Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Matthew 2: 1-2 KJV
The star that the wise men saw was not an ordinary star. It was His star. The star announcing the birth of the Messiah. The one who would take away the sin of the world. It was the light of one whom the prophets spoke about. Centuries had passed and they were alive to witness it all! This caravan of learned men, bearing gifts, made their way to Bethlehem, to see this child. By the time they arrived, he was 3 years old. What kept them going as they travelled over all types of terrain and weather conditions? Why didn’t they falter in the heat of the day or the coolness of the night air? They followed this star for three years! Who does that and why? It was the light of the star and the Promise that lay beneath it.
Today, that Promise, that Light, that Star is within us. Inside every believer is that Light that can never be extinguished. But life can be hard, gruesome, unkind, and unrelenting at times. Even the best of us waver and lose focus on the Light within, giving way to situations and circumstances that seem to choke the life out of hope. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, financial hardship, or health issues, our “Herods” want to find the source of our Light and quench it forever. Just as Herod the King really wanted to kill the Christ child, Satan’s task is to kill our hope once and for all.
Our only recourse is to focus on that Light, but we cannot force ourselves to focus. If we could, we would have succeeded by now. The key is the source of the Light and it can be found in this verse of scripture:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV
The key to this whole verse is that God’s love for us caused an action on His part. He gave. Yes, giving is part of our DNA. It’s the reason our faces light up when we see the smile on someone else’s face as a result of our gift . It’s the joy we feel, not expecting anything in return, while walking away more blessed than the recipient. What if we were to turn the tables on our own tragedies like the woman whose son was killed in the line of duty as a police officer. She had every reason to literally stop living. I can’t imagine losing a child. But she chose to give by feeding the other police officers every year for Thanksgiving at her house until she was 70 years old. What a blessing!
Christmas can be a tough time for many people and believers are not exempt from the trials of life. But instead of focusing on “What do the lonely do at Christmas?”; How about being a blessing to someone else. It could be something as simple as a smile, a hug, a listening ear, a sandwich to a stranger; paying for someone’s meal, or groceries; There’s no greater gift than the one we have inside of us! Let’s “Give Love on Christmas Day!” And when we Behold the Star, it alters our perspective!
