Opening Treasures
It's a familiar scene, isn't it? We've seen and heard it practically every year in the nativity plays, television specials, and our favorite Christmas carols. Wise men - three we're often told, but the Bible doesn't say how many - came from a great distance to see the new King, and when they saw Him, they gave Him gifts. Pretty pricey stuff too. Gold, incense, and myrrh - things that shine brightly, smell nice, and feel wonderful. Gifts that only kings can afford.
Perhaps this act of giving doesn't resonate with us like it should. Maybe we've heard it so often that our familiarity with it has bred, if not contempt, at least a lack of fascination. Perhaps we assume that rich magi under the patronage of their kings could easily afford such treasures. To them it could have been nothing more than a routine. baby-shower gift, as far as we know. But the important thing to notice in this passage is that the wise men gave to Jesus the things they considered most valuable. In a Middle Eastern culture two thousand years ago, these gifts were top of the line. It took them a lot of time and a lot of treasure to make that journey and present these gifts. It was an act of adoration.
Such giving ought to characterize our adoration too. We praise God with our tongues, raise our hands to Him, and study His Word. But do we give Him what is most costly to us? Do we take the things we have that are top of the line - our treasures that we value most highly - and offer them to Him? Answering that is a challenge. We have to know ourselves well.
Think of what you value most. It may not be your time on Sunday mornings or your 10 percent tithe. Maybe it's a relationship, a dream, an honor, or an allegiance. Whatever it is, it's your treasure. Lay it at His feet and tell Him it's His. True love always involves deep sacrifice. It certainly did for Him. It does for us as well.
This is an entry from One Year Worship the King by Chris Tiegreen. This devotional is available at OMF Lit Bookshops, our online store, shop.omflit.com, Shopee, and Lazada for P365. (P292 until December 20)
About the book:
If we want to fulfill the purpose God has for us, and in fact to be fulfilled, we need to know how to love and adore him. Like no other writer can do, Chris Tiegreen takes you through the heights and depths of worship in The One Year Worship the King Devotional. Whether you love to sing praises to your King or you feel too far away from him right now to worship authentically, You'll be transformed by a deeper understanding of what you were made for.