matthew 2:12

". . . and they departed for their own country by another way."

the magi who followed the star to bethlehem

found Jesus.

there in a lowly stable, they knelt before the king of all kings

and worshiped Him.

when they left His presence,

they could not go back the same way they came.

they went another way . . . a new way.

it is the same for anyone who encounters Jesus today.

when we "see" Him . . .

when we meet Him and know Him

we can never go back from where we came.

everything is new.

we are born again

and we go a new way.

gold, frankincense and myrrh

i was wondering today . . .

could the ages of the earth be defined by the gifts of the magi?

by gold, frankincense and myrrh?

i think that the gold would represent the time that Jesus walked on earth

among men . . . in the form of a man.

God among men!

it was time when people could see Him, audibly hear Him

and touch Him!

frankincense . . . that would represent the time after

Jesus' death on the cross, until today.

it is the age we live in now.

it is the time when the fragrance of Jesus

makes His existence plain to all who have the heart to see.

it is the fragrance of God's word and the Holy Spirit that

gives us true life.

and myrrh.

perhaps this is the age that is still to come

when the true church, that has worshiped God in spirit and in truth, has been raptured

and when the mighty God pours out His wrath upon the earth and on mankind.

myrrh . . . could it represent the burial spice that will prepare a world saturated with sin for it's fiery death, as predicted in scripture?

gold, frankincense and myrrh . . .

then and now.

love . . . in action

joseph was divinely chosen by God . . . as much as mary, Jesus' mother, was.

God saw something different in the heart of this man.

joseph truly was righteous and devout - but not religious in heart.

when he found out that mary was with child, he had every religious and moral right, under the law, to have her stoned - put to death.

but joseph's heart was not driven by the law, but by love.

so he sought to put her away privately, so she would not suffer the consequences that the law demanded.

love enthroned joseph's heart.

Lord, may that same kind of love capture me!

"above all else," You said, "put on love."

Lord, bridle my tongue, harness my thoughts, and submit my carnal nature to Yours.

may Your love reign in my heart.

only You can make this happen. it is not within my power.

make me to walk in love.

please . . . hear my prayer, o Lord.