The singing of angels has the power to roll over the hills and through the woods like a red carpet fit for a celebrity. The brightest star has the strength to light the darkest night over the scene of a king's birth like a spotlight over a packed stadium. The wisest amongst the Earth may the knowledge to understand the impact of a bent knee when approaching a throne.
Gold, myrrh and frankincense-gifts fit to give a king, right?
But what if... a future king came to the world amongst the least of humanity. Poor, homeless, without promise of when the next meal would be. What if...a king's transportation was chosen not to be a chariot of pure-breed stallions or the best camels, but instead a simple, stubborn donkey meant to carry the weight of goods. What if...a king's heredity was that of a common girl and a carpenter. What if...a king chose to be a servant instead of being served.
What gift would be worthy of that King?
This question requires a different perspective. An out-of-this-world-material-thinking kind of view.
I believe it would have to be a priceless gift so common that everyone possesses it, yet, so rare because only a few understand how to give it.
What are some examples of priceless gifts?
The gift the wise men brought to Jesus were materials. Baby Jesus was not looking for treasures of this world. Yet, God was pleased with their gifts. I believe it was because the gift He saw was not the earthly treasures. It was the time that took to travel to see him. They showed up and meet him where he was. In a stable full of stinky animals.
Time given is a token of love. It show a person that he or she is important to you. Your presence means more than the physical gift ever could. The amount of time a person has on this earth is known only to God. What we do with it and how we spend it is a priceless gift that we can give to those we love or those who need to see love in action. Our precious time is a gift that can please God. It is a worthy gift of Jesus, the King of kings.
The angels singing was a gift of praise. Baby Jesus was not looking for trumpets and
flattering to declare his arrival. Yet, God was please with their singing. I believe it was because the gift he saw was not the singing, it was the message. It was a message of encouragement and hope for a future during uncertain times.
Encouraging words and song lyrics are tokens of love. Positive messages from songs empower a soul. They awaken it from depression spell and help energize the heart to fight the darkness in this world. Encouraging words are priceless gifts. How we use encouraging words, when we give them and to whom is important. We never may know how a motivating story, inspirational statement or a single compliment can turn someone day or even life around. Encouraging words are gifts that can please God. They are worthy gifts for Jesus, the King of kings.
John the Baptist baptizing Jesus was a gift of service. Jesus was not looking for John's understanding to why John was to baptize Him. Instead He was searching for obedience. I believe God was pleased the John's gift to Jesus was his willingness to serve God's Will in so doing. Serving others needs through acts of service is a priceless gift. Gifts that are often cask aside as little or no value, but they can be exactly what God uses to fulfill His will in our lives and through us into others. Service is a gift that can please God. It is worthy gifts for Jesus, the King of kings.
The bleeding woman who touched Jesus's robe was an example of a gift of touch. Jesus was not looking for her to touch him, in order to be healed. He could have healed her without that. Yet, God was pleased by her touch. I believe it was her faith in what was within Jesus (The Holy Spirit) an she shows real faith through her physical touch. It is often through physical touch that we have the power to connect and heal what ills us.
This year with Covid-19 I have really understand the power of touch because too often I could advance of it. A simple hug can warm an aching heart. A handshake can give peace of mind. A kiss can connect a lonely soul. That is why I believe God gave us the sense of touch. Our flesh acts as a bridge that connects us to each other and His Holy Spirit. Touch is a gift that can please God. It is a worthy gift for Jesus, the King of kings.
I wonder...
If the little drummer boy thought about these priceless gifts as he was told to come to the manager. Perhaps, that is why he felt the longing to play for baby Jesus. After all, he gave his time to seek baby Jesus out. Once there we observed the wise men giving lavish gifts to the new born king and the boy knew he had not bought a gift nor could he afford one that was worthy of a king especially the King of kings. Yet, the little drummer also notice the drum in his hands. So, he did what he could. He used what he had and best of all he played his best for him.
In fact, I believe that was the real gift he gave. Wrap up in the pa rum pum pum pum of his drum was his heart beats. He related to baby Jesus because he was poor as well. He share the truth of heart's ache through pure words because he felt like he had no gift worthy of him to offer.
Even the stable animals felt his heart and joined in to help him. His song made baby Jesus smiled and that said it all. The little drummer boy touched God's heart because he gave his Son the best gift of all-his heart's song. The boy used his gift of playing a drum that he had received from God to share his heart's song.
In Corinthians 13:13, the Bible says, "Three things will last forever-faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love."
Without love there is no foundation for hope, and without hope, there is no structure for faith. Without love in our song's lyrics, hearts are lost in the wind to darkness, without love books lack their power to engage he reader in hope for the characters, and without love, the movie screen loses it power to inspire the actions of kindness to its viewers. In other words, every priceless gift relies on love to create the power of its presence.
Love begins and ends in the heart. A heart, now that is a common gift that everyone possesses and it's able to play a powerful tune that can touch the heart of God. Yet, it is rare for people to present it in the way that the little drummer boy did. Sometimes it is because we try to play our heart's song according to world's definition of love. Other times, we become focused on comparing our lives to others within our community and church circles.
Most of the time, we deem ourselves unworthy of the greatest gift that God gives and that is his heart's love song.
We can overcome doubts and the devil's scheme of receiving God's songs of love. That is why it is so important to maintain a healthy heart. We do this by exercising our hearts. Acts of kindness and other love languages that we share with others are like cardio for our hearts. Like valves in a heart, our hearts are not just meant to give. They meant to receive. We should highly value giving to others our gifts while we permits our heart to accept the gifts that are given us. When we use the gifts that God gives us to share our heart's song, we are keeping our heart healthy and the blood of love flowing into our homes, communities, counties and even the world.
Our diet is also important for the health of our hearts. We must be aware of what we allow to strike our hearts. Those drum sticks and stones influence the way we play our heart's drums. We don't want to risk palpations, atrial fibrillation, or fluttering with a poor diet. The words, moods and truths we consume influence whether we maintain a good heartbeat or develop heart problems.
We can allow ourselves to believe we are going to have a "dark winter" and let the storms of 2020 forecast more doom and gloom within our life or we can choose to believe we are in a time of grooming and making room for faith in God.
Furthermore, we must allow God to conduct regular checkup. Through studying the Bible, God helps us with preventive care by monitoring our heart and performing regular EKGs to test the heart's condition. He alert us to changes we should make to keep our hearts beating properly. Through worship and praise, we take the vitamins that keep our hearts strong. Through prayer and a relationship with Him, He will continue to mold our hearts into a priceless gift as we play our heart's love language for the world to hear, see, and feel.
It is important to give all of our heart to Jesus because it is in Him that our worth is. Jesus made the gift of our heart a worthy gift when He gave his heart on the cross. We don't have to earn the gift or pay the price because of His act of service. We do have to keep it healthy. But most of all, we have to play our heart and share its songs with the lost of the world.
In this moment you and I have a beat, a heartbeat. I am going to play it for the Kings of kings. Will you join me?
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