Who do you seek?

WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM

The men slowly made their way toward Bethlehem under the clear Judean sky. Their clothing had an Eastern Oriental design and their camels were laden down with treasures they had brought from afar. Their eyes twinkled with excitement as they anxiously watched the skies for a sign. Then... there it was! A star--brighter than any other in the sky! The same star they had first seen in their home country in the Far East...the same star they had been following for weeks... and there it was again--hovering over the small town of Bethlehem. The men quickened their pace as their anticipation grew. They talked and wondered about the baby they would find in this small town--the one whose birth had caused a new star to shine in the night sky. As they drew nearer, the star suddenly stopped...right over a stable near a local inn. The wise men stopped also--wondering if there had been some mistake. As they stood watching the star, a baby's cry suddenly pierced the silence. The men looked at each other and then, with an expectant nod, the first one entered the stable. What had brought these wise men from their Far East home in search of -- a baby?!


The wise men had finally reached their destination...and they bowed down and worshipped Jesus because they knew who He was and why He came! Together with Mary and Joseph, they had the first baby shower...and they gave Jesus three gifts--each with its own special meaning:


Gold was the money of kings and was worth about $600 a pound.


Frankincense was found in Southern Arabia, Ethiopia, and Egypt. It is a sticky, white gum taken from the Bozwalia Carteri Tree. When the tree's bark is cut, it covers the tree in clear lumps the size of hens eggs that can be burned as incense. The word "frank" means clear or strong, hence the word "frankincense." It has a strong, sweet odor and was also used as an antiseptic to heal open cuts, to fight bacteria and infections. It was good for Bronchitis and lung infections, it could be chewed as a gum to fight bad breath and tooth decay...and it was worth about $500 a pound. The trees were so sacred that the farmers who grew them were told to keep themselves pure from sin...especially while harvesting the Frankincense. It is mentioned 15 times in the Old Testament and in Revelation 8:4 it says, "And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand." Burning Frankincense was a reminder to the people of how their prayers reached God and how sweet they smell to Him. Now, that's enough to make you rethink your prayer life, isn't it?


Myrrh is a reddish-brown gum from the bark of the Cammaforah Myrrh Tree and is found in Somalia, Africa, and Yemen. It has a spicy, oriental scent. Kings owned all of the Myrrh trees and closely guarded them. It was also used in incense, to cure fevers, diarrhea, asthma, and could be put on open wounds as an antiseptic. Because it was so hard to obtain, Myrrh was worth about $4,000 a pound. It is mentioned 17 times in the Bible: In Exodus 3, God told Moses to take Myrrh, mix it with other spices, and anoint Aaron and his sons as high priests and anoint everything in the temple. And when kings were buried, they used 15 pounds of Myrrh to wrap them with to keep the body from stinking. John 19:39,40 tells us that after Jesus had died, Joseph of Arimathaea and "Nicodemus came...and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury." Remember that Myrrh was worth about $4,000 a pound and they brought 100 pounds to wrap Jesus with!


Someone asked me if Nicodemus ever believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Well, I believe he did... because I know I would never spend $400,000 of my hard earned money to bury someone if I thought he was a false prophet! And if it was customary to use 15 pounds of Myrrh to wrap a king's body, and Nicodemus used 100 pounds to wrap Jesus' body...that shows me that Nicodemus not only believed that Jesus was king of the Jews but also the King of Kings!


Jesus received three gifts for his birthday: Gold as a symbol of a king, Frankincense as a symbol of the prayers of the people being answered, and Myrrh as a symbol of our High Priest.


Gerntle Reader, if you are unsure about where you stand in God's eyes, then I want to invite you to pray this simple prayer right now: "Jesus, I'm afraid and unsure about my life. At times my life doesn't make any sense and I'm searching for answers. I believe that you have what I'm looking for. So I'm going to trust you with my life, my future, and my soul. I ask you to forgive me for the sins and mistakes that I've made. I believe that you died on the cross for me...that you took the shame and the blame for my mistakes and failures upon yourself so that I wouldn't have to pay the penalty for my sin. Thank you for giving me eternal life! Now, give me peace concerning my future and all that it holds. Amen."

If in your hearts of hearts you ask Jesus the Christ Child to Change your life and save you from past then rest assured Dear One He did just that. Call and tell someone what you did. Find a Bible believing church and talk to the Minister about the truth that I just shared!