The Tapestry

Scripture: Matt 2:4-6 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Observation: When we see a beautiful thread, together with another beautiful thread we admire it; the color, the texture, the lay of the yard... but often the picture of the tapestry itself is difficult to understand when we are examining thread. So it is with the Word of God. From the beginning to the end, God paints us a picture of our birth, our failure, our rebirth through his redemption, and reconciliation with God. This picture is painted over and over throughout time in what is described as labor pains. We see waves of effort to bring the birth and rebirth to pass, often ending with a period of rest before the waves of birthing begins again. Here in Matthew 2, we see the birth coming to pass. The pains are coming one on top of another, and soon, just as man was born in the Garden of Eden, man will be reborn at Jerusalem on the Holy Mountain, and ultimately there will be another birth of God in the Spirit on that same Mountain. Micah 5, quoted here by Matthew, ties these threads together.

Application: How now should we live? Knowing that our first birth was not sufficient. We must be born again to see Heaven, so says God. Our birth in the flesh must be replaced by a birth in the spirit, which will ultimately lead us to a final birth of our eternal spirit in heaven. This second birth happens by dedicating your life to serving Jesus Christ. You must love him with all of your heart, soul, and strength.... the way that he loves you. He will fill you with his love, and give you new life.

Prayer: Thank you Jesus that you died for my salvation. Thank you that you paid the price of my wrong doing, so that I can live forever with you. I give you everything that I am, all that I have is yours. Come and live in me. I turn away from my old life, and I turn to you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit.