Take 2-3 minutes to quiet yourself and ask God to speak to you today through your devotional time.
Reading: Matthew 2:1–2, 11, Ephesians 2:11–13
Be sure to highlight or note anything that stands out to you while you read.
After reading the passage, take the next 5-10 minutes and spend time reflecting on what you read. You can write these things down in a journal or record them in your phone. Be attentive to both what you highlighted in the passage and what is going on in your life.
The Magi were outsiders—Gentiles with no religious standing, far from God’s covenant people. Yet God invited them first. This reveals the heart of the gospel: no one is too far, too broken, or too unworthy to be welcomed by Jesus. Whatever you believe disqualifies you—your past, your doubts, your failures—God has already overcome it. Jesus came for outsiders, sinners, and the lost. You don’t have to earn an invitation. You only have to respond.
What have I believed disqualifies me—or someone else—from coming to Jesus?
Now, take 10 minutes to seek God in prayer…
- Begin your time in prayer by taking 1-3 minutes to sit in silence (You can take longer if you sense the Spirit already beginning to speak to you).
- Pray through the things you sensed God speaking to you through the Scriptures or pray the following prayer: Jesus, thank You for welcoming me as I am. Help me receive Your grace fully and extend that same grace to others.
- Close by taking 5 minutes to sit in silence, asking God if there is anything else He wants to speak to you today.
Take Action:
- Confess any belief that has made you feel distant from God and replace it with truth from Scripture.
- Pray for someone in your life who feels far from God and ask Him to draw them near.