Love in the In-Between - Devotion 4
Three Kings at Christmas
It is the day after Christmas, and it always feels so anti-climactic. Those who love Christmas will begin to declare, “Only 364 days until next Christmas!” It is okay. I kind of roll my eyes at those people. If you are one of those people, I am so glad you are so excited about next Christmas, and I love you, too!
Here we are, living in the in-between of Jesus’ advents. We have celebrated His coming, but now what? What do we do now? What do we do in the in-between? We have to recognize who we serve and worship in our lives first before we can move forward.
There were three kings in the account of Jesus’ birth in addition to “The Three Kings” or Wise Men. First, Jesus is the King of kings. We have heard about Him all of Christmas. He is worthy. He is holy. He is our Savior. He is the Messiah. He is Emmanuel. God had come to be with us!
Second, Herod was the king of the area where Jesus was born. He signifies the world around us. The world around us is indifferent to Jesus. Most do not really care about Him, nor do they have any knowledge that they are in desperate need of a Savior. Maybe that is you today? You do not see any significance. The religious leaders of the day had no idea that a Messiah would be coming and a star would announce it. Magi, from another country that did not grow up studying all of this, recognized the truth when Jesus’ very own people could not or would not. The star had risen in the western sky, and they did not see Him, or they chose not to see Him. Herod was hostile toward Jesus, and so many are still hostile toward Jesus as well. We think we are enough and we do not need a king. People are getting more and more hostile toward each other and to God in our world today.
Third, there is a king in this Christmas story, but this king is not found in the text. However, I believe that every person in the text had to decide about whether they would follow this king. This king is your self. In order to bow down at the feet of a toddler, you have to put yourself aside. In order to bow down at the feet of the Messiah, your Savior, and God with us (Emmanuel), you have to understand that you are poor in spirit, that you are not enough, and that you need a Savior so desperately. You must put yourself aside and accept Him.
You must fall on your face, fall down, and worship Him. You bring all that you are for all that He is. He is Messiah, Emmanuel, Jehovah Jireh (our provider), Jehovah Shalom (our peace), Jehovah Rapha (our healer), Jehovah Nissi (our banner or protector), and Yahweh. He is JESUS, Yeshua (Jehovah saves).
The biggest question we must answer in our lives (not just at Christmastime) is, “What king will you worship and serve with your life?”
When Jesus stood before Pilate, He was accused of being the King of the Jews. This is the same title that the Magi gave to Him as they were searching. It is the same title that Herod wanted to make sure He kept. Pilate would ask Jesus if He was the King of the Jews. John 18:33-37 says, “So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.’ Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’”
You have a choice to make today. It is just like the Magi, the shepherds, Pilate, and the people in the crowd who called for His crucifixion. This choice is just like every person on the face of the earth, “Are you listening to the voice of Jesus?”
“O come, all you unfaithful,” to the One that died for you and is worthy of worship.
Click here to play “O Come, All You Unfaithful”.
Will you worship the world around us and follow it? Will you be indifferent and just see this as a story? Will you bow before this Savior who is not only the King of the Jews but is the King of all, the King of kings, and make Him the Lord of your life?
Who is your king? Will you bow low this Christmas? Will you come to Him and make Him your King? Your Savior?
Living in the in-between is all about where you stand with Jesus. Bring Him your heart. Bring Him yourself. It does not matter where you have been. No matter what, come to Him, and He will save you.