Dating and relationship experts study and evaluate many different areas that impact the relationship building. One of those areas is the giving and the meaning behind the gift, especially as it relates to men giving women gifts. They have found that the gift needn’t be all that expensive to indicate that the man values the woman. What matters more is that care and attention are evident in the selection of the gift. When the woman opens up a gift that is specific and personally meaningful, it tells her that the man has paid attention to her wants and needs. It deepens the relationship with an unspoken affirmation: “I recognize your uniqueness and I understand you.”
Although the monetary value of a gift isn’t always the most important factor, most experts on dating and relationships agree that the man who spends money on good quality (not costume) jewelry is saying something significant to the woman in his life: “I value who you are!”
With the experts’ opinions in mind concerning gifts, let’s look at the meaning behind the gifts of the wise men to Jesus and evaluate our gifts to the Lord.
- The Wise Men recognized the uniqueness of Jesus.
When you look at the three gifts that the wise men brought to Jesus, the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were very unique. Today when a baby is born, we are thinking more like diapers, blankets, bottles, and onesies, not gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These wise men recognized that Jesus was no ordinary male child, but He was someone very unique and special. This makes us think about our gifts to the Lord, are we realizing the uniqueness of the Jesus that we serve? - The Wise Men valued who Jesus is.
Even though the gifts seemed very unique, the value was very evident. These three wise men brought gifts that had great value. They were far from common and ordinary, they brought items that were not in the ordinary home and items that carried great value. They gave the best they could give. Are we giving the ordinary, the customary to the Lord or are we giving Him our very best possible? Are we truly showing what the Lord means to us? - The Wise Men made it personal and meaningful.
When you look at the meaning behind each of the three gifts, you find that the three wise men put great thought and meaning behind their gifts. The gold would be a gift given to a king, the frankincense used in the Temple worship by a priest and myrrh used for healing or a burial. The gifts of the wise men are a reflection of the status and meaning behind Jesus’ life. Jesus as our king, high priest and savior. These gifts were very personal with significant meaning to understanding who Jesus is. We have to ask ourselves if our gifts truly reflect a personal and meaningful relationship with our King, Lord, and Savior, Jesus!
What do your gifts of service and offerings reflect on how you see the Lord in a personal and meaningful relationship?
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