Matthew 2:10-11
10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
When the Wise Men saw the child Jesus with His mother Mary, they bowed down and worshiped Him. They presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These were the gifts presented to kings and the Wise Men knew that this child was the King of kings and the Savior of the world. The Wise Men’s gifts were:
Useful: The gold was likely used by Joseph and Mary to pay for their flight to Egypt. The Frankincense and myrrh could have been sold to pay for food and other needs.
Precious: The gifts of the Wise Men were valuable and rare. They came, bowed down and gave the best of what they had to this child who they knew was the long awaited for Messiah. They were gifts fit for a king. The Wise Men knew that this child was THE KING OF THE WORLD!
I had promised myself that this year I would slow down and really take time to enjoy the season. Christmas is about family, friends, but more importantly, Jesus. It is now five days before Christmas and the season seems to have flown by. There is no time to just sit at the feet of Jesus and abide in who He is. Time is flying by and Jesus gets forgotten in the midst of the busyness and distractions.
The passage of the Wise Men caused me to reflect on what I have to give Jesus. What gift do I have to give The King that is both useful and precious? What gift can I give not just in this Christmas season but in the next year too? One of the most useful and precious gifts I can give now and in the future is my time. I can let go of the things that are time wasters and start using that time to pray, study, reflect, worship, serve and abide. The Wise Men knew that their first priority was to worship Jesus. I don’t always put Jesus first. I get caught up in the latest T.V. show, Facebook, or the internet and I forget that my first priority should be Jesus. ALWAYS!
2019 is right around the corner and I am making a commitment to let go of what’s not important and make Jesus my first priority. This is my gift. My time is my gift to my Savior, my Messiah. My time in serving Jesus and serving others around me. The most important thing.
What gift can you give to the King of kings this Christmas season and in the next year? Is this gift useful? Is this gift precious? Is this gift worthy of a King? What gift can you give that will bring you closer to the Messiah? Reflect and then present your gift to the One who gave us the best gift of all: eternal life.
Patti Burris 