Magi from the east
came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one
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who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star
in the east and have
come to worship him.’ 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 incense and myrrh”
Matthew 2:1-2, 11
(NIV)
We usually read this passage when we think about Jesus’
birth. Today, let’s think about the three Magi.
The three wise men came to Bethlehem in search of the babe
that had been born King of the Jews. They had studied the scrolls that told of
this child who was like none other. They journeyed a great distance to visit
this child.
They came so they could worship Him. They had no other
agenda but to honor and adore this child about whom they had read in prophecy.
They also searched the heavens as they looked for a sign of the baby’s birth.
You know the story; the travelers got lost and found their
way to the court of Herod, the king of Israel. Herod and all Jerusalem became
alarmed. He asked the Magi to return to his court after they found this child
and tell him where they found him. Herod’s words told them that he wanted to
worship the baby as well.
I see the worship the Magi did was true worship. The bowed
down before the Christ Child. They bestowed gifts to Him. These gifts were
precious in that time.
On the other hand, Herod told a big lie. He said that he
wanted to worship the child. We read that his intent was to slay the babe. His
soldiers wreaked havoc among the families in Bethlehem. The soldiers struck
terror in the hearts of all who had had children under the age of two.
In our 21st Century, we need to examine how we worship God.
Do we approach God with humility? Do we ask for His forgiveness? Then do we try
to repent (turn away from our sinful habits?)
I remember a well-known person who, when he ‘apologized’ to
our nation, turned the statement into a finger pointing speech to those who
held different political beliefs. As I saw it, he really didn't say that he was
sorry for that particular transgression. When we confess our sins before God,
we have to come clean before Him. We can’t get out of it by saying it’s someone
else’s fault or they made us do it. God knows and see all that we do.
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So true. Many people are only sorry for having gotten caught, while never admitting they did wrong.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting today. I think we will always have those with that mindset. I am thankful that most of us are not of that ilk.
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