They presented unto Him gifts

Matthew 2:11

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.

The wise men from the east that came to worship Christ were examples to all of us. They serve as prototypes, as models of what every wise man should exemplify himself. And I intend to bolster and support this claim with the forthcoming proofs. For you see! They desired to seek after the Lord! They wanted to find where He was, and they wanted to be with Him. Is not this the heart cry of every wise man or woman? “Where is the Lord, and how can we find Him?” This, of course, is wisdom. They also begin to follow the given direction from God. God gave them a star that would illuminate and make the way obvious to them. Often, we will not find stars lightening our path, but the Lord by His grace will guide the seeking person in His will as He guided these oriental sages. And they determined in their heart that they should worship Him. It is indicative of that which was in their heart! They had the immediate inclination to worship this newborn King. Let us not lack this! Let us not let the business and the helter-skelter of this season, with all the numerous tasks to accomplish and the activities to participate in, draw us away from that which stands above all else—that which is the most meaningful and necessary. And that is the worship of the newborn King. For He is no longer a newborn King! He has suffered and died! He has risen again as the Son of God! He ever lives to make intercession for us! He is the coming King! Stop everything if necessary, beloved, to worship the King of kings!

But notice with me another important component of this timeless and ageless story. For, as we can see and as we all know, the wise men presented gifts to the Messiah. Was this because Jesus needed anything? Was this because He wanted those gifts! No, alas! For He was only a babe! But each gift would foretell or signify something. For the gold would signify His royally. The frankincense would signify the sweetness and aroma of His coming sacrifice. The Lord would be pleased with the offering of His Son. It would be a sweet smelling savor. And the myrrh was to signify His burial, as this is a main ingredient in embalming. All of there things had meaning. But what is the meaning of giving gifts to the Lord? Can we present our gifts to Him?

Certainly, every one of us has gifts that we may present to the Lord! We may give our talents, our abilities, our time, and our money. We may give ourselves and our children to the Lord. We may offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. For this is our reasonable service. Dear friends, whatever you have to offer, give it to God. The most important matter is not if you have something amazing and splendid and grandiose to give. No! The only thing that matters is that it is your best! They gave their best gifts, thus signifying their desire to lavish upon Him the best of the best. And, as the hymn writer asks, “What can I give Him?” The answer comes, “Give Him all my heart.” Let us do that today, and we know that it shall be a gift pleasing in His sight. Present to Him the gifts that you have, and you shall find yourself a wise man or woman.

“Dear Lord, we often feel we have very little to give. But we want to give ourselves to Thee fully. When we have little to give, we will give our best—our very souls. And may it be a gift usable to You. We worship our King this day, and offer ourselves unto Him for His service. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”