Peaceful Departure

Peaceful Departure

By Rev. James May

After the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary brought him down to Jerusalem to be presented, or dedicated to serving God and offered up either the pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons as required by the Law of Moses. Mary had obeyed the Law of Moses when Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day, and then she had accomplished her own ceremonial purification by waiting 25 more days until the required 33 days had passed.

Everything about Jesus’ birth had to be performed exactly as the Law of Moses required. After all, He fulfilled the Law for us and took away its curse upon us for the offenses that we had done before we ever knew what the Law required.

As Mary and Joseph brought their newborn son to the temple, there they met an old man, very advanced in years, and very devout in his service to the Lord. The Bible says that Simeon was not only devout, but he was a just man, who waited patiently for the fulfillment of a promise that he had received from the Holy Ghost.

Lord, help us all to be like Simeon!

• He looked for the coming of the Messiah in pure faith!

• He dwelled in the presence of the Holy Ghost!

• He never faltered in his service to God and never failed in his patient waiting for the fulfillment of the promise that he had received.

• And though he was nearing the end of his days upon this earth he knew that there was still an anointing and a calling upon him that he could not ignore.

• He walked each day in faith, with anticipation that he would see the Messiah of Israel!

Simeon wasn’t in Bethlehem! He didn’t hang out on the hillside with the sheep. He didn’t travel with the wise men. He stayed in his place, doing the thing that God had called him to do, and when his moment arrived to know who Jesus was, he was right where he needed to be to receive his promise.

Luke 2:27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

Simeon was so full of the Holy Ghost that he walked in the Spirit wherever the Spirit led him.

What if, on this one particular day, Simeon had decided that he wouldn’t follow the leading of the Holy Ghost?

What if, for just one day, Simeon would have said, “I’ve followed the Spirit every day, and still no answer to my promise from God. I’m going to do “my thing” and go try to find my own way!”

What if, for just this one day, Simeon had given up on God?

He might never have seen Jesus. He might not have received his promise. The Holy Ghost had promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah, but did that promise rely upon Simeon’s faithfulness in following the leading of the Holy Ghost?

I believe that we can short circuit our own blessings if we walk away from where we should be in the Lord!

What has God promised you today? Has he promised you that your family would be saved before the end of their days?

Do you think that promise will be fulfilled for you if you don’t keep living for God faithfully? Do you think that those in your family will come to Christ without your’ faithful example? Who else will they follow?

Has God promised you that he will accomplish a great work in your life? And by the way, what is that great work? How will you know it when it comes to pass?

God’s ways are not our ways, and what we may consider a great work probably isn’t what God is thinking of anyway. The reason for that is that our own sense of pride gets in the way and all we can see are works that bring the praises of men and the recognition of being someone special or really spiritual in the church. Do we not know that any work that God accomplishes in our lives is a great work, for without God we can do nothing! Holy Spirit empowers us and He has come along side to help and lead us into all truth. No matter what you accomplish for the Lord, can we say that it is not great? Even if our work never receives the recognition or accolades of men, it is still great in the eyes of the Lord.

A life of faithfulness is just as great in the eyes of the Lord as a life spent in service on the mission field. Being faithful in the ministry, or in the place that God has placed you, is what God considers great! So many works that men do, that we consider great, are no greater than that of an intercessory prayer warrior that no one sees!