I once heard it said that when you see the Christmas decorations going up at the mall you know that Halloween is just around the corner!

I once heard it said that when you see the Christmas decorations going up at the mall you know that Halloween is just around the corner! Well the decorations have been up for some time and the intense search for that perfect gift has begun. Living in the land of supply and demand has created some rather fascinating gift searches. In my life time I have seen many strange Christmas fads. One man made millions of dollars selling rocks in a box called Pet Rocks. Cabbage Patch Dolls proved you don?t have to be cute to be desirable. A lack of supply sent shoppers scurrying to locate the Tickle Me Elmo dolls with some spending as much as $3500 for the toy.

In spite of all this insanity, the greatest Christmas search of all time took place at the first Christmas as magi or wisemen from somewhere in the east (we don?t know exactly where) traveled for months not looking for gifts to give purchase but for a baby to give gifts to. They believed that this baby would be a king someday. The Bible tells us that they did ultimately find the baby Jesus and they did not regret their search. What drove them to make such a grueling trip not to receive something but to give?

There are a few things that we know about the magi. First, they genuinely sought the truth. They weren?t pretenders, they went after the truth with abandon. Today there are many people who claim to be interested in the truth about God but really what they want to do is speculate about God. They say things like, ?I don?t think a loving God would or ?It doesn?t make sense that God or ?I wouldn?t worship a God who...? Speculators contemplate the truth but genuine seekers search whole heartedly for the truth. The magi were fully committed. The Bible says, ?After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ?Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.? (Matthew 2:1-2)

The magi were not going to be stopped. They saw a star, believed it was a sign and put their lives on hold to pursue it. I?ve always found it ironic that Jerusalem, the religious capital of the Jews, was only about a days walk from Bethlehem and yet none of the religious leaders of the day made the trip to see the answer to hundreds and hundreds of years of prophesy. When King Herod heard about the birth a ?King of the Jews,? he let fear take control of him and completely missed the truth. The magi tirelessly pursued the truth and when they found it they celebrated. Matthew 2:10 says, ?When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.?
I pray that you will tirelessly pursue the truth. Not only about the baby in Bethlehem but the man Jesus, his life, crucifixion, resurrection and his plans for your life. In one of the Bible?s most beautiful promises we are assured that, You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

God Bless,
Pastor Frank

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Published on: 2005-11-21 (1688 reads)