January 20: Herod Died

Affirmation: I am compassionate. I care about myself and others.

“When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied.” (Matthew 9:27-31)
Who we come to believe depends importantly on two things:
1. Knowing the person who made the promises or spoke the words;
2. Our actions in response to those promises and words upon hearing them.(For me, this is a reminder that I need to be able to believe in myself, as well as God. Let me know what you think about when you read this.)

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Ponder, Personalize and Practice:Continue to remind yourself of this verse as you go through your day. Practice the wisdom described here as from God. Ask yourself, “Is my thinking (wisdom) pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy & good fruit, sincere and impartial?”  Does the guidance you are hearing from others fit this description?

”But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.“‭‭James‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬https://bible.com/bible/116/jas.3.17.NLT
”But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.“‭‭James‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.3.17.NIV

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Praying the Message of Jesus: A Year of Thoughts and Prayers

by Eugene Peterson

                          Jan 20

Herod Died 

Later, when Herod died, God's angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: "Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead." Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel. When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee. On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

MATTHEW 2:19-23 

Jesus' life began with men seeking to kill him; it ended in a similar atmo­sphere of conspiracy and violence. But the violence and plotting were as ineffective at the beginning as at the end. The holy family entered the holy land. Salvation gathered to full expression in a nuclear family in a provin­cial land. 

How many dreams has Joseph had? 

I trace out of my memory, 0 God, stories that have been fashioned on this old road between Egypt and Israel: stories of Abraham, and of Joseph and Moses; stories of faith and blessing and salvation. Thank you for including me in the stories. Amen.