Verse: Luke 2:8-11
47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Devotional Thoughts:
We’ve just went through one of the busiest times of the year. Christmas-time is joyful, but busy. Before we know it, Christmas is over, and a brand new year is here. So what’s next?
The verses above are from Luke 2, the same chapter as the Christmas story. Though it’s been twelve years since Jesus was born, these verses are “what’s next” in Luke’s gospel. And I believe that a young Jesus can still teach us as we consider our next steps in the new year.
Jesus and His family had traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. Once it was over, His family had left for home, but He had stayed behind. In fact, Luke tells us that He was there for three days before His family figured out where He was at. Exasperated, Mary asks Him, “Why have you done this to us?” And Jesus responds, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Points to Ponder:
I want to give you two next steps for the New Year that we can learn from Jesus. The first is this:
-Be intentional with your life.
Jesus wasn’t lost. He didn’t just happen to miss the last caravan out of town. He was learning, asking questions, He was about His Father’s business.
In the same way, be very intentional with your life. Figure out the man or woman that you want to be, and that the Lord calls you to be, and then be intentional in becoming that person. Understand this – you will never just drift into becoming the person you want to be. Being intentional means taking deliberate action.
Being intentional means that we have a plan for everything we do. That there is a reason for every move we make. So, as a next step for this new year, be intentional in your walk with God. Be intentional in your role as a husband or wife. Be intentional in parenting and discipling your kids. Be intentional in your own spiritual growth and well-being. In every area of your life, be intentional. Don’t just drift.
-Discern what you must be about.
Jesus asked His mom, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” He was focused and unwavering on what His Father had called him to be about. I think we ought to learn from the example Jesus sets for us here.
I want to challenge you, in this New Year, determine what the Lord has called you to be about. When it comes to ministry, what has the Lord called you to be about? Where has the Lord gifted you, taught you, called you? God has gifted believers with spiritual gifts – and they are meant to be used for kingdom-building work.
There is no age limit required to do kingdom-building work, nor is there any retirement from doing kingdom-building work. So Christian, be intentional in discerning what the Lord desires for you to be about, then be intentional in committing yourself to being about that work of ministry.
Let’s take these next steps together in this New Year.
