STAR

They went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. - Matthew 2:9-10

In Psalm 19, David gives voice to the stars:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Vss. 1-4)

If you have ever stood outside at night and looked up at the canopy of stars, away from the city, away from noise, you may have seen that the stars have a message. In silence they speak, and their voice is thunderous.

The star of Bethlehem, a sign in the sky noted by the Magi, may have been a miraculous event, matching the miraculous entry of the Savior into the world, or it may have been a natural astronomical phenomenon, used by God as a sign. In either case, the heavens were speaking in a unique way about a unique world-changing event. Should that come as any surprise?

But note that only the observant recognized the sign, and in this case, they were outsiders. God drew outsiders toward Bethlehem with a word that he had placed in the sky. Don't ever doubt that God is speaking to the "outsider," and that those who seek will find. Christmas is both for believers, and for those who have yet to come to faith. In those days, it was a celestial sign that attracted the attention of outsiders. Today, there are many signs that Jesus accomplished something unique in the world, acts arise out of and point to his holy character.

Time Management

In Psalm 90 Moses prayed that God would "establish the work of our hands" (v. 17). This old man had seen his entire generation wandering aimlessly in the desert. For forty years the Israelites had roamed, with no specific destination in sight. In view of that seemingly futile drifting, Moses had cried out to God for some assurance of significance. With that in mind, carefully read verse 12. Moses essentially said, "Unless we are gripped by life's brevity and place proper value on the time we have, no matter how long or short it is, we will never gain a wise heart."

We can employ the skills and principles of time management, buy a new calendar (even a high priced electronic one), employ a better scheduling system-all are of little benefit until we understand the value of time. Granted, we may do a better job of scheduling our time, but that doesn't mean we're doing a better job of spending that time. Knowing the difference defines wisdom!

According to Moses, the years of our lives "quickly pass" (v. 10). As we grow older, we look back and wonder where the time went. Each of us is allotted a finite number of days. Are we spending those days wandering aimlessly, with no goal, no purpose in sight? Or are we numbering those days and thereby gaining a heart of wisdom? "Lord teach us . . . "

Time Management and Who God Is

We are locked into time and space. Because of this, it is impossible for us to fully grasp what it would be like to be unhampered by temporal restraints. But we serve a God for whom all events are equally present. Turn to 2 Peter 3:8-9 for an extraordinary statement about God's relationship to time.

ECCLESIASTES 3:1

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Time Management and Who I Am

Henry David Thoreau once observed: "As if we could kill time without injuring eternity." Time is our most precious resource, and Scripture assures us that our stewardship of the time we have been allotted is not something we should ignore. Turn to Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 to consider the important implications of this passage for time management.

Time Management and How It Works

All the literature and hype about time management! Really-just how important is it to use our time wisely? What's at stake? Notice carefully the advice given to the Ephesian Christians in Ephesians 5:15-17 about what it means to walk as a wise person.

Time Management and What I Do

David accomplished great things during the course of his life. And so can we. Turn to Psalm 39:4-5 for further insight.

Psalm 90:12

New International Version (NIV)
¹² Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

PRINCE

And he will be called...Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6

In ancient times, princes, whether they desired it or not, often became warriors. Rulers of nations may talk about peace, but nothing is more elusive than peace. And so, when Isaiah talked about a child who would be born, a son who would be given, who would be called "Prince of Peace," it sounded like high rhetoric, wishful thinking. Could it ever possibly happen?

When you look at the life of Jesus, it hardly appears to be a life of peace. He was in constant conflict with people who had invented their own ideas about God, and with people who really didn't want God to meddle in their affairs at all. Jesus had enemies. In the end, he died a most violent death, which had been preceded by humiliating abuse. His followers were harassed and persecuted. Fishermen died as martyrs.

Yet, it is in Jesus' sacrifice that he became Prince of Peace. Only when the chief enemies of humanity-sin, death, evil-were defeated could people live at peace with God, with themselves, and with the world.

And so, yes, he was the Prince of Peace. The angel was right in saying "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace..."(Lk. 2:14). The apostle Paul offered a sincere blessing of peace when he said: "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way" (2 Thess. 3:16).

This is the kind of prince-a ruler brand new to the world-that the prophecies had described. So when we think of Bethlehem, we must remember that it was not the stable that made this baby unique, nor the virtues of Mary or Joseph, nor the angelic presence, nor any other feature of those extraordinary days, as important as they are. The child was remarkable, because Jesus is the only prince to truly bring a lasting peace-a peace that has lasted for millennia, and will last into eternity.

Where do you need to find peace in your life at this time? Your family? Your workplace? Your inner life? We can be assured of this, God is for peace and reconciliation, and God wants to bring order where there has been chaos in our lives.