Meditate on knowing God as transcendent. He exists above and beyond all creation…and all time.
Praise the LORD! Yes, give praise, O servants of the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD now and forever. Everywhere—from east to west—praise the name of the LORD. For the LORD is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high? Psalm 113:1-5
Transcendent. Now there is a word we don’t hear every day. Above and beyond the normal human experience. That is our God. For the LORD is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. He is far above us—physically and spiritually. We can only image God in His glory…coming down to earth and interacting with us. That is just what Jesus, God’s Son, did. He came to earth as a baby…and lived a normal human life until during His ministry He was arrested, punished, crucified, died and was buried. The amazing thing is His death only lasted three day—because God the Father raised Him from the dead. That is our God. He existed before His existence as a person. He has existed forever. Blessed be the name of the LORD now and forever. Forever is a long time—beyond our current comprehension.
Today is the day that the Christians
celebrate as the Three Kings Day or Epiphany. It is traditionally the day to
remember the Wise Men who came to bring gifts to the Christ child. Years ago we had friends who gave their
children Epiphany gifts…just like Christmas. My children thought that was a
wonderful custom.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during
the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands
arrived in Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We
saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him." ... "In
Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote:
'And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling
cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my
people Israel.'" Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise
men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. ... After
this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the
east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place
where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They
entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down
and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:1-2, 5-7, 9-11
Take a camel ride to Israel as the Wise Men did...
...following the Star to the Christ Child.
Wise Men still seek Christ...our Savior.
Happy Epiphany to all who seek Jesus Christ ...just as the Wise Men did.
So—celebrate again the birth and life of Jesus Christ. The gifts from the Wise Men were all appropriate for a king. Gold—the gift that provided monetary security for Joseph, Mary and Jesus and they traveled and lived in Egypt. Frankincense was a gift of purity providing a fragrance suggesting the love and mercy of God. Myrrh was symbolic of death, as this was a substance that was used in preparation for burial. Those were the gifts from the Wise Men to Jesus. What gift could you give Him? Can you open your heart to know God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—more today than yesterday?
Prayer
~ Lord Jesus, I praise You forever. Accept my gift of love and praise. What more
could I give You? My heart, soul, and my life.
The Lamb of God
Verse of Salvation ~ And they were shouting with a great roar, "Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!" Revelation 7:10
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible
- http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm
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