“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23

Suppose you could give a gift to Christ, what would it be? How could you possibly select a gift for the One who not only has everything, but who made everything?

The Wise Men did. They can be an example to us. In addition to the gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they gave the Savior some gifts we can give him today: their hope, their time, and their worship.

The wandering wise men gave Jesus their hope. When everyone else saw a night sky, this small band of men saw the light. The sight of the star sparked a desire in their hearts that send them packing. They went, seeking Jesus.

When night comes to your world, what do you see? The darkness or the stars? Hopelessness or hopefulness? Sometimes, just as he did so long ago, God uses the darkness to reveal his stars—“The light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5). Give God your hope for Christmas.

While you’re giving, give God your time. The wise men did. Before they gave God their presents, they gave their presence. It’s likely that these men traveled as long as two years before locating the prince of heaven.

Before that one incredible moment when they knelt before Jesus, the wise men spent many moments, months, perhaps years searching, in anticipation of that meeting. Just as the wise men devoted themselves to seeking the Savior, so can you: “You will seek him and find him when you seek him with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 4:29).

And when they did find him, the wise men gave Jesus another gift: their worship. Men of wealth, influence, and intellect: what did they do when they saw Jesus? “…they fell down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11)

Worship. It’s a gift that extends to the giver as well. Through worship, we come to see God more clearly. God invites us, through worship, to see his face so he can change ours. In worship, we simply stand before God with a prepared and willing heart and let God do his work. And he does. He wipes away the tears. He mops away the perspiration. He softens our furrowed brows. He touches our cheeks. He changes our faces as we worship. The wise men sought the child of God, just as God seeks his children. “The Father is actively seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23).

The gifts of hope, time, and worship. Three gifts the wise still give.

Question: How do you worship God? Although we may sing in church and read the Bible (both of which are good things) what ways beyond these can we worship God?

By Max Lucado
From: One Incredible Moment: Celebrating the Majesty of the Manger
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:    
https://maxlucado.com/about/

The post Following the Star appeared first on Thoughts About God.

For those of us who grew up celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Christmas story can become too familiar. It easily slips from a story of awe to simple facts of history. We rattle off these events, such as Mary gave birth to Jesus and then the shepherds and wise men came to see Him, with the same ease that we describe what we did last weekend. When you stop to really consider it, the story of Christmas is anything but normal. It is absurd. It is full of biological impossibility, strained family dynamics, emotional turmoil, supernatural encounters, a failed assassination attempt, and people asked to do the craziest things.

This is an invitation to deeply experience the Christmas story.

How would you feel if God told you that you are bearing His Son? Feel the fear of telling your fiance and parents that you are pregnant, and Joseph is not the father. Sense the shame as the village whispers about you. Imagine the weight of knowing you are carrying God’s son, hoping that you don’t mess the whole thing up.

Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. How would you feel if your beloved comes to you and says she is pregnant and you know that the baby is not yours? Feel the betrayal, rejection, and heartbreak of Joseph, based on the wrong conclusions about Mary, until God sends the angel who straightens things out.

How would you feel on a ordinary night at work taking care of your sheep if an angel of the Lord showed up to say, “Drop what you are doing and go“? Feel the fear of such a supernatural event, followed by the doubt that creeps in to say, “Did I make that up?” What about leaving the sheep which are your sole source of income? Sense the wonder, fear, uncertainty, and hope of the shepherds as they come to meet their Savior.

What if you were one of the servants in the entourage of the magi? You are following your master who is basing his journey on a star. It is not a short journey either. It was weeks, months, maybe even years before you arrive at your final destination. How long would you keep walking to a place you don’t know to meet a person no one else seems to know about with only a star as a guide?

Then as the story continues, when is the last time you had a dream that you woke up from and knew that you, your wife, and child were to leave immediately to live in a foreign country? What was that discussion like? Would you leave friends and family behind, based solely on a dream your spouse had to go to Egypt?

The story is full of one crazy event after another. Beyond recording the details of Jesus’ birth, the Christmas story reveals to us the otherness of God and how He longs to partner with big-spirited people to do the impossible. His reality is so much greater than ours. While we are thinking about getting married and settling down with a family in our hometown, He is planning to partner with us to fulfill His plan for the world.

The joy of this season is that with each twist and turn in the story God finds people who choose to live from their spirit and follow when they are challenged to believe what they have not seen and do what they have never done before. That is the adventure He is calling each of us to live.

This Christmas marvel at the outrageous and awesome lengths to which God the Father will go to give you the perfect gift.

Give Him the gift of the same reckless abandon of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi to pursue and follow your King Jesus.

May your spirit be so large and in tune with the Holy Spirit that when God shows up in the middle of your ordinary day with an extraordinary plan, you are ready to follow Him regardless of how absurd it might sound.

As 2015 approaches, open your heart to God-size dreams. Wait expectantly for God-sized visions, and don’t be surprised as He does exceedingly abundantly more than you can ask or imagine.
(Read Luke 1-2)

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

The post Christmas: An Invitation to Reckless Abandon appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” Psalm 119:105

Every day, like many other believers, I reflect on God’s precious promises and provisions. For me, a recurring passage is re-evaluating my personal faith walk. Usually, after prayerful meditation, I conclude that I need to immerse myself more in God’s timeless gift – His enduring Word. I ask the Lord to create in me an insatiable hunger for His Word, because if I neglect to daily partake of its life-giving sustenance, my spirit experiences profound spiritual malnutrition.

Throughout the ages and generations, God expressed and preserved His Word. He birthed creation through His spoken Word. He inscribed His Word into stone tablets, and ultimately, He clothed His Word in Human flesh. God gifted us with His Word to nurture and sustain our spirit. Throughout Psalm 119, the Psalmist exudes passion, insight, and thankfulness for the essential and eternal gift of God’s Word. Insightfully, He emphasizes that God’s Word illuminates his understanding – keeping His life on the right path. Jesus reiterates that

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

Despite its many modern translations and interpretive nuances, God’s Word remains a divine heirloom relevant for every believer and generation. Resolve to immersing yourself daily in God’s Word. Regularly meditating on and obeying these timeless inspired words transforms our character. It enables and equips us to discern our Father’s heart and to persevere through times of testing, trial, and tribulation.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Word. Create in me an insatiable hunger for Your Word. Help me to faithfully and regularly set aside daily quality time to read and mediate on Your Word. Amen.

By Allan Mitchell
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  The Unchained Word – A Devotional by Marilyn Ehle

•  What Is Your Measuring Stick? – by Dr. Henry Brandt

•  Do We Take God at His Word – by Kathy Cheek

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The post God’s Timeless Gift appeared first on Thoughts About God.