August 20th – Follow the Star

: I went to my local grocery store last Tuesday and found this!

And how about this next picture?

The reason I ask is because I have a Christmas text for all  of you who just can’t wait any longer!

: The saw/recognized something and someone special and they seek it out…whatever it took.

Who were these guys?

The biblical Magi (

 or 

; singular: magus; 

: 

, magoi), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, were, in the 

 and Christian tradition, a group of distinguished foreigners who visited 

 after his birth, bearing gifts of 

, 

 and 

. They are regular figures in traditional accounts of the 

 celebrations of 

 and are an important part of Christian tradition.

According to Matthew, the only one of the four 

 to mention the 

, they came “from the east” to worship the “king of the Jews”.

Although the account does not mention the number of Magi, the three gifts has led to the widespread assumption that there were three men.

 In 

, especially the 

, the Magi often number twelve.

 Their identification as kings in later Christian writings is probably linked to Psalms 72:11, “May all kings fall down before him”.

What is important is that they saw and they followed.

Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

20

They immediately left

nets and followed Him. (NKJ)

: Woman at well – goes back to people she knows and says, “Hey I think I found Him, I’m going to follow and you might want to also.

,

(NKJ)

: Coming into relationship with Jesus is a wonderful thing and an amazing journey! I say journey because it has its ups and down’s and ins and outs.

: I too, heard and saw something special and I have been on a mission ever since!

: Not everyone is able/willing to follow. Why? Because

When Herod heard from the wise men’s mouth, “Where is the

of the Jews?” “We have come to worship him,” the battle was on to destroy that possibility!

: There will always be obstacle, opposition and opponents to you following Jesus!

What might some of the

obstacle be?

Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23 – In the parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed:

What might be some of the

oppositions/challenges?

: My third discussion point is what is written in

,

Let me talk about one’s vision and mission leading to a fulfilled purpose.

: We’re talking joy, fulfillment, worship, gifts, etc…

God’s plan and purpose all along…..

(Joh 3:16 NKJ)

(Luk 19:10 NKJ)

(NKJ)

: All of this leads to then my last point or thought about a re-directed future.

Application: The wise men came one way but left another.

Not only were they forever changed but immediately they were given new instructions and new direction.

: Lately like you, I’ve been seeing stuff on social media about Justin Beeber and Selina Gomez and Jim Carrey, just to name  a few who are declaring faith and new direction.

God in his goodness will always:

: Wise men still seek Him!

How About Pantone 294? Who knows who these folks are? “Pantone 294 is the official color tone of the Dodgers,” Soto said. “If you go into Home Depot and you want to paint your room Dodgers Blue, there’s a color chart. You can’t just say ‘royal blue,’ they’re going to say ‘Which blue? Baby blue? Hot blue? Blue? Light blue?’ There’s different shades of blue. Every color has a number. The official Dodger