The Wise Men Who Saw the Light

The Lord laid it my heart to think about the wise men, which saw the bright star in the sky when Jesus was born.  Matthew 2:1-2 “1) 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, 2) 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.” He proceeded to tell me, “Ever since the beginning I have given a mystery to my people and that was to follow the light.”  I replied “Oh wow, Lord.” “You see I have given a light of the day and the light of the night.” said the Lord.  Genesis 1:16 “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”  Then, as I pondered on this verse the Lord spoke to me and said, “I created the stars and then one day I made a special star.  That special star was to be brighter than all other stars, so that all those who had seen that star would come and see that special gift, but more importantly to honor that gift, and those who didn’t, I would send a messenger so they can hear about what was given to them.”
 
We can all refer to John 3:16 that tells us that Jesus was a special gift “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.”  We can also reference this from Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting  Father, The Prince of Peace.”
 
We can also find that Jesus is truly the light of the world from John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Now, was it really bright enough for all to see?
 
Yes, we may not see that bright shining star in the night sky due to cloud coverage or a hazy night, but it can be seen throughout the word of God or seen through others who have fully accepted the gift.  The truth is do we want to receive it when it’s revealed to us just as it was revealed to the wise men? How can we clarify this is truth?  It can be seen in 1 John 1:1-3 “1) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2) (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was  manifested unto us;) 3) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” There is more to this, but the most important thing is that somewhere along the way someone has tried to present to us the truth about Jesus. We can see this truth by going back and reading how the Angels came before the shepherds when Christ was born. Luke 2:8-12 “8) And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9) And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10) And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12) And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” What was interesting in this was that the light was around about those angels because they had known the Lord.  We also see that the shepherds went to receive the gift and honored the shining star and the Lord Jesus as well. Luke 2: 15-18 “15) And it came to pass, as the   angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16) And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17) And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18) And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.” All of this was done so the gift could be shown before us that Jesus was sent by the Father as a gift to us. We can also see this fulfillment with John 1:32 “And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.”
 
Now, just because, we heard about Jesus or even seen the witnessing power of Jesus working right before our very own eyes doesn’t mean we have received the gift to its fullest. See, many have been caught up with the emotions that surrounded them when they saw someone else get saved and received the gift. How do we know this? First of all Jesus went about preaching to many who needed to be saved and he was right there in front of them Mark 1:15 “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”  Jesus was saying there is a time coming when the light will go out, but while it’s before you take and receive the gift to the fullest.  Jesus was also saying many will see the gift but some won’t receive it as well. Which is why we see scriptures like Luke 9:26 “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.” and 1 Samuel 8:7 “And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” Paul even confirms this in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 “3) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
 
Don’t forget that we’re to set the example Matthew 5:14 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” and Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” 
 
Let’s get wise like the wise men and go and receive the gift. Whether you have backslidden or haven’t received Christ. It’s time to repent and truly believe that Jesus was sent for you and died on the cross for your sins and rose again so that you could have life more abundantly, John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  For those who aren’t certain if you have truly accepted Jesus, it may be time for you to repent and activate that gift of life. Believe me, when you really do this, you will want to honor and worship him to the best of your ability for all the days of your life.
 

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