Exceeding
Great Joy
In the
book of Matthew, in the Holy Bible, it says in Chapter 2, verse 10, that
when the Magi (the Wise Men) saw the star they "rejoiced with exceeding
great joy". Joy that they had found the Christ child. They
had been waiting for Him. They went looking for Him under the guise
of “helping Herod” do away with this baby. Instead when they saw
Jesus and His mother they bowed down and worshipped Him. Not only
worshipped Him but gave Him gifts. Symbolic gifts. Gifts of frankincense
(the sweet aroma ), gold (purity), and myrrh (death). All these gifts
were what Christ would be to us.
The sweet
aroma represents to me His ever presence in my life. Not always seen but
always known. I have the promise that He is always with me. Always
with us. …"And surely I will be with you always, even to the end
of the age." Matthew 28:20 That’s what He said after
He gave the great commandment for us to go tell everyone about Him.
The pure
gold represents Jesus to me. The perfect Lamb who would one day sacrifice
Himself on my behalf. "With the precious blood of Christ, a lamb
without blemish or defect." 1 Peter1:19 He gave His life for you
too!
The myrrh
represents to me His death on the cross. Myrrh was one of the oils that
helped dress the bodies of the dead during the Biblical times so they wouldn’t
smell bad. Myrrh was used by Solomon (see Song of Solomon 3) to make
him smell good for his time spent with his bride. Solomon and his
entourage had traveled quite a distance and they were not going to smell
bad when they picked up his bride! Jesus was being prepared to spend
His time with His bride. "For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but
have everlasting life." John 3:16 To those who believe that Jesus
died for our sins; He paid the price that we deserve to pay. His
mercy is great. His love is everlasting. It is a free gift. You can not
earn it. You’ll never be good enough or do enough good deeds to earn
this gift of LIFE. Eternal life! You can live forever if only
you believe.
Now these
MAGI were exceedingly glad. Full of joy that I know came straight
down from the Father into their beings. "May the God of hope fill
you with all joy and peace, as you trust in him, so that you may overflow
with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
They
had found the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Don’t you think
they had secretly “hoped” they would find Him? Don’t you think they
had hoped and strained their eyes to see into the sky that star that pointed
to Jesus' birthplace? Don’t you think they anxiously went over every
hill and through each little town looking? Hoping? Will He be here?
Will He be there? And then, there it was, in the East sky. Just as
they had been told. They saw the star and they were “exceedingly
filled with joy”.
What
are you hoping to see? Who are you hoping to find? Do you know?
Are you looking for Jesus? Are you looking for Him where you have
been told to look for Him? He loves you so much. He wants to
have a personal relationship with you. He wants you to find Him.
To worship Him. To bring gifts of sacrifice. He loves you.
Seek Him.
Start
by reading the book of John. He wants to tell you how He feels about
you. He cares about every part of your being. You are of great value to
Him.
I love
you,
Martha
—read
Psalm 139 this week
