Reading your Bible for Today May 1

Monday 1 May 2017

May 1: Matthew 2:16-18

Key Verse: Matthew 2:16
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Devotion:
There are some things in life which are certain but we just don't want to know about them because they are so barbaric or soul-crushing that we think they should not be possible. One of those things is the acts of genocide we face from world leaders. These acts of genocide have been around for a long time and will continue to be around whilst man still has it in him to get angry or take pride further than it should go. It is nothing more than one man's extreme anger, pride or greed which sparks off an act of genocide.

When the wrong people get into power, they yield their power in ways we have not thought of or in more extreme ways than we had imagined. How can we tell if they are the wrong people – we could simply see if they are following Christ. We have a leader in Christ from whom we can learn through historical records. We have a leader in the Holy Spirit through whom we can take daily guidance. He wants us to be able to do the right thing so we can treat people correctly and show them how much love He has for each one of us.

When we turn our backs on Him, we try to grasp whatever power we have and yield it in a manner that will show those around us we are in some way powerful. We try to gain respect from yielding that power. But because we do not have divine guidance, we make up our own rules and invariably get things wrong. We exert more than we should, or we lose track on the original direction and seek out more and more situations where we can use our power. It is little wonder then that people who are placed in positions of great power do find it easy to yield their power in unexpected ways.

God has given us free will. He may not take it away from us directly, but don't be at all surprised if He uses some other corrupt person to take that power away!

Points to Ponder:
Do you get angry when things do not go your way?

Do you seek out God when you get carried away?