Daily Thought For January 4, 2015

Offering Our Lives To God

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? Can we even pretend to match these extravagant offerings? Yes, we can! In fact, we can offer Jesus something much more valuable: ourselves! Imagine how valuable we are to the Lord. He became a man for us. He devoted his life to spreading the good news for us. He died on the cross for us. Jesus did everything for us because he sees us as the “pearl of great price” (Matthew 13:46).

Unfortunately, many of us have a hard time seeing how valuable we are. Instead of a shiny, gift-wrapped present, we see ourselves as a dull, brown-paper package of weakness and sin. That’s not how the Lord sees you! Yes, he sees the flaws and failings, but he sees so much more. He sees the love in our hearts, even if it’s somewhat buried by selfish thoughts. He sees the noble desires, even if we don’t always follow them. He sees the sacrifices we are making for our loved ones. He sees our longing for peace, even if we are sometimes agitated—or agitators. He sees us and tells us we are “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

So don’t discount the treasure you have in these earthen vessels. Go ahead and offer the Lord the gold of your talents and gifts, the frankincense of your prayer and worship, and the myrrh of your sufferings and heartaches. As you do, your heart will change. You will become a gift to your brothers and sisters, and you’ll change their lives!

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

Daily Reflection from The Word Among Us (www.wau.org)