December 25, 2021 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

The gifts for Jesus, are they your gifts too?

“They came into the house and saw the young

child with Mary, his mother, and they fell

down and worshiped him. Opening their

treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold,

frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11, NEV)

A theological note: The wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn king. Gold, of course, was used as currency, frankincense is a valuable perfume, and myrrh is a precious ointment used in the burial process of the rich. Why these gifts? What do they mean?

(A personal observation: I am amazed how much wisdom is in front of us, but we rather hold on to our own ignorance and stupidity. God gives us wisdom everywhere—in nature, in the Bible, and in the Holy Spirit, but it seems we rather hold onto the weak and pathetic wisdom that we create for ourselves.)

From the very beginning of Jesus’s ministry, God was trying to tell us, “What is good for my Son, Jesus, is also good for each and every one of us.” The most interesting factor of ‘God’s wisdom’ is that He (God) hides it from us (usually right in front of us) and He (God) expects us to search and sacrifice to find and obtain it (Book of Proverbs). This is one of those times!

Types in the Bible: gold refers to God’s wisdom, frankincense is prayer(s), and myrrh is anointing and preparation for death.

God’s wisdom is not merely knowledge or being smart or clever sayings and truths. Wisdom from God (including the Gift of Wisdom—one of the nine gifts of the Spirit) is finding and understanding what the will of God is. Got wisdom you will have access to God’s will—His purposes and action plans. It is not creativity or Godly smarts but simply the discovery of His will. This is what Jesus had—knowing God’s will in every situation and circumstance (faith is you responding to God’s will and accepting it whatever it might be).

Pray is the one attribute that God collects and never forgets. God keeps all prayers in heaven, and it is the only means for us to communicate with God. Why prayer? It is the great equalizer—everyone can pray no matter who you are, how rich or poor you are, smart or ignorant, and your age does not count. Prayer levels the playing field in the Kingdom of God. It is prayer that moves heaven to earth. Rev. Billy Graham once told his grandson, “If there is one thing I should have done better, it is that I should have prayer more.”

Death is a calling; it is inevitable. We all will die but for what purpose and in what manner. Death is never final in God’s realm but must be accomplished with God’s will (wisdom) and through prayer (Jesus in Gethsemane, praying with complete passion and with His whole being). It is this death, as Jesus told us all, “Pick up your cross daily and follow me.” Not only will we physically die someday but we must die spiritually each and every day. It is this death that we must accept as Jesus did his.

These gifts that Jesus received at birth are the same gifts God wants to give to you and me! Now is the time for the wisdom of God’s will, praying without ceasing, and death’s anointing.

Come, Lord Jesus, come! I want the gifts that you received

not for my glory but for your glory alone.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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