Matthew 2:9-11

After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

They knew the stars. They saw the signs. They had heard the prophecy. They made the trip. These “wise men” did it without really knowing God or His Son…and when they finally came to the place where the King of Glory had taken on human form, they did what came naturally to them in His presence: they worshipped him and gave him their gifts.

There is plenty of teaching on what their gifts represented and plenty of discussion on whether there were actually three of them and how old Jesus was when they saw him, but the main point I want to emphasize is how they reacted. Somehow, they had heard of His prophesied coming and when they saw the sign, they set aside everything in their lives and made the long and arduous trip “from the east.” It was worth it. God showed Himself and they responded…deeply, extravagantly, and immediately.

I don’t know how long your trip to Jesus took, but mine took 26 years. Several as a child who didn’t know much about the Messiah and several more as someone who just kind of danced around the edges of His existence. Once I came into His presence – like the wise men – and was ready to acknowledge Him for who He is, I worshipped Him and began to ask: What can I possibly give Him in exchange for what He gave me? His Word is full of answers.

With all He has given us, what are we giving back? Is your worship forced? You need to make that trip, again. Is it cheap? Convenient? You need to make that trip, again. Is it joyless and mechanical? You need to make that trip, again. If we stay in His presence and ponder what He has done…worshipping and giving good gifts will become natural to us…again.