Sunday 6 Dec 2020

December 6: Luke 2:1-5
 
Key Verse: Luke 2:1
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
 
Devotion:
So much of the world is based around money and the management of money; it is hard to avoid worrying about it and about how much you need to earn just to survive. How far we go with the need to know exactly what we have all the time and how much we have to spend may well detract your attention from the important things in life. God wants us to be good steward of everything He allows into our lives, but He certainly does not want us to make the love of money the centre of our lives!
 
Many governments will order a census to find out exactly where people are and how much potential there is to raise money from taxing people. This is judicious and will allow governments to plan ahead with spending and building a better place for people to live – as long as that is what they are focusing on and not just the money!
 
Caesar Augustus’ plan for the census was to try and locate the money but also to try and identify where this ‘self-proclaimed king’ was. He was trying to flush out what someone had prophesied so he could remain in control of his known world! Making people go back to their birth towns would allow him to control where this baby would be born and to try and control the outcome...
 
God wants us to rely on His Word in our lives to guide us to the best outcomes. If we look to the world and money for our outcomes, we will see nothing further than the world and money. But if we focus on God in eternity, then we shall see opened up to us the realms Jesus spoke of and the blessings He promised. Trust in God and look to Him for your future...
 
Points to Ponder:
How important is money to you?
 
Will you look to God for guidance instead?