Dear friends,

It is my prayer for you that the Christ of Christmas is filling you with Himself and that His joy in you is full.

May the Lord bless you exceedingly in the coming year, that it would be a year of increasing revelation of Him and His kingdom and may you prosper in every area of your life. We pray that 2008 will truly be a year of new beginnings. It has been on my heart to express this sentiment to our friends and to share a brief Christmas message. I want to thank you all for your encouragement and prayers in this past year. God bless you.

Wise Men still seek Him.

I am sure that most all of you have see that statement written or posted somewhere. It impressed me the first time I saw it and I have appreciated its meaning, but I never really thought a great deal about the men in the scripture that we call the “wise men”. These men had seen a sign in the heavens and came seeking the newborn king. They journeyed to Jerusalem in search of this king. Notice their question to Herod in Matthew 2:2 ,”Where is He that is born king of the Jews, for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him. They weren’t just looking for a great king; they were looking for a specific king, the king of the Jews and they were seeking to worship Him. Notice that their search began in Jerusalem and they went to the current king. It would seem fitting that a king would be born in the lineage of the king and in his palace.

Matthew 2:4 And when he (Herod) had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. It was obvious that Herod knew the king they were seeking was the Messiah. Chief priests and scribes were given the news that the Christ was born, yet they sought Him not. Worse yet a jealous, paranoid king would seek to put the Messiah to death. Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem to find Him so that He could destroy Him.

When they left the king, the star which they had seen went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. vs. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. Joy to the world, the Lord has come! They were truly joyful they had found the Messiah. These were men of great faith. They had made a distant journey seeking the Messiah. These men knew that they had found the one who was to come. They were believers. When they saw the young child they fell down and worshiped Him. They presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. vs. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. God spoke to these men. He knew what was in Herod’s heart.

Here are couple of thoughts that came up as my son and I were talking and I was writing. My son made the point that the scribes and religious leaders received word, but did nothing with it. They chose not to seek the child, but the wise men believed to be Persians were gentiles and they diligently sought the Messiah. Those who were supposed to know the truth rejected it. Herod heard the truth and was threatened by it. The others who received the word were the lowly shepherds who were considered among the lowest strata of society. Yet, it was the lowly shepherds and the Gentiles who sought the Messiah. Is. 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

It is indeed a true axiom that wise men still seek the Lord. There are many promises to the seeker.

Jeremiah 29:11-13; Matthew 6:33; Luke 11:9; just to name a few. The wise men were men of faith and they should be an example to us today in our pursuit of God. Remember Hebrews 11:6 For without faith it is impossible to please God for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. If we seek Him , we will find Him and as He told Abraham, ” I am your exceeding great reward.” May God grant to you an ever increasing revelation of Himself in this coming year. Be blessed.

In His love,

Herb Dean