But King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the Lord . I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!" So David gave Araunah 600 pieces of gold in payment for the threshing floor. -- 1Chronicles 21: 24-25 (NLT)
I will not make a sacrifice to the Lord that cost me nothing! Are we as accountable? I remember being raised Catholic and every lent picking something to "give up" that I could care less if I had for forty days or not. We see this even in fasting sometimes. If I were to fast broccoli, that is really not offering a sacrifice up to God! No beloved, when we go seeking the Lord, we should not go empty handed or with an offering that is empty and shallow. We should seek Him with a grateful heart, not a demanding Spirit.
The final application for us today deals with the fact that the Magi had been instructed by Herod to return to him when they found the child. Instead however Scripture tells us this:
When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. -- Matthew 2: 12 (NLT)
The Magi followed God only. Their loyalty was undivided. It did not matter if they incurred the rage of Herod. It did not matter if it would have been easier on them to simply do as they were instructed. It did not matter of their lives were in danger. The only thing that mattered is that God instructed them and Herod instructed them and they followed God. Now, you may be saying that you would do the same thing but I think we need to be honest with ourselves and admit that when we are given the exact same scenario in our lives and we do not always behave as obediently as the Magi did here. Think about it. We have the instructions from God in His Word. In the story of Christ's birth we see God warned them to not return to Herod and in our lives He has warned us about so much in the Bible. Yet do we obey? Do we choose to go by another route to avoid being disobedient to the Lord? In fact, every day we are given instructions from the world that contradicts instructions we have already received from God in His Word and to which do we defer? Which wins out in the end? The more we follow God and avoid Herod, the deeper we will grow in our walk with the Lord. The more power we will develop in our lives. The less divided our mind will be:
But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. -- James 1: 6-8 (NLT)
The Magi minds were undivided. They served God alone, not the world. Their story holds but 12 verses in the Bible yet contains so much power for us in our lives if we would apply the lessons. First the Lord is looking for seekers and followers. The more you seek and follow Him, the more effective you will be as a Christian leader anyway because it is not about the latest leadership conferences -- it is always all about the Christ. Secondly, we need to ignore the opportunities to make excuses for why we do not seek and follow as much as we should. Admit where we err and move on. God always has another level for us to go to but we need to be seeking it without excuse or compromise. Thirdly, we need to be worshippers at heart. Avoid the new theologies that paint God as anything less than our Lord and King -- to whom we turn over control of our life. Fourth, when we seek the Lord we should not do so empty handed. We should be coming to Him with a grateful heart and be willing to truly sacrifice something in our lives to reach out and touch but the hem of His garment. Lastly, we need to recognize the conflicting instructions from the world and always remember that it is only God that we serve. It is only God that we follow. It is only God that we seek. Oh beloved -- come and adore Him this Christmas season. The free gift from God. Learn from the Magi and deepen your walk with your God today.
Reverend Anthony Wade -- December 21, 2012
