Like the Wise Men

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 
On coming to the house, 
they saw the child with his mother Mary,
and they bowed down and worshiped him. 
Then they opened their treasures and 
presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.  
(Matthew 2:10-11)

There's just something I love about this season and pondering the stories of Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds, Angels, Wise Men, and baby Jesus, singing the old Christmas hymns, and lighting the advent candles.  Celebrating Christmas with our church family just helps to fix my eyes on Christ and the true reason of this season.

Some pretty awesome pastor preached a great Christmas sermon yesterday, I must say.  I appreciated one of the points about the Wise Men and how following their example can lead me into the presence of Christ:

The wise men first gave Jesus themselves
And then they gave Him their treasures.

"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."  Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)

Today, as I ponder and pray for my dear children, I'm pleading that they become like the Wise Men.  If God gives them a star to follow that they will go obediently, no matter how far, long, or hard and that they will give Him their entire heart, soul, and mind.

Lord, I pray that Alyssa and Kyle always give you themselves and their treasure.  I pray that they take their everyday, ordinary life, and place it before you as a gift.  It's so easy to be distracted, selfish, and prideful and life lives only to please our own needs, wants and desires.  Instead, dear Jesus, I pray that Alyssa and Kyle serve you wholeheartedly and obediently, giving you all that they are.