Truly Wise

by TIM SMITH Assistant Pastor of The Next Level Church in Daingerfield Life is a grand search. Each of us searches for something. Maybe it is that career, or that spouse, a house or a car. The list of searches can go on and on and on and never seem to end. In our searches, we plan, dream, scheme and save to enable us to fulfill that which we believe will bring happiness, contentment, or fulfillment to our lives. Christmas Holidays bring many extra searches. These searches usually entail perfect gifts for loved ones, or for the perfect tree on which to hang all our precious, treasured ornaments. Many of us will search for that perfect menu because this year on Christmas Day the family will gather at our house to celebrate. And then, many will try to find that special gift in which to show our spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend just how precious they really are. So in conclusion, we have many types of searches for many reasons. But after this holiday what then? Today I would like to present the ultimate search for your consideration. A search that at its conclusion we will find what will outlast all the physical or material possessions we can ever acquire. It will even outlast our life’s questions. For who of us does not want to make sense out of a senseless world or understand how to overcome the issues in our topsy- turvy life? December is Christmas time and at this time we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We have come to call His birth “The Christmas Story.” This is the Biblical story about baby Jesus being born to become the savior of all mankind. If you let Him, He can be your savior, redeemer, provider and help in time of trouble. Can I put it this way? He can be whatever you need him to be. You see, Jesus is the one who came to be the sacrificial lamb. He is the one who hung on an old rugged cross in order to take our sins upon Himself. John 1:29 says, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.” But alas, I am getting ahead of myself. I believe everything in the Bible is put there for a reason. So, in reading “The Christmas Story” I read about wise men in search of a king. I ask myself, “What made them wise?” In my imagination they could have just been regular people like you and I. I did not read where they were rich. I did not read where they had it all together. I did read that they are believed to have come from Persia which would have put them about 800- 900 miles from where Jesus Christ was born. This was some trip if you are going by camel. Imagine what hardships they endured just to see the Messiah? Can you grasp the harsh conditions they endured just to worship the new born king? Did enduring all the hardships make them wise? Now at this point I wonder, “How did these wise men know to go search for Jesus?” Most likely, they knew of the writings of Daniel 9:25- “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince (underlined for emphasis) shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in trouble times.” As you read, the verse includes a prophecy which gives a timeline for the birth of the messiah. To continue reading this article, purchase the December 24th edition of the Steel Country Bee, or go to our online e-edition at: http://www.etypeservices.com/Daingerfield%20BeeID312/default.aspx