Last night I drifted off to sleep thinking about…wise men. Here were grown men who had traveled from a distant country seeking a baby. This baby was not in a palace, oh no, this baby was born in a barn, most likely a stinky one. A mere child had captured the attention of these men and not just any men but intelligent and wise ones. They knew that something was special here because the sky declared it and because they were wise they sought it out. Coming before him they laid down gifts that signified what his future would be. This Child was the Christ yet he came down as the least of all. Wise men were not fooled by the surroundings or the distance and giving the gifts that they had was the only reasonable response.
Lying there all cozy in bed a revelation and correlation illumined my thoughts. Are we going to be wise people? The sky still declares something of great importance. God said this to Abraham in Genesis 26:4 “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” The stars in the heavens are numerous but so are the people on the earth. Their abundance makes them no less important. Yet there are an estimated 153 million orphans in the world. All across the world there are children that are abandoned, homeless, and helpless and if we were wise people we would help them with what gifts we had regardless of the personal sacrifice and arduous journey it required. Why? Because of this:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matt. 25:31-40, emphasis mine)
The wise men brought baby Jesus gifts that had implications for his future. I sit amazed to think that my gift or your gift to orphans, these little ones, have implications for their future. I believe that one reason Jesus came as a weak and helpless baby in an ugly setting is to remind us that he cares about the weak and helpless. That there are precious lives in unlikely settings. Will we see? Will we give to orphans and those in need as a way of giving our gifts to the King? Will we be wise?
Please consider donating $25 dollars to orphans in India today by clicking on the Give Now button in the upper right hand corner of this page. Don’t have that much to give? Well then please consider giving what you can. It all makes a difference!
UPDATE!!!!!!!!! 79,979.75 Who is going to push it over to $80K? 😀
(I snapped this photo a few years ago of my nephew, our Christmas miracle. Today is his second birthday. 🙂 Happy Birthday Judah! Auntie loves you SO MUCH!)
Comments are closed.