The wise men said, "We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him" (Matt. 2:2).
I wonder, have you seen his star?
There are plenty of stars in the sky. We don't see them anymore, blinded as we are by city lights. We don't see the constellations and the planets and the Milky Way above us because we are so focused on our tiny, transient sparklers.
Then there are other kinds of stars, and these we see only too easily -- movie stars, athletic stars, political stars, even religious stars -- and never have these stars been more superficial than today. They want nothing to do with the star the wise men saw. Jude calls them "wandering stars for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved" (Jude 13). Satan himself is a fallen star, a Lucifer ("Light-Bearer") fallen from heaven.
Christ, however, is the Bright and Morning Star, the Daystar, the Star out of Jacob, and he is still shining brightly in all of our darkness. When the wise men said, "We have seen his star," they weren't content to say a few nice words about it. They came to him in repentance and faith. They worshipped him and we too must bow down before him and confess him as Savior and Lord.
Dear reader, you are so loved. Eternal life is indeed the gift of God. We are saved by simple faith that receives Jesus and confesses him as Lord. But there must be a total commitment. Worshipping the Star means giving him all we are and have. When we do this, everything changes. The wise men "went home another way." Anyone who comes to Christ goes another way from there on -- not our way but his way.
If you haven't already done so, I pray that on this Christmas Day you will come to worship Christ, and receive him as your Lord and Savior, the one who loved you and gave himself for you when he died for your sins.
If you are already a follower of the Lord Jesus, I don't need to remind you that civilization is facing its darkest winter in a long time. The vultures have gathered for the carcass. People cry "Peace and safety" but sudden destruction still comes. May we remember that as Christians we are pilgrims and strangers. Our home is not here. The darker the days, the sooner our Lord's appearance. The night is far spent, the Day is at hand, and our redemption draws nigh.
Much love to you all,
Dave