They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ~ Matthew 2:11(NLT)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Gift-giving is usually a sign of love and appreciation. But sometimes, the motives for giving get dry and cracked, like a desert floor...
In the film, "Scrooged", a modern-day telling of Charles Dickens' Christmas classic, Bill Murray plays "Frank Cross", a very wealthy TV executive who's got a major chip on his shoulder. When his secretary attempts to build his Christmas gift-giving list with which she is to purchase his gifts for others, she comes to his brother, James -- and he tells her to put down "towels". (See, big people on the list get VHS recorders, small people get towels). The secretary tries to reason with him, knowing that James is Frank's only brother. But Frank sends towels anyway -- a paltry set of towels from a sky-rise executive to his only brother on Christmas. Completely impersonal and lacking any semblance of love or sacrifice. Ho,ho,ho--Merry Christmas, huh...?
The three kings who traveled from afar brought costly gifts for the King of the star...Jesus. They were on a mission and wouldn't be dissuaded from finding the child who was born King of the Jews. They wanted to worship him! For them, worship meant bowing in reverence and honor, and laying valuable treasures...gold, frankincense, and myrrh...at the feet of the King. Love and sacrifice seem very apparent in their actions, don't they?
So, what do we give to the King of the star? Are we content with giving Him "towels" when He deserves a warehouse full of "VHS recorders"? Christ is deserving of all we can give...our very best! Giving half-way because it seems sufficient and gets us by in the eyes of others is not worship from the heart...it's paying duty out of obligation. See the difference?
I have an African-American friend who was raised in a black church, where expressions of worship are different from those of white suburban worship. When I recently listened to a black gospel CD and heard a soloist "raise the roof" with her voice, holding nothing back in her praise, it was awesome! When I mentioned this to him, he said this: "In a black church, if you're gifted by God and don't give all you have to Jesus from the gifts He's given you, that's disrespectful to the Lord. But in some churches, it's viewed as "showing off", and looked down on." And I thought, how true that is. And how wrong I've been, at times, in my viewpoint. We always talk about giving our best to God, but when other people give it, we sometimes stick our noses up (in jealousy perhaps?) at their gift and think they're just divas or showoffs or looking for praise for themselves. Wow -- how dare we judge people's gift-giving to the Lord? How dare we dampen the praises of others for the One who deserves all of our praise, and the best that we have?
If you have been blessed by God with a gift (and you have, btw), I hope you "raise the roof" consistently with all you have to the Lord Jesus! (And it's not just singers that have gifts to give Him -- please realize that He gifts us all differently, and we all have something valuable to offer Him.) Jesus is so worthy -- don't hold back and just give "towels"...
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
In the film, "Scrooged", a modern-day telling of Charles Dickens' Christmas classic, Bill Murray plays "Frank Cross", a very wealthy TV executive who's got a major chip on his shoulder. When his secretary attempts to build his Christmas gift-giving list with which she is to purchase his gifts for others, she comes to his brother, James -- and he tells her to put down "towels". (See, big people on the list get VHS recorders, small people get towels). The secretary tries to reason with him, knowing that James is Frank's only brother. But Frank sends towels anyway -- a paltry set of towels from a sky-rise executive to his only brother on Christmas. Completely impersonal and lacking any semblance of love or sacrifice. Ho,ho,ho--Merry Christmas, huh...?
The three kings who traveled from afar brought costly gifts for the King of the star...Jesus. They were on a mission and wouldn't be dissuaded from finding the child who was born King of the Jews. They wanted to worship him! For them, worship meant bowing in reverence and honor, and laying valuable treasures...gold, frankincense, and myrrh...at the feet of the King. Love and sacrifice seem very apparent in their actions, don't they?
So, what do we give to the King of the star? Are we content with giving Him "towels" when He deserves a warehouse full of "VHS recorders"? Christ is deserving of all we can give...our very best! Giving half-way because it seems sufficient and gets us by in the eyes of others is not worship from the heart...it's paying duty out of obligation. See the difference?
I have an African-American friend who was raised in a black church, where expressions of worship are different from those of white suburban worship. When I recently listened to a black gospel CD and heard a soloist "raise the roof" with her voice, holding nothing back in her praise, it was awesome! When I mentioned this to him, he said this: "In a black church, if you're gifted by God and don't give all you have to Jesus from the gifts He's given you, that's disrespectful to the Lord. But in some churches, it's viewed as "showing off", and looked down on." And I thought, how true that is. And how wrong I've been, at times, in my viewpoint. We always talk about giving our best to God, but when other people give it, we sometimes stick our noses up (in jealousy perhaps?) at their gift and think they're just divas or showoffs or looking for praise for themselves. Wow -- how dare we judge people's gift-giving to the Lord? How dare we dampen the praises of others for the One who deserves all of our praise, and the best that we have?
If you have been blessed by God with a gift (and you have, btw), I hope you "raise the roof" consistently with all you have to the Lord Jesus! (And it's not just singers that have gifts to give Him -- please realize that He gifts us all differently, and we all have something valuable to offer Him.) Jesus is so worthy -- don't hold back and just give "towels"...
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped. ~ Revelation 5:6-14
Don't you see...? Believers in Jesus here on earth are part of a much bigger worship service, one that raises the roof of heaven! Let's practice now by giving Him our very best every day, so we're ready for the heavenly celebration that we'll be part of one day!
Love,
Joelene
No comments:
Post a Comment