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They Came Back Another Way
Matthew 2:12
"And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."
The story from the verse above is about the three wise men who saw the star in the East for which they had long been waiting. These men knew that the Messiah would come some day, and that his coming would be announced by a star in the East. When they saw the star, they journeyed to Bethlehem so that they could worship Jesus. Once they arrived in the city, they asked King Herod if he knew where Jesus was born. When they left his presence, he asked them to return and tell him where the child should be born so that he could worship Him as well. However, an angel of God warned these wise men not to return to Herod because his desire was to destroy the child.
A phrase that catches my attention about these wise men is, "...they departed into their own country another way." I love this phrase because they went to see the Saviour one way, but they came back another way. Obeying God and being in the presence of the Saviour always causes a person to come back another way. It was Elisha who crossed over the Jordan River one way, but after seeing Elijah taken to Heaven in a whirlwind, he came back another way. It was David who went to fight Goliath as a youth, but came back another way as a man. It was Jacob who went to sleep as a deceiver, but after wrestling with God all night, he woke up another man. It was the three Hebrew children who went into the fiery furnace one way, but when they were in the presence of the Son of God, they came out another way. It was Zaccheus who climbed the tree one way, but after Jesus passed his way, he came down another way. On and on we could go and show the stories of people who went in one way, but after being in the presence of the Saviour came back another way.
Christian, do you ever come back another way? When you go to church, do you go in one way and come out another way? What I am talking about is being changed because you have been to church. Do you go to church to be changed, or do you go to church to fulfill your religious obligation? Oh, how we need Christians who will go to church one way and come out changed another way. Every time you go to church, your desire should be to come out another way.
Likewise, when you spend time in prayer, you should always come back another way. Moses went to the top of Mount Sinai and spent forty days and nights with God, and he came down another way. You cannot spend time in prayer without God changing you. One of the biggest reasons Christians never change is because they never spend any time in prayer so that God can change them. Prayer changes things, but most of all, prayer will change you!
Furthermore, when you spend time in the Scriptures you will always come back another way. Every day of my life I sit down to read the Scriptures one way, but I stand up from reading Them another way. You cannot spend time in the Scriptures without Them changing you. Just like a person who takes a bath is dirty and rubbing soap and water over their body causes them to come out clean, likewise a person who spends time in the Scriptures will come out another way.
The greatest need for our present society is for you to come back another way. Don't let your time with God in church, prayer and study of the Scriptures be time that is wasted. Let these times be fruitful times where you go in one way and come back another. Let God change you so that you can come back another way.