Mensa Otabil - Open Your Treasures (11/07/2025)
We end our pursuit of the Christmas story today because from tomorrow we start looking at the new year. So we look at Matthew 2:10 and 11: «When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.»
God supernaturally guided the wise men; they were seekers who were seeking the Messiah. They wanted to find this person who would lead them to God, the true king of the Jews. When they said " true king of the Jews,» they thought of the Messiah or a redemptive figure. They had no certainty about how he would look but believed that this person had something great to do for the redemption of mankind. The star that had been guiding them for two years brought them to the place where the Messiah was.
The Bible says, «When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.» The joy of finding the Lord! When you are pursuing God, seeking Him, and you find Him, there is great joy in your heart-the joy of salvation. David calls it the joy of knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the joy of finding the will of God for your life, the joy of pursuing God’s purpose and discovering where He is taking you. There is always joy in being where God wants you to be. Sometimes we struggle; we struggle for a while, but then one day we get ourselves aligned, and we are in that place.
That’s where the wise men found themselves-the joy of finding the Lord. When they found the Lord, they worshiped Him. This is the devotion of true worshipers, not the worship that Herod was talking about, which is a euphemism for destruction. This is real worship, the devotion of the heart, and they bowed to this baby. Can you imagine the grand view it would be for the parents of Jesus Christ and for other people in Bethlehem who saw these august visitors bow before this baby-a nondescript baby? Yet they bowed before Him because in their hearts they recognized He is the one. It’s so important that when we are seeking God’s will, when we find it, we bow before God’s will and yield to it.
The only person Christians bow to is God and Christ. We don’t bow to angels; we don’t bow to other people. We bow to God, and our true worship is always directed at Him. That’s what the wise men did-God in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. After they had worshiped, they didn’t stop there; they offered gifts. Giving an offering is part of worship. People might say, «Oh, I love God, I bow before Him; my whole heart is for Him.» But where your heart is, your treasure will be also. You cannot say you love God with all your heart but keep your substance away from the Lord, keep your treasure away from Him. The wise men teach us that when we bow our hearts to the Lord, we must also offer the gifts He has given us, the things He has blessed us with.
So don’t just say, «I only worship God in my heart.» No, you don’t only worship Him in your heart; your worship must be publicly demonstrated. The wise men did that. You don’t only prostrate before God, but you also give Him the things that are important to you, that are valuable to you — the things that you treasure. They gave that young child gold, frankincense, and myrrh. May the Lord make us true worshipers like these wise men as we encounter Jesus Christ-to love Him, to worship Him, and to offer to Him.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I bow in worship at your presence. I accept the treasures I lay at your feet today in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.»