What can we give to Jesus today and in the year ahead?

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Meditation
Matthew 2:1-12

Readings

The Epiphany of the Lord

Without a doubt, the Magi were big spenders. The gifts they gave to Jesus were about the costliest items you could find in the ancient world. Not only that, they were exactly suited to their recipient: gold, a precious metal that was meant for royalty; frankincense, an oil used for worship; and myrrh, a perfume used in anointing the departed, pointing toward Jesus’ passion and death.

But what about us? What can we give to Jesus today and in the year ahead? Actually, we can offer him something much more valuable than the Magi did—ourselves! He came to earth for us. He lived, died, and rose from the dead for us. The pearl of great price that Jesus gave everything for was us! How can we give him anything less than our lives?

Unfortunately, many of us have a hard time seeing how valuable we are to the Lord. Instead of a shiny, gift-wrapped present, we may see ourselves as a dull, brown-paper package full of weakness and sin. But God is an expert at recycling! He doesn’t waste anything; even our flaws and our greatest failures can be the raw material he uses to teach us, to form us, and to accomplish his plans in us. As St. Paul wrote with such confidence, All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Let’s not discount the treasure we have in these earthen vessels. We can give the Lord the gold of our talents and gifts, the frankincense of our prayer and worship, and even the myrrh of our sufferings and heartaches. We can release our pain to him, let him take it to his cross, and give us the healing we most need. The key is that we give control of our lives to him. As we do, we will be changed. We will become a gift to our brothers and sisters, and we will change their lives too!

Lord, let this coming year be my gift to you! Take everything I have, and use it to build your kingdom on this earth!

Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,10-13; Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6
--Online Christian Daily Devotion