Led by a Star

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 2:1-15

TO CHEW ON: “’Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” Matthew 2:2

Every night the wise men studied the stars. They wrote down when they rose and set. They gazed at their colors and brightness. They drew them and looked for shapes formed by their positions in the sky. Most of all they tried to figure out what the stars meant.

One day a new bright star came out. Such a star could mean only one thing: a new king had been born.

"Wise Men Follow a Star" by A. O. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland

The star seemed to be moving, so the wise men followed it. For weeks and months they rode, probably on camels, and always at night so they could see the star’s light. It led them west toward Judea. The star must be telling of a new Jewish king.

"Journey of the Magi" - James Tissot

When they got to Jerusalem, they went to see King Herod. Surely he’d know if a new king had been born.

King Herod was troubled when he heard about a new-born king. After all he was the king. He asked the Jewish scholars where a Jewish king should be born. They studied their scrolls and found the answer in Micah 5:2. Bethlehem was the place.

“When you find the child, make sure you come back here and tell me. I want to worship him too,” Herod told the wise men.

They were excited when the star appeared again.

"Journey of the Magi" - Artist unknown

It led them to Bethlehem and stopped over a certain house. Inside they found Joseph, Mary and the young Jesus. The star had led them to the king they had been seeking! They fell down and worshiped Him, then gave Him the gifts they had brought – gold, frankincense and myrrh.

"Adoration of the Magi" - Artist unknown

God brings people to Jesus in many ways. The wise men found Him by following a star. Some people meet Him when missionaries come to their country to tell about Jesus. Others find Him by reading the Bible. Still others are introduced to Jesus by their family members or friends.

Have you met Jesus? If you have, you can be like the star and light the way for others to find Him too.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to lead others to You. Amen.

"The Story of a Journey" - Artist unknown


SUPERSIZE IT: Avoiding Herod’s Trap
Did the wise men go back to Herod? Did Herod find Jesus? Read Matthew 2:12-15, then put the scrambled story in the right order.

1. At night the family made a secret getaway.

2. That night the wise men were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod.

3. The family lived in Egypt until Herod died.

4. After the wise men left Joseph had a dream. “Get up,” an angel said to him. “Escape with your family to Egypt. Herod is planning to kill Jesus.”

5. The wise men went back to their country another way.


ANSWERS

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Forgotten Dream Dilemma

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Daniel 2:14-28

TO CHEW ON: "Daniel replied, 'No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.'” Daniel 2:27, 28a

Arioch, the commander of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard had an unpleasant job. He was supposed to kill all the wise men of Babylon. This was because King Nebuchadnezzar had had a dream which he couldn't remember. When his wise men couldn't tell him what he had dreamed and what his dream meant, he ordered them all killed.

But when Arioch came to Daniel to give him the bad news, Daniel was surprised. He hadn't heard anything about Nebuchadnezzar and his dream problem. Daniel begged for more time. Then he gathered his friends and the four of them prayed that God would tell him what Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed and what it meant.

During the night God answered Daniel's prayer. Early the next morning he went to Arioch. “Don’t kill any of the wise men,” he said. “Instead, take me to the king. I know the dream and its meaning.”

Arioch took Daniel to the king.


Then Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar what he had dreamed and what his dream meant.

Though Daniel was intelligent and wise, he knew this job was way too hard for him. But it wasn't too hard for God. After God answered, Daniel could have taken the credit for knowing Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its meaning. But he didn’t do that. Instead, he made sure that everyone knew it was God who showed him these things.

Do you ever pray and ask God for something – like for help on a test in school? Later, when you get a good mark, what do you do? Do you take the credit for yourself (“I studied really hard”) or do you give credit to God for answering your prayer?

Let's remember to give God the credit when He answers our prayers – like Daniel did.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to honor You for answered prayers. Amen.

MORE: Dream-teller Sequel
Daniel got the dream right, for no sooner did he tell Nebuchadnezzer what he had dreamed and what that dream meant than the king did some amazing things. Which statements below tell what happened (Daniel 2:46-47)?

1. The king fell down in front of Daniel and honored him.

2. The king said, “You sure are smart to figure this out.”

3. The king praised God.

4. The king gave Daniel a high position.

5. Daniel forgot all about his friends.

6. Daniel’s three friends became rulers as well.


ANSWERS

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

The Way Back

Today is MOTHER'S DAY!  Have you thanked your mom (or caregiver)

for all the things she does for you?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 7:11-22

TO CHEW ON: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

After Solomon had finished the temple, he built a luxurious palace for himself. One night when both those projects were done, God appeared to him again.


“I heard your prayer and chose your temple,” He said. Then God gave Solomon some advice. “Keep my laws like David your father did. Worship only me. If you do this, kings will always come from your family.

“But if you turn away from me and start worshiping idols, bad things will happen.”

1. Pick out the three bad things God named in 2 Chronicles 7:20:

A. I will send Israel back to Egypt to be slaves.
B. I will uproot Israel from my land.
C. I will reject this temple.
D. I will burn your palace.
E. I will make this temple an object of ridicule.

