Gospel for God’s Children by Linda Shields:
"Wise men still seek him"
January 6th is called "The Day of Epiphany" in Western Christianity, the day the Wise Men visited Jesus and brought him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The wise men studied the constellations of the stars and knew about the ancient prophecies which predicted the birth of the Messiah. In the book of Numbers chapter 24: 17, "I see him, but not in the present time. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob." The book of Numbers was written by Moses in 1450 - 1410 B.C.
The Wise Men were rich, educated and gentiles ( they were not Hebrew). The first to meet the baby Jesus were the lowly shepherds in the fields watching over the sheep the night Jesus was born, after the angels of heaven told them to go see the child. Now the gentiles came to see him too. God sent his Son Jesus into the world as a gift for all people. Jesus came to save the poor, the rich, the educated, the uneducated. He came first to the Israelites and then to the gentiles. He was born as a sacrificial lamb for the sins of all people of all time. What a gift God has blessed us with his son Jesus. Through faith and a relationship with Jesus, we receive the gift of eternal life. To receive this precious gift, we repent (say I'm sorry) of all our wrong doing, (our sins), and ask Jesus to forgive us, (1 John 1:9 - "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong"), and accept him as our Lord and Savior. The gift of eternal life is the most precious gift we could ever receive. Ask Jesus for this gift today, he is always near and waiting to hear from you.
Dear Jesus, I am sorry for all my sins, please forgive me and come into my heart today. In your holy name. Amen
Revelations 3:3, "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends."
God Bless