“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
When the magi saw the astronomical signs associated with the birth of Jesus, they began an arduous, expensive, months-long journey to Bethlehem. As they followed the star to Israel, the prophecy to Bethlehem, and the star once again to the exact right house, they were filled with joy to finally see the baby who was already born king! When they laid eyes on Jesus at long last, they fell down in reverent submission and worship. They gave Jesus the precious treasures they’d carried with them from home.
It’s truly an astonishing story! In itself, it is the fulfillment of prophecy and the first taste of the salvation and light that Jesus came to offer to the entire world. Unfortunately, the zeal of the wise men would put most Christians to shame today! We don’t need to follow astronomical signs – we have the written word of God (often many copies). But do we eagerly pursue the Bible’s truth with the same energy the wise men pursued the star?
We don’t need to travel for hundreds of miles to worship Jesus. We can do it whenever and wherever we want. How often do we? We don’t need to ask people for directions to worship Jesus – a search engine can instantly point us to a local Bible-believing church. Nonetheless, while the wise men journeyed for countless weeks, we can struggle to get in the car and go to worship Jesus, the King of world alongside other believers.
As this new year dawns, try to capture that excitement and joy of the wise men for yourself. Get excited about encountering Jesus this year! Dig into God’s Word daily and see what He has to say to you. Make time to regularly gather with other believers to offer Jesus your treasure of wholehearted worship. #FollowJesus