by Robin McKinley
The wise men visited Herod to celebrate the birth of a newborn King. These men may have been surprised to find out that no one knew about Him. They, however, were on a mission, bearing gifts of value to present to this King. What valuable gift do you have to offer to the Lord?
They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:11
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are nice gifts. According to today’s market, those gifts have a value worth millions of dollars. Some studies show these gifts represented some symbolism.
Gold was symbolic of Christ’s deity as King. Frankincense represented His purity as the Priest of God. And myrrh was suggestive of His anointed work as a Prophet and of His death.
The Wise Men’s Gifts were More Than Symbolic
Maybe the gifts did represent those things. I am more apt to see the practical side of things. The angel of the Lord visited Joseph right after the wise men left to head back toward home.
After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” Matthew 2:13
This message contained some very urgent wording. “Get up!” “Flee!” In other words, there was no time for dilly dally and Joseph realized that.
That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” Matthew 2:14-15
There was no time to gather money for this upcoming journey. It was a trip that took 7 days or more according to where they went in Egypt. But then they didn’t need any money, God provided it.
It was more than enough to sustain them for their duration in Egypt. Because the angel didn’t speak to them again for somewhere around 3 years.
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” Matthew 2:19-20
Do You Have a Valuable Gift to Offer to the Lord?
Let’s make sure we all understand the question. A gift worth a lot of money isn’t necessarily a valuable gift. The value in the gifts the wise men gave provided the means for Joseph’s next assignment.
The Bible has quite a list of gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us. Their value in our lives is determined by if we use them. God’s blessings also come with different talents. They too need to be used and developed.
I like the Christmas song which was made into an animated children’s show. It’s the one called The Little Drummer Boy. He didn’t know what gift to give Jesus so He said, “I’ll play my drum for Him.”
There are other gifts besides spiritual gifts and talents. God gives us time, energy, and enthusiasm which can all be used for His glory. Each of them becomes very valuable when accompanied by availability.
So, open the treasure chest of your life. He will gladly accept any gift you offer Him.
About the Author:
Robin, with his wife Cindy, became children’s evangelists early in their ministry. They ministered to children full time for 8 years. During that time they developed several children’s stories which were told with visuals and puppets.
Robin recently turned two of those stories into children’s books. One is called “The Contest,” a book about the Fruit of the Spirit, and the other is called “Twas the Night of Christmas”. He has also authored 5 volumes of devotional books called, 3 Minutes Alone with God. Each entry is a product of his personal biblical Journaling.
These and his other writings are available on his website called Christian Perspectives at www.ramckinley.com. When you visit this site, you can sign-up for newly written devotions as they come out which will be emailed to you.
Presently Robin is the pastor of Calvary Christian Center in Pottstown, PA. He is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God. He and his wife make their home in Birdsboro, Pa. He also serves as the president of the local ministerium. He and Cindy have two married sons and four grandchildren.