Three Gifts

While in prayer the other night I was thinking about the birth of Jesus. This is something I wouldn't normally do, except maybe once a year when others are celebrating Christmas. I, for one, am truly thankful for the birth of Jesus. I marvel over God's incredible Gift to mankind. There are so many lessons that can be learned about Jesus' entrance into the world. The circumstances in which He was born should make someone hesitate before complaining about difficult childhood experiences. (One's childhood experiences should not become an excuse to limit his or her future.)

If we take a step back from Jesus' cave and manger scene, we can see that all humanity was involved—from the poor to the rich, from the good to the very bad. Even spiritual forces were involved—from the host of angels announcing the Good News, to the demons of hell attempting to destroy God's Son through Herod's evil decree. I have heard messages preached on the three gifts that were given to Baby Jesus by the Magi; gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts were probably never touched by Jesus, yet were useful in providing for Mary and Joseph's family on their travels, including living in Egypt. These Gifts were very symbolic of Jesus' life. Gold represented His royalty as King of heaven and earth. Frankincense denotes his High Priestly call in service to God for mankind. And the Myrrh represented his death and burial.

The night I was praying, God shared something new to me about the three Gifts. The gifts, I repeat, were doubtfully ever even touched by Jesus. Yet they symbolically represented something on a larger scale. They also represent something for all of God's precious sons and daughters! Just as the three gifts benefited the needs of Jesus' physical family, so too these same gifts prophetically benefit the needs (ALL the needs!) of God's spiritual family.

Gold, represented the faithfulness of God—His total provision, both physical and spiritual—for His Son Jesus. God desires to meet all the needs of His spiritual sons and daughters. (Note, the needs, not the wants.) This includes protection, health of our bodies, provision, and all other needs (II Sam 22:31, Eph 6:16, Is 53:5). The Bible never indicated that Jesus was ever sick or ever went to a doctor to cure Him. (So why should we? If we walk in faith and don't indulge in man-made foods or depend on the world-system for protection, we will never lack for anything in this life or in the next.) In the area of provision, we should always have the desire and the ability to help others and give. Everything that Jesus ever needed was provided for. Even after the event of the cross, Jesus' burial site was provided by Joseph of Arimathea. (Yet, praise the Lord, He didn't remain in the grave!) From the beginning of His life to His ascension, all Jesus' needs were met. Similarly, He served and helped provide for others' needs; He gave and gave and gave (even His own body as a sacrifice)—right to the end of His time on the earth. Now He still is giving, helping and interceding for us in heavenly places. When we have been obedient and faithful within the areas of giving and sacrifice, God is always faithful. That is why He reminds us, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, drink or wear..." (Mt 6:25). By obeying Him, He will always take care of us—today, tomorrow and forever. The Father's promise and blessing for His sons and daughters is far-reaching: "Don't you realize that everything I have is yours!" (Lk 15:31).

Frankincense, represents the fragrance, the sweet aroma of Jesus and His High Priesthood. Everywhere Jesus Christ went, He walked in humility, love and spiritual authority; this was the anointing of God. We, too, have the ability to walk in the same anointed priesthood as Jesus, the divine Order of Melchizedek. Everywhere Jesus went He preached the Good News, healed the sick, cast out demons, and comforted the broken-hearted (and sometimes raised the dead); so we as disciples need to do the same. He had compassion for all humanity. Jesus loved people and desired to see them set free from their fears. He assured people of the Father's love for them; He set an example for His disciples and others to follow. He expected them to love God with all their hearts and love others as themselves, always doing the will of the Father. He desired to see people living the abundant life that God had intended for them. As High Priest, Jesus gave and gave, and never stopped giving. Establishing the Kingdom of Heaven upon the earth was Jesus' mission. In that mission, He served people and broke the deceptive power of Satan over them.

Satan has no authority over humanity except through fears, unbelief, and false mindsets. Jesus delegated His authority to His disciples saying, "Just as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." (John 20:21). He gave them authority over all the demonic realm, and over all sickness and disease; He also commissioned them to preach the Kingdom of God. Jesus' final commandment was, "... love one another, even as I have loved you..." (John 13:34). Such is our commission as kings and priests in Christ, serving others (humanity and the church) by the power of the great love of God that enters into our lives through humility and sacrifice. Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)

Myrrh, is oil that represents the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus, that was given and applied to the Body of Christ. It pleases God when we have chosen to crucify the flesh nature by denying our selfish nature, by carrying the cross and following Christ (read Isaiah 53:10). We certainly don't like suffering—it is painful to the soul-life, including the emotions—but is necessary for sonship. Referring to Jesus, Hebrews 5:8 reads, "... he learned obedience from what he suffered." God's Word invites us into the GIFT of Christ's sufferings, "...because you are participating in the sufferings of the Messiah, keep on rejoicing, so that you may be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed." (1 Pet 4:13). It is true that suffering is not pleasant, and sometimes it lasts a long time, but it is meant as the TRUEST TEST OF OUR LOVE. Jesus suffered loneliness, grief and pain—physically, mentally, and emotionally (especially on the cross). As followers of Christ, we should not be surprised when we experience some of the same things. (Sometimes people confuse the sufferings of Jesus with the consequences of sin. I assure you, the two are not the same.) Jesus also felt abandoned by God, yet the Heavenly Father was with Him every agonizing moment, feeling the same pain—unimaginable pain. (Pain and suffering for a lost world.) Likewise, in our trials—the valley of the shadow of death—when we feel abandoned by God, that's when we need to fully place our trust in His faithfulness and Word. The Lord knows how much suffering we can bear, even when we may cry out, "I can't take any more" or, "that's enough!" or, "You've gone too far!" But God has something He wants to achieve, because He knows better than us. And when the pain is over with, there is a blessing attached. In the end, when we all see His smiling face, we will say with all others who have passed through Christ's sufferings, " It's been worth it all." We should remember, we can count on all His promises, such as: "I will never leave you or abandon you." (Heb 13:5); "And remember that I am always with you until the end of time." (Mt 28:20). Never forget, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!


There are three gifts available to all God's sons and daughters:

1) The gift of provision
2) The gift of serving
3) The gift of suffering

These three make up the Ultimate Gift:
JESUS CHRIST in you, the hope of glory.