If You are the Son of God …” (vv. 3, 9). Satan used something that was true to try to tempt Jesus to do something that was wrong. He does the same sort of thing to us today, like, “If you are saved, why should you be concerned about enjoying sin once in a while?” Jesus’ first temptation had to do with satisfying one’s personal needs of comfort. Jesus had been in a desert area without food for 40 days. He was suffering. “If You are the Son of God, why are you in this predicament?” Does that sound familiar? “If I am a Christian, why don’t I have enough money … a better job … a harmonious family, etc.?” The temptation offered to Jesus was to change stones into bread in order to satisfy His hunger. He could have done it even before the devil tempted Him, but He “was being led … by the Spirit” (v. 1). The Spirit was His guide and the source of His supply, so Jesus was depending on and waiting for God’s will. The last temptation was to put God to the test, which was forbidden in Deuteronomy 6:16. It might include trying to force God to keep some part of a promise that He has made in Scripture. His promises are true, but His timing may not be the same as ours. Maybe our 40 days of suffering have not yet been completed. In the meantime, we should continue to be led by the Spirit and trust in God.
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