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.

prayer . . .

i do not serve God or pray, just so that i can see "results."

i do not serve God with conditions. God is not a "means to an end."

He is alpha and omega . . . He is my all in all.

i follow Him unconditionally, purposefully and intentionally

with commitment and determination . . . as He gives me strength.

i do this because HE IS . . . and for no other reason.

Jesus is above all that i love and all that i hold dear.

my prayer is, and always will be, to be found faithful.

may i have the faith of abraham, who honoured God even above the love he had for his child.

i want to possess the same kind of faith job had - whose determination and commitment enabled him to see God in all circumstances . . . and to not only see God, but to trust His will for his life.

may i always trust and praise You in all circumstances.

may i seek, pray for, and sincerely accept Your will in my life . . . for all of my days.

my desire . . .

speak of the Lord . . .

speak to the Lord . . .

day by day . . . moment by moment.

see Jesus in everything.

make Him part of every thought, every deed, every purpose.

think of Him when i open my eyes in the morning.

meditate on His word.

ask for His will every day.

think of Him when i close my eyes at night.

meditate on His word.

thank Him.

worship Him.

that is my desire.

the unseen . . .

"no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him"

1 corinthians 2:9

how finite our minds are . . .
how little we understand the works of God . . .
how small we are.

God's ways are so much higher than our ways . . .
God's purposes are unfathomable . . .

Lord, i trust in what i cannot see . . .
i don't need to see
you know it all . . .
you know the beginning and the end
my faith is in you.

i am yours . . .

i read psalm 138:3, 7-8 today

and my online devotional this morning

i read . . .

"Jesus, you’re my protector, and i believe you rule over the events of my life . . .

if anything happens to me, it’s only because you allowed it

and i trust your purpose in doing it.

help me understand the lesson you want me to learn from it

if I walk in righteousness and have your joy in my heart

then my living and dying will bring glory to you

i trust that you may have some prepared glory

some eternal purpose

that my finite mind doesn’t understand . . .

but either way

i’ll say, ‘Jesus, whether i live or die . . .

i am yours!’”

yes . . . lord Jesus . . . i am yours . . .

small house . . . big home

not so long ago . . .

families lived with so much less than we have today.

they lived in small houses, often less than 1000 square feet,

with maybe 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.

no family room, no ensuite, no recroom.

they may have had one radio - and later, one t.v.

but no computer. no email. no facebook. no online banking.

no "time-saving" machines, like dishwashers, microwaves, freezers, front-loading washers & dryers, breadmakers, coffeemakers . . . on and on the list could go.

they may have had one family car.

mom would typically stay at home while dad went off to work.

dad provided.

mom managed the home and kids.

a complementary team.

today . . . we have so much more . . . or, do we?

two incomes . . . but more debt.

two, or more vehicles . . . all going in different directions.

bigger homes . . . fewer kids.

time-saving devices . . . that rob us of quality time together.

our life-styles today are richer, but only in "things."

really, we have been robbed of time.

we have less time to reflect, relax, have meal times around the table . . .

less quality time for friends and for family.

we have less time for God. less time for His word. less time to pray.

simple things that were part of everyday life in the past have been lost.

so . . . i don't know what to think of "progress."

i'm not convinced it could all be called progress.

oh, i know there are many good things . . . like medical advances . . . and more

and i do appreciate them.

but, i wonder if living in this age of instant information and instant gratification

has really made us better in character and better in relationships

. . . in the things that count.

even though everything is bigger, faster and more available, is it really better?

big deal . . . we know more.

yes, we can find anything out and are "smarter" than ever before

but are we really?

i don't know if all of it is worth trading in the simple things of yesterday.