Then God told Solomon if he and the people went away from God, there was a way back.
2. Unscramble the words, below, that tell how Solomon, the Israelites and us how to come back to God if we stray (2 Chronicles 7:14):

A. lebmuh evlesshmte : __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

B. ypar: __ __ __ __

C. ekes my ecfa: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

D. nrtu mfro icwkde aswy: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Do you feel far away from God? Do the four things God told Solomon long ago. They are still the way back to Him.

PRAYER: Dear God, the wrong things in my life make me feel far away from you. Help me to admit I’m wrong, to pray, to find out what pleases You, and to stop sinning. Amen.

MORE: Repent
When we follow God’s advice to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14, we repent.

1. Look up the word “repent” in a dictionary. What does it mean?

2. Using a Bible concordance or the internet, find three Bible verses with the word “repent” in them. Write out your favorite on a paper and put it up where you can see it and read it often.

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Perfect Timing

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 41:1-16, 39,40

TO CHEW ON: “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.’” (Genesis 41:39,40)

Two years passed after the cup bearer was set free, Joseph was still in prison.

One night Pharaoh had a dream. It scared him and he wanted to know what it meant. But when he called his wise men and magicians, they couldn’t tell him the meaning of the dream.

Then someone remembered a dream he had had, and the young Hebrew prisoner who told him what it meant. It was the cup bearer. At last he remembered Joseph!

Servants came for Joseph. They took off his prison uniform, put new clothes on him and brought him to Pharaoh.



Pharaoh told Joseph his dream – and Joseph told him the meaning! Then Pharaoh did something amazing. He made Joseph the second boss in the whole land.

I’m sure Joseph often wondered, will the cup bearer ever think of me? Will I ever get out of here? But when it was God’s time, Joseph went from being a prisoner to a prince in one day!

PRAYER: Dear God, You have a perfect time for everything in my life. Thank you! Amen.

MORE: Luck, Coincidence – or God?

Sometimes when things fit together perfectly, we call it good luck, or coincidence. But such times are really examples of God putting things together in the perfect way, at the perfect time.

Can you tell a story of a time when God did this for you?

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Jealousy

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 37:1-11

TO CHEW ON: “His brothers were jealous of him (Joseph), but his father kept the matter in mind.” Genesis 37:11

Joseph was his dad’s favorite. Joseph’s brothers knew this because their dad made Joseph a special coat.



Joseph also had dreams. In them his brothers and parents bowed down to him. When his brothers saw his special coat and heard his dreams they became jealous of him. Soon they hated him.

What is jealousy? It’s a bad feeling we have toward someone who:
- gets what we think we deserve.
- gets what we would like to have.
- gets what we once had and lost.

Jealous feelings can start with something as small as not liking someone. But if we let them grow they become hate. Have you been jealous at times like these?
- a brother or sister gets a lot of your parents’ attention.
- someone else gets picked for the position you wanted on the team.
- the trophy you won last year now goes to someone else.
Can you name more?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to recognize the jealousy in my life. Amen.

MORE: The end of the jealousy story

If we let jealousy grow, it leads to a bad ending. Match the beginning of each jealousy story with what was (or might have been) its ending. Look up the Bible references if you need help.

Cain – Genesis 4:8
Saul – 1 Samuel 18:9-11
The administrators and satraps – Daniel 6:6,7,16
Priests and Pharisees – John 11:53



Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Alone - but not alone

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 28:10-20

TO CHEW ON: “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15

Have you ever run for your life? That’s what Jacob was doing. After he tricked his father into giving him Esau’s blessing, Esau wanted to kill him. Rebekah told Jacob to go to Haran, where she grew up. Jacob set out alone

How do you suppose he felt as he walked away from his family and the only home he had ever known?
- Nervous about being attacked by robbers and wild animals?
- Worried about losing his way?
- Lonely and wishing he had someone to talk to?

When it got dark, he stopped walking. He pitched his tent, unrolled his sleeping bag, blew up his air mattress – NOT! He had no tent, sleeping bag, or air mattress. Instead he lay on the ground, under the stars with a stone for his pillow.

After he fell asleep, he dreamed. What things were in his dream (Genesis 28:12-13)

Esau   Angels     Isaac    Heaven     Tent

Stairway    God    Rebekah    Bears   Earth

Jacob's Dream - Artist unknown

Also, in his dream God talked to him. He promised Jacob someday the land he was lying on would be his. He said all people on earth would be blessed through Jacob and his family. And God promised to go everywhere with him. Now Jacob knew he was not alone. God was with him!

PRAYER: Dear God, please go everywhere with me as You went with Jacob. Amen


MORE: Dream Facts

- We dream every night.
- While we dream our eyes dart back and forth.
- A sound or touch while we’re dreaming may become part of our dream.
- Our dreams are often about things we worry about, wish would happen or are afraid of.
- We often don’t remember our dreams.

Though God may speak to us through dreams, usually our dreams don’t predict the future or contain special messages for us.

Tell about a dream you remember.

Find out more about sleep and dreaming here.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.