“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
Look again at Matthew 2:9-12. You know, when we see manger scenes with wise men, we often see three of them, each carrying a single gift. This passage, however, paints a slightly different picture for us. First, we don’t really know how many magi there were. Tradition says three, probably because of the three gifts listed, but scripture doesn’t keep count. Second, it seems they brought more than just a few gifts.
Matthew 2:11 says, “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 and of incense and of myrrh.”
On seeing Christ, their first reaction was worship. After worshiping Him, they opened their treasures to Him. Worship has a way of preparing our hearts to present Him with gifts. Rather than just hand Him the one thing they had each brought, they opened all their treasures to Him, giving Him very valuable gifts. It’s doubtful they traveled all that way, risking their lives by angering Herod, and then gave Him a small token of affection. Come on! They lavished their gifts upon Him for they realized God was lavishing a great gift on them.
What are your treasures? Money? Time? Family? Open them to Him. Don’t hold back, hiding what you really have. Open the bag of blessings He’s given you and let Him choose the gift He desires. Then give it gladly for He gave himself for you.
Worship: Read Matthew 6:19-21. What treasures are you storing up, and where are you storing them? Search your heart in prayer. Is there any area of your life that you’re holding back from Him? Open it and give it gladly! Worship Him as the wise men did.
Family Focus: Let children make a “Jingle Jar” by cutting an opening in the lid of a jar then allowing them to decorate the jar. When they drop coins in, they can hear it jingle. Tell them that when they fill their “Jingle Jar” they can present it to Jesus, just like the magi did.
Be sure to follow along daily for more devotions. You can find them here or you can download the ebook A Christmas Call to Worship: Daily Devotions for the Month of December
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