WEEKLY
DEVOTIONS
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Click Here for more Devotions!! WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM The men slowly made their way toward
Bethlehem under the clear Judean sky. Their clothing had
an Eastern Oriental design and their camels were laden
down with treasures they had brought from afar. Their
eyes twinkled with excitement as they anxiously watched
the skies for a sign. Then... there it was! A
star--brighter than any other in the sky! The same star
they had first seen in their home country in the Far
East...the same star they had been following for weeks...
and there it was again--hovering over the small town of
Bethlehem. The men quickened their pace as their
anticipation grew. They talked and wondered about the
baby they would find in this small town--the one whose
birth had caused a new star to shine in the night sky. As
they drew nearer, the star suddenly stopped...right over
a stable near a local inn. The wise men stopped
also--wondering if there had been some mistake. As they
stood watching the star, a baby's cry suddenly pierced
the silence. The men looked at each other and then, with
an expectant nod, the first one entered the stable. What
had brought these wise men from their Far East home in
search of -- a baby?! The wise men had finally reached their
destination...and they bowed down and worshipped Jesus
because they knew who He was and why He came! Together
with Mary and Joseph, they had the first baby
shower...and they gave Jesus three gifts--each with its
own special meaning: Gold was the money of kings and was worth
about $600 a pound. Frankincense was found in Southern
Arabia, Ethiopia, and Egypt. It is a sticky, white gum
taken from the Bozwalia Carteri Tree. When the tree's
bark is cut, it covers the tree in clear lumps the size
of hens eggs that can be burned as incense. The word
"frank" means clear or strong, hence the word
"frankincense." It has a strong, sweet odor and
was also used as an antiseptic to heal open cuts, to
fight bacteria and infections. It was good for Bronchitis
and lung infections, it could be chewed as a gum to fight
bad breath and tooth decay...and it was worth about $500
a pound. The trees were so sacred that the farmers who
grew them were told to keep themselves pure from
sin...especially while harvesting the Frankincense. It is
mentioned 15 times in the Old Testament and in Revelation
8:4 it says, "And the smoke of the incense, which
came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before
God out of the angel's hand." Burning Frankincense
was a reminder to the people of how their prayers reached
God and how sweet they smell to Him. Now, that's enough
to make you rethink your prayer life, isn't it? Myrrh is a reddish-brown gum from the
bark of the Cammaforah Myrrh Tree and is found in
Somalia, Africa, and Yemen. It has a spicy, oriental
scent. Kings owned all of the Myrrh trees and closely
guarded them. It was also used in incense, to cure
fevers, diarrhea, asthma, and could be put on open wounds
as an antiseptic. Because it was so hard to obtain, Myrrh
was worth about $4,000 a pound. It is mentioned 17 times
in the Bible: In Exodus 3, God told Moses to take Myrrh,
mix it with other spices, and anoint Aaron and his sons
as high priests and anoint everything in the temple. And
when kings were buried, they used 15 pounds of Myrrh to
wrap them with to keep the body from stinking. John
19:39,40 tells us that after Jesus had died, Joseph of
Arimathaea and "Nicodemus came...and brought a
mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound
weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in
linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews
is to bury." Remember that Myrrh was worth about
$4,000 a pound and they brought 100 pounds to wrap Jesus
with! Someone asked me if Nicodemus ever
believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Well, I believe he
did... because I know I would never spend
$400,000 of my hard earned money to bury someone if I
thought he was a false prophet! And if it was customary
to use 15 pounds of Myrrh to wrap a king's body, and
Nicodemus used 100 pounds to wrap Jesus'
body...that shows me that Nicodemus not only believed
that Jesus was king of the Jews but also the King of
Kings! Jesus received three gifts for his
birthday: Gold as a symbol of a king, Frankincense as a
symbol of the prayers of the people being answered, and
Myrrh as a symbol of our High Priest. Friend,
if you are unsure about where you stand in God's eyes,
then I want to invite you to pray this simple prayer
right now: "Jesus, I'm afraid and unsure about my
life. At times my life doesn't make any sense and I'm
searching for answers. I believe that you have what I'm
looking for. So I'm going to trust you with my life, my
future, and my soul. I ask you to forgive me for the sins
and mistakes that I've made. I believe that you died on
the cross for me...that you took the shame and the blame
for my mistakes and failures upon yourself so that I
wouldn't have to pay the penalty for my sin. Thank you
for giving me eternal life! Now, give me peace concerning
my future and all that it holds. Amen."
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