A Christmas Offering

"And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh." 

Matthew 2:11

The wisemen traveled a long way to see the Savior.  They brought with them special gifts to give to this King that had been foretold about.  I can only imagine what a special moment in time that must have been for them.  Here is the ONE in which they had been promised.  The One that would change the world as they knew it.  Each one brought a special gift to Jesus.  I did a little research on what made these 3 gifts so special....

Gold - we can make a good guess as to why gold would be special.  It's expensive & beautiful, right?  But it has more significance than that.  Gold is the metal of kings.  When gold was presented to Jesus, the wisemen were saying that they recognized him as THE KING OF KINGS.

Incense - Back then, incense was used in Temple worship.  It was mixed with the oil that was used to anoint the priests of Israel. When presenting this gift to Jesus, the wisemen were pointing to Christ as our GREAT HIGH PRIEST.

Myrrh - Myrrh was used for embalming. Sounds odd to present this one, doesn't it? But it was not offensive in this case, nor was it odd. It was a gift of faith. We do not know precisely what the wise men may have known or guessed about Christ’s ministry, but we do know that the Old Testament again and again foretold his suffering.

All three of these were special gifts to give to the sweet baby Jesus.

What about us?  What can we give to the King?  What kind of gifts can we bring?  There are many!

Our Faith

Our Devotion

Our Service

Our Family

Our entire lives!

Jesus wasn't just the baby born in a manger.  He grew up.  He healed the broken, bruised, and rejected.  Ultimately, He laid down His life so that we could be free from death's sting!  The GREATEST gift of all!  It's humbling to even begin to think what gift would be acceptable to give back to Him!  What gift could I possibly give to such a GREAT KING?

I think we can all examine our hearts & ask the Lord what it is that we are holding back.  Is there something that we haven't given to Him?  Whatever it is, lets bring it to His feet and lay it there as our gift to Him this Christmas.  Is it a job?  Our children?  Maybe you are struggling with addiction or anxiety.  Give it to Him this Christmas.  Whatever it is....He will gladly accept your gift...no matter how big or small.

If you haven't invited Jesus into your life, why not give Him the greatest gift of all this year?  Accept HIS free gift!  He longs to give it to you....just ask.  

Jesus came as a baby in a manger to seek and save the lost.  The Father in heaven gave Him to us .... the gift of His Son.  Call on Him.  Invite Him in.  It will be the BEST gift you have ever received!