Opening Prayer

Loving God and Heavenly Father, I recognise that I don’t always welcome Jesus’ Rule in my heart. I prioritise the things that You give me, instead of prioritising Jesus and worshipping Him as I ought. Please forgive me and help me by Your Spirit to serve Jesus as my King. In His Name we pray, Amen.

Scripture

Devotion

Consider for a moment three responses that we see to the birth of Jesus in this chapter.

King Herod was hostile to Jesus. When the Magi came to Jerusalem asking, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”, we’re told that he was disturbed. Why was he disturbed? Because he was the king and didn’t want any rivals to his throne. In many respects, we can be similar. We resist Jesus’ Rule, as we want to rule our own lives. There is a little King Herod that lives in each of our hearts.

The priests were indifferent to Jesus. Notice that when the Magi came to them to ask where the Messiah was to be born, the priests knew the answer. Yet, they didn’t go to investigate. Bethlehem is only a few miles from Jerusalem. You’d think that they’d at least go and see if the prophecy about the Messiah has come true, but they weren’t interested. This tells us that it’s possible for religious people, the type who know their bible, to keep their distance from Jesus.

Lastly, the Magi worshipped Jesus. They came bearing gifts that tell us something about who this child is and what he will do. Gold is the gift of a King, acknowledging His right to rule.
Frankincense was used by priests in temple worship. Here is the child who would be the mediator between God and humanity. Myrrh is used for embalming, giving us a hint of something that would be used at Jesus’ Death.

Which of these three groups of people most closely matches your response to Jesus?

Intercessory Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, we pray for those You have put in authority over us. Especially we pray for governments and political leaders. Help us to lay aside personal preferences and recognise that no authority can exist without Your Divine Authority. We pray for godly leaders and especially for those believers in government. May You grant them special wisdom and may You use their position to influence in a way that is in accordance with Your Will and which will bring You much Glory. We pray for those who would administer justice in Your Name and we ask for supernatural guidance for them. Protect their families. We pray for increased consultation between churches and Christ leaders and cooperation within government. We recognise, Jesus the Messiah, that You are Our Ultimate Government, Who asks us to serve You effectively, while at the same time as encouragement for our government to act justly and pursue mercy. Lord, would You continue to raise up Daniels, Josephs and Deborahs who will choose to pursue a call to serve in government? In Jesus’ Name, Amen!