Day 3 Christmas Countdown Devotional: wherever Jesus is there is hope

From time to time, when I wake up in the morning, I find myself wondering what tragedy the news will be reporting on this day. Lately, that has happened more often than not. It is hard to trust our leaders—both nationally and internationally. Headlines of war and violence stream through our newsfeed.  It’s easy to let the weight of the world press out any remaining remnant of joy. In our present context, the dialogue between the wisemen and King Herod seems especially relevant.

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy (Matthew 2:7-10).

Herod was a deceptive and violent king. His hope for discovering the location of the baby Jesus wasn’t to worship but to destroy.  Yet, the wiseman, when they continued their discovery of Jesus, “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matt. 2:10). Against the dark backdrop of Roman military occupation and Herod’s cruel and merciless attempts at control, their joy shines as brightly as the star they are following. Here is where the wisemen’s pursuit of Jesus seems especially pertinent to the world in which we live. Their joy in worshipping Jesus does not tire in spite of the suffering around them.

The apostle Paul captured the same idea. Notice how, in spite of difficulty, hope and joy appear together.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:2-5).

No matter how dire the circumstances, wherever Jesus is found, there is hope. And wherever hope is nurtured, joy isn’t far behind.

PHIL MOSER is the author of the Biblical Strategies series and the developer of 4M Training: a 13-week small group study for men. All of his resources can be found on amazon or at biblicalstrategies.com.

If you’re looking for a resource for your men’s group, consider 4M Training. Mature, master, minister, and mentor in 13 weeks. Click on image below to learn more.