The GiftExemplo

Worship with Wonder

For hundreds of years, people waited for Jesus. So this Christmas, if you find yourself in a season of waiting—you’re not alone. And waiting can be a powerful reminder of the One we worship.

God could have saved us in a second, yet He chose to send us a child. Someone who would come to live among us, suffer among us, and die for us as the perfect gift we could never earn nor deserve.

Sometimes we can find ourselves so busy in the holiday season doing things for God that we forget His gift was to be with us. Our resentment builds because we’re doing the right things with the wrong heart. It’s all too easy for us to forget that the gift of Jesus isn’t about us or our effort but about God and His grace.

But this Christmas, we don’t have to hustle through the holidays. We can pause to reflect and remember the gift of grace. The gift that means we can stop striving, stop stressing, and stop trying to earn our way to God—and instead receive what Jesus came to give us. 

The wise men didn’t present gifts to win their way to God. The gifts weren’t offered with an agenda or an expectation of blessing. Instead, they presented gifts as an overflow of worship and an extension of their wonder. 

May we follow their lead. May we not offer our obedience out of obligation but out of an overflow of passion for the One who sent us the ultimate gift. 

The gifts the wise men offered are a source of hope for us today because they remind us of who we worship. A God who would send His Son as our King, our Healer, and our Savior. 

Stop hurrying through the holidays and start embracing a pace of wonder as we remember the birth of Jesus—our risen King. 

Pray: God, thank You for sending us the ultimate gift through Your Son, Jesus. Center my heart around what You’ve done for me, and help me fully receive the gift of grace. Help me stop hustling and start worshiping with wonder at who You are and what You’ve done. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Practice: Spend some time in stillness today, slowing down to listen to God and worship Him for who He is.