“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.“
– Matthew 2:11
Christmas is a great time to reflect on the treasures in our lives. Upon seeing the baby Jesus, the wise men opened their hearts and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In fact, it was expected — especially in the East — that one would never appear before royalty or a person of importance without bringing gifts. And knowing who they were visiting, they gave lavishly. However, their gifts were not the real treasure — Jesus was the treasure. Speaking of treasure, one Christmas, I received a BMX GTE Elite bike that I had been wanting for a long time, and boy, was I excited! I was thrilled with it for about three weeks… until the luster wore off. It’s amazing how what we have can become so much a part of our identity, yet our possessions do nothing to truly satisfy us. Neither do our worldly accomplishments. Though we’ve all been to a work Christmas party or social gathering, met a stranger, and been asked, “What do you do?”, our achievements and success will never fill the void within. Friend, can I give you some freedom as we celebrate this Christmas season? Stop obsessing about what you have, what people say about you, or what you do for a living. Begin to believe, just for a moment, that you are an absolute treasure. God loves you, and you are precious to Him just the way you are. In the care of Jesus Christ, your future is bright because it’s rooted in the fullness of His sufficiency and salvation! |
Prayer
Father, thank You for loving me. Help me experience your freedom this Christmas season.
Reflection
Is your identity reflected in what you do, what you have, and what people say about you? If so, how can you change your perspective?
If you’re unable to attend your local church or need some additional weekly inspiration, be sure to tune into Hour of Power every Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. PT on TBN or watch online at hourofpower.org/episode.