Giving Our Best in Worship
This post was originally published for Encouragement from Women Who’ve Been There. I am currently taking a break for the Christmas holiday to be with my family. đź’š
“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.”
Matthew 2:11
As children many of us learned about the three gifts that were brought to baby Jesus. Although the Bible does not say how much the gold, frankincense, and myrrh were worth, it is known the gifts had a very high value.
When you think about it though, being the King of the universe Jesus didn’t need the gifts. Remember later in life when the disciples needed money for the temple tax, He just had Peter simply drop a fishing line in the sea to pull up a fish with the necessary coin (Matthew 17:24-27).
Everything belongs to Him (Psalm 50:10-12). So why did the wise men bring the gifts? Traveling a great distance, they gave what they thought were treasured gifts in worship to the Lord. They were offering Him their best.
The gold the wise men gave represented Jesus was King. He was Israel’s God come in the flesh, the Messiah, the One Who came to save the world. Frankincense was used in that day in worship in the temple. As soon as the men saw Jesus, the Bible tells us they fell down in worship (Matthew 2:11). They also brought myrrh which was often used as a painkiller (Mark 15:22-23) and as part of the embalming process (John 19:38-40). Knowledgeable of the prophecies in the Old Testament, they may have given this knowing of His imminent sacrificial death.
Jesus Christ gave us the ultimate gift when He humbled Himself to become flesh and walk this earth with the purpose of sacrificing His life to pay for our sins. He wants us to know He loves us unconditionally, and He thinks we were worthy of dying for.
Daily Tip: Are we giving our best gifts to the Lord like the wise men? Whether they are talents, time in service, or money to help support and further God’s Kingdom, Jesus deserves our best. Thinking of the gifts of the wise men, He should be our King, we should worship Him daily, and because He sacrificed His life for us, we should die daily to our self, to our desires and live for Him and His glory. Giving our best to Jesus is a way to worship Him. 💕