They Saw His Star

 

Matt 2:2,11
“For we have seen His star ...(Magi) fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures...”

Twas the night  before Christmas, the Magi followed the star to find the promised Messiah. The night before Christmas, they went to King Herod to inquire, but the influencers of that time did not have a clue of any star in the sky. As the Magi continued their quest, the star appeared once again to guide and direct them. The timeline of their journey was about a couple of weeks after the birth of Jesus, but at last the star stood still, and they arrived to find Mary and Joseph in a house where Jesus was under their care. God’s gift of Love had arrived, and the Magi’s hearts were stricken with praise and adoration. They recognized that this was the Son of God who would change the world. They fell down on their knees, no doubt, lifting their voices to the heavens and gave thanks to the new born king. The Magi opened their treasures and presented them to the Son of God. The gifts were symbolic, recognizing the significance of His coming. Gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death. He, the God man, will die, shed His blood to set men free, but will rule the world as King and Lord for all eternity. As the Magi fell down, so will every knee bow and confess that He is Lord.  Let us give Christ the treasure of our hearts. May we open our treasures and give them all to Jesus. He gave His life for us, let us give our heart to Him in full surrender to His will and desires. Let us bow the knee now and worship Him, for He is worthy. 

That Good Thing

 2 Tim. 1:13,14
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

“That good thing.” We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (2 Corinth 4:7) We pray that good things will happen. We desire the blessing of God to bring us things that will bring joy to our lives, and bring contentment. But we know that for reasons not always known, bad things also happen, because that is the consequences in living a fallen world. But despite all the bad things that are happening, we have “That good thing” that God has given us through Christ. He has given us a clean heart, through His blood shed on the cross we have forgiveness of sin. We have the assurance that God is good and He does all things well. “That good thing” that is given to us remains in us because the Holy Spirit is living and guiding us each day. Giving us the power to overcome the bad things that come our way. We hold fast the sound teaching handed down through scripture and feed on the  good things of His word. We hide His word in our hearts and integrate them into the way we live our lives. Let us not let go of “That good thing” for it is the treasure He has given us. 

Contentment

 1 Timothy 6:1

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

People seek many things to find contentment. Like the rich man in the Bible, they seek to build greater “barns” to store the things of the world they have gained. The love of money is said to be the root of all evil. Seekers of earthly things. Houses, cars, computers, phones, clothes, and all that money can buy cannot buy contentment. The love of family is to be cherished, but even with that, true contentment cannot be obtained. We all enjoy our creature comforts, they do bring a measure of contentment and a sense of safety. But we bring nothing into this world, and we will leave this world empty-handed. Like the rich man, Jesus says. “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of you.” Our contentment is found in knowing Jesus, knowing that our treasure is not of this world, but of the other world. Living a life of godliness and righteousness towards God. Knowing that each day we live to please and glorify God. Knowing that our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, and our names are written in the book of Life. This is real contentment with great gain.

Give What You Have

 Acts 3: 6
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

We may not have a lot of money to give out and help everyone that crosses our pathway who has a need, but such as we have, God wants us to give. What do we have? We have the greatest treasure this world has ever known. A treasure far greater than silver and gold, far greater than the wealth of this world. Houses and land, riches untold grow dim in the light of eternity with Jesus. Jesus, the name I highly treasure. Jesus alone is all I need. God has seen fit to give me some of the things of this world, and I do enjoy some of these earthly treasures, but they will also pass away, and what is left is what abides in the heart. He is the one who can take a sinner and make him whole again. It is Jesus who changes a heart from hate to love. It is Jesus who heals the body and brings comfort to the soul. The world is blinded and lives in darkness. Such as we have, the light of Christ, let it shine as we journey this side of this world.

Treasures in Earthen Vessels

2 Corinth 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

We all are earthen vessels formed by the hand of God from the dust of the earth. The breath of life is given to us by our Maker. He sent His son to take on the form of this vessel, to walk and live among us. The true treasures of life is to know the Son, and to know that His blood covers every sin that besets us. Though we breath the air of this earth, we are all dead in our sins. The excellency of the power of God has made it possible for us to have this earthen vessel filled with the Holy Spirit. Pauls says, I’m crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live” Not by any power that we possess, but by the power of God we are made alive in Christ. This treasure is available to anyone who allows Christ to come into their heart and is made Lord of their life. “There was a day, that this earthen vessel was empty and lifeless, but a day came when He filled my vessel with His presence, and now I possess a treasure that comes from God alone".

Hidden Treasures

Prov: 2:4,5 “if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hidden treasure, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.”-

Finding and experiencing the deeper things of God does not come by accident. Hidden treasures take time to find. Taking time to think on the word of God will help us better understand who God is and what He desires for our lives. Getting to know God better is done on purpose. Knowing God’s word needs to go deeper than reading for the sake of just memorizing words. The word of God needs to be applied to our heart. The application of living out His commandment is done by putting in to practice what He wants us to do. “Love thy neighbor, as thyself” are profound words given to us by Jesus, but what does it mean to love your neighbor, how do you go about showing love to your neighbor? “Lord, help me to take the time to seek God and ask Him to open His word to me, and help me to live it as I face my world today”. 

Life's Focus

Heb 10:34 “knowing in yourselves that ye have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance.”-

We live in a materialistic world. the gathering of stuff occupies our life daily. we buy new houses, new cars, and fill our house with stuff to make it look nice. This is the culture we live in. The danger is that this becomes our focus in life. Work to fill our “barns”. But we are also living in a day of uncertainty, and life has a way of turning things around. Losing a job, a fire burning our house down, illness in the family, and many other things that can happen. It times like these, we must have our focus on what really matters in life. Things that will endure for eternity. Storing up treasures in heaven. focus on relationship, focus on living for God, focus on sharing the love of Jesus. These are the things that really matter.