Author: CityLinC

Three Gifts You Can Give To God
Matt 2:11
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
The Magi were Wise Men (counselors to the king) from the kingdom of Persia. The most revered Magi in Persian history was Daniel.
Every Persian Magi was an authority on the writing of Daniel. Daniel had left a prediction in Daniel 9:25
The Wise Men Knew Their Bibles !
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks (69 weeks= 483 years).
The Magi were EXPECTING The Messiah !!
The Magi brought three gifts of equal value:
Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh
Gold = monetary gift
Frankincense = special gift
Myrrh = practical gift
Gold = our lives
Frankincense = our worship
Myrrh = our sacrifice, our service
Gold - represents our very lives!
We are described as being more precious than gold Isa 13:12 “I will make a man more precious than fine gold.”
We possess something more valuable than gold Acts 3:6 “Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Even our trials are more precious than gold to God I Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
The very best thing we can give to God is ourselves !
The familiar carol by John H. Hopkins says it so well. “Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain, gold I bring to crown Him again.”
Gold is the symbol of wealth, and power, and excellence. We still give gold medals to those who achieve great things. Our wealth, our material substance, represents the investment of our time and the application of our abilities. Our “gold,” whether it’s money or some other entity, shows what’s important in our life.
What we do with our “gold” reveals what we hold to be of greatest value. It was important to the Magi to find the Savior of the world, and when they found him they honored him with the very best they could give – gold!
Frankicense - represents our worship!
“Frankincense to offer have I; incense owns a Deity nigh.”
Frankincense is a resin ... dried tree sap... that comes from the Boswellia tree. Frankincense is used to create incense, a substance you burn to create pleasing aromas. Frankincense is mixed with spices, seeds and roots to create different aromas. Traditionally, you burn a powdered form of the incense with charcoal in a censer or on a small stand.
Frankincense = our worship
The Altar of Incense
The Golden Sensor
Out lives are incense
II Cor 2:15 For we are unto God a sweet aroma of Christ,
In the Bible, incense is a symbol of prayer and worship, for it was offered along with the sacrifices of the sanctuary.
The Psalmist cries, “Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice!” (Psalm 141:2).
When the Magi offered incense to the Christ child, they were acknowledging that they knelt in the presence of the holy. It was no mere earthly ruler who had come to birth in Bethlehem, but a heavenly one, the Son of God. And so they came, worshiping — bending the knee, falling down before the Christ.
Myrrh - represents our sacrifice & service
“Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom.”
Myrrh, like Frankincense is a resin ... dried tree sap... that comes from the Commiphora, a shrub or small tree found in the desert areas. It grows up to 3 m tall and has tough, knotted branches. The sap, or resin, is a pale yellow liquid, and it flows slowly from cuts in the bark. After it dries it is collected in reddish-brown irregular lumps. The word myrrh means 'bitter' in Arabic.
Myrhh has been used for ages as an ingredient in incense, beauty treatments, and perfumes. it also makes a good glue. Writings from 2,700 years ago describe how myrrh was also used for embalming. Because the demand for myrhh eventually became so high, and because its supply was limited, myrrh became as valuable as gold.
John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received Him not.
Matt 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
John 13:3-5 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God. He rose from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poured water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet,