Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 13
up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his
mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I
tell you to return, because Herod is going to
search for the child to kill him.”
14
That night Joseph left for Egypt with the
child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed
there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what
the Lord had spoken through the prophet:
“I called my Son out of Egypt.”*
16
Herod was furious when he realized that
the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Beth
lehem who were two years old and under,
based on the wise men’s report of the star’s
first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the
prophet Jeremiah:
18
“A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.”*
The Return to Nazareth
19
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get
up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his
mother back to the land of Israel, because
those who were trying to kill the child are
dead.”
21
So Joseph got up and returned to the land
of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But
when he learned that the new ruler of Ju
dea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid
to go there. Then, after being warned in a
dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So
the family went and lived in a town called
Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets
had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
CHAPTER 3
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
In those days John the Baptist came to the
Judean wilderness and began preaching. His
message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn
to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.*”
3
The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John
when he said,
RECOVERY PRINCIPLE DEVOTIONAL
DELAYED
GRATIFICATION
READ MATTHEW 4:1-11
We may be searching for shortcuts to
happiness. The road of life often takes us
through painful places we would rather
avoid. Some of us have gotten off the right
track, lured away by hopes of faster and
easier ways to “the good life.”
Jesus faced this same temptation. He
was destined to become the King of all the
earth. The plan was that he would come to
earth as a man, live a sinless life, die to pay
for our sins, rise from the dead, and return
to heaven to wait for those who would be
his. Then he would return to earth to claim
his people and his rightful place as King of
kings. Satan offered Jesus a shortcut. “The
devil . . . showed him all the kingdoms of
the world and their glory. ‘I will give it all
to you,’ he said, ‘if you will kneel down and
worship me.’ ‘Get out of here, Satan,’ Jesus
told him. ‘For the Scriptures say, “You must
worship the Lord your God and serve only
him”’” (Matthew 4:8-10). If Jesus had fallen
for this trick, he would have sinned and lost
everything.
We need to beware of “shortcuts” that
take us even one step outside of God’s will.
We are warned: “Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you” (James 4:7). We can
show this resistance by ignoring offers
that are “too good to be true.” There are
really no quick fixes in life. The path of
recovery can be long and hard, but many
have gone before us and have been successful. As we stay on the path, taking one
step at a time, we’ll find the good things
in life God has for us. Turn to page 1203,
Matthew 6.
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him!’”*
4
John’s clothes were woven from coarse
camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around
his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild
:15 Hos 11:1. 2:18 Jer 31:15. 3:2 Or has come, or is
2
coming soon.
3:3 Isa 40:3 (Greek version).
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