Let’s continue with the story of the Wise men’s journey to find Jesus.   “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  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, frankincense and myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”  Matthew 2:9-12 
There are several things about this portion of scripture that I find fascinating.   We don’t know what the Wise men thought of Herod and his request for them to report back to him.  But, they did what God asked when He warned them in a dream not to return.  They feared God more than anything the evil king could do to them and they sought to protect the child.  That does not surprise me as they came hundreds of miles seeking to worship the Messiah and were seeking to know and worship God.  Next, the Bible does not say their were three Magi  but Wise men.  What we do know is that they brought three gifts fit for a king.  Gold and frankincense and myrrh which were substances used in perfumes and was costly to produce and came from exotic parts of North Africa, Arabia and India.   All of these would suggest offering substances to be used in worship.  The ancient Israelites used both frankincense and myrrh in their offering services.  lastly, the thing I found most humbling is that they followed the star for months, and when it stopped over the house where Jesus and his mother were, they showed no hesitation at going inside.  They knew they had arrived and proceeded to worship the child before them.  Their confidence in God’s leading is amazing.  They trusted God to lead them to the right place.

What about you?  Do you trust God to lead you?  Do you proceed with conviction even when things get a bit uncomfortable?  What do you bring to Jesus?  He tells us that our redemption is a free gift from God.  We can’t buy it or earn it.  So what can we bring to Jesus this Christmas?  Scripture gives us direction on this.  “And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  Micah 6:8   We can offer God our actions motivated by justice, love and mercy with humility.  Pray for strength to walk with Him daily as He desires.

Walking in trust and love,

Linda