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A Deeper Faith

It's the soul stirring faith of the Wise men that has me standing in awe this Christmas season. I can't stop thinking about how the actions of the Wise Men reveal a deeply rooted faith and how mine pales in comparison. Can you imagine? The Wise Men saw a star and followed it on foot (and camel) for 1,000 miles. The most amazing part is that during all those miles they weren't even sure exactly what they were looking for. I keep thinking of the verse, "Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you don't see." That definitely describes those men as they traveled by faith. The time it took them to travel was enough time for Jesus to grow from being an infant into a child. It's probably safe to say that given the circumstances their faith stood the test of time. Is my faith that steadfast? Certainly not! I grow weary and impatient during much smaller circumstances. To add to their story, these men were the least likely to give up their lives on a whim and follow Christ. The Wise Men were learned men and they were not the men that Christ came to save. Christ came for the Jews and the Jews didn't recognize Him for who He was. But the Wise Men stopped what they were doing, followed a star, and evaded King Herod....all in the name of their new found King. This just speaks to the fact that Faith in God is for everyone...not just one people group or subculture. It's not just for the weak, the strong, or the educated. The familiar Christmas carol "We Three Kings" has such a deeper meaning now. The age old story of Christmas has caused me to examine my faith and look to these unlikely star followers and Christ worshipers as examples of what it means to follow Christ through the long haul. My faith is older than the faith the Wise Men had, yet in their new found faith they picked up and left...for a long period of time...and believed that God had shown them something big. I want my faith to be like that. I want my faith to be so deep that I give up things important to me to follow what is important to God. I want to stop what I'm doing so that God can show me something big....even if I have to walk 1,000 miles to find it.

Comments

Jenny said…
Jen, I've been thinking the same thing. Our sermon on Sunday was aboutt his exact topic. How Mary had faith in what was happening to her, the hope of the wise men and the shepherds. I have a wider grasp on the entire story than they all did, and yet I still feel like my faith is weak at times. It's a good reminder of the faith of those who have gone before us and God's faithfulness to their obedience.
December 21, 2010 at 7:35 AM
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