Matt.2:1-6 – Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

“We have seen His star…”, these were the words of the wise men from the east who came to worship the One who is called the king of the Jews. This one verse awakens questions in all of our hearts. How did these wise men know of the promise of the Messiah, the King of the Jews? Why were they willing to arrange for a caravan that took many months and cost a vast amount of wealth in search of this King? To top it off they also brought treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh as offerings to give to this new King, obviously there was a great spiritual expectancy in their hearts.

They knew of this prophesy of the Messiah, most likely, from the prophetic teachings of Daniel from hundreds of years before during the Jewish exile. They had embraced the promises and believed that they saw signs in the heavens that proclaimed His birth. Their observations proved to be true.

Today the nations of the earth are turning to Christ. By faith this next generation of young people in our nation are also turning to the Lord. Haggai the prophet declared that the Lord would once again shake the heavens and the earth, I believe we live in the time of that shaking. What is our response this Christmas 2024? I think its time to follow the wisdom of the wise men, do whatever is necessary to bring ourselves into the presence of this King. Just as the wise men did we must be willing to change all of our plans as necessary to follow Him and fulfill His plans. This will include worshipping and bringing our treasures into His house. I pray that the favor and blessing of God will be on you and your house this Christmas. I pray that a new hunger for Him and His presence would fill all of our hearts.

Matt.2:11 – And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.