Wednesday - "Gifts"

Matthew 2:11 (TNIV) 11On 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.

I want to focus on one word from today's passage...and it isn't myrrh. What is myrrh anyway? No, the word we are going to pick at this morning is "treasure." The wise men came and gave from their treasure...it was the best that they had...the top shelf... the gold, frankincense and myrrh weren't stuff laying around in their closet or stuffed into a bag.

It was their best.

It required a sacrifice.

When you read this passage you might wonder why these men would give the best things that they owned to Jesus. After all, at this stage Jesus was just a baby. A drooling, cooing infant.... Why do it? Why give their best to Jesus?

The answer is simple...because giving their best to God is what they felt led to do. Their wise wives may not have fully understood... those around them in the village where they lived probably didn't get it. When those wise men loaded those treasure boxes onto their camels I'm sure there was a lot of head scratching and doubt.

But these men were maybe the first to understand what Christmas is all about.

Christmas is still about giving of your treasure to Jesus. This morning as you pray, ask God what treasure you should give this Christmas to Christ... Think about those things sitting on the proverbial "top shelf" of your life...which of those can be sacrificed for Jesus this holiday season?

It may be challenging but it is really the wise thing to do.

Pastor Brian