What gift could you give to Jesus this Christmas?

THE WISE Men we read about in the Bible carried gifts for King Jesus. These Magi (noblemen) from the East, recognised that the King of kings had become incarnate; the Son of God had entered the world, and, whatever the cost, they were going to find Him to honour Him.

Led by a star, riding on camels and donkeys, they travelled over 1,500 miles to Jerusalem to a specific house in Bethlehem where Jesus was. Obviously, God wanted them to find Jesus. One commentator said the “stars naturally travel from East to West across the heavens, not from North to South”. A star in the heavens is not GPS, it cannot point to a specific house. It can give general navigational instruction. Sailors have used stars for guidance but, when it comes to GPS-level precision for a detailed location, stars are not helpful.

The Wise Men were searching for Jesus but it was God who led them to Him. We can’t find Jesus unless God paves the way. Even when our hearts are opened to the saving knowledge of what Jesus did for us, it’s God who reveals that truth to us and opens our hearts to Him. It’s God who leads us to Jesus.

Matthew 2:11-12 recounts their encounter with the Christ. They worshipped Him and then gave Him gifts. Gifts were a form of worship. True worship comes from a surrendered heart and demonstrates that the one being worshipped is worth it all. In this case, it was God incarnate. They worshipped first. This Christmas, let your worship come before your gift-giving. Let our hearts be found in the place of consecration to our God before we get into all the other activities. Christmas is about Christ, He should be our centrepiece at Christmas.

The Magi’s gift-giving to God flowed out of their worship. They presented Jesus with awesome gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; gifts worthy of a King. Some believe that the gifts speak to the character and work Jesus came to do. They gave gifts to the Creator of everything. The one who needs nothing was given gifts. On earth, Jesus needed the gifts from these men. Their gifts ended up being very significant in God’s plan to save His life.

Shortly after the Magi left, Joseph had to take his family to Egypt to avoid Herod’s attempt on Jesus’ life. Those gifts paved the way for them to live in Egypt, which was expensive and they would not have been able to afford it. God arranged for men who desired to see Jesus to support Him.

Does Jesus still desire our gifts today?

What type of gift would Jesus desire from us this Christmas?

Would a gift from us be valuable to God?

We owe Jesus everything. He’s the most wonderful gift that has ever been given. No greater gift has ever been given, no example of generosity has been so selfless, no act in human history has been so important. Jesus gave up His throne in glory to take on human flesh. As an infant, He was hunted down and,, as an adult, He was despised and rejected. As a sacrifice, the sinless Lamb of God, was ladened with our sin and nailed to a cross so that we could receive forgiveness. Jesus brought the promise of unconditional love, unending hope and eternal life to every person who believes in Him.

What gift could you give to Jesus this Christmas?