It’s finals week at our house and for many of your homes as well. Our kids are tired. There is a bit of weariness in us too. We’re all ready for the break, and if we are not careful we will be tempted to throw our hands up and just go through the motions to get through… offering less than our very best. I want to encourage you today to not fall into that temptation. Don’t listen to the lie that mediocrity is okay to give. We should never settle for anything other than our very best. I have the best Christmas story to illustrate to you why.

“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” Matthew 2:9-11

Jesus was probably one to two years old by the time the wise men found him. They had traveled far following the star to get to him. Can you imagine how tired they were? What a journey they had traveled to meet the KING of kings and LORD of lords. I am sure they had moments of tiredness along the way, but they kept going. They kept giving their best foot forward to get to him, and when they arrived they gave him the best gifts only fitting for a KING. Enjoy these words from the footnote of my study bible for verse 11, “The Magi brought gifts and worshipped Jesus for who he was. This is the essence of true worship-honoring Christ for who he is and being willing to give him what is valuable to you. Worship God because he is the perfect, just and almighty Creator of the universe, worthy of the BEST YOU have to give.”

Did you catch that? He is worthy of the BEST that we have to give! Day in and day out we are to give Him the best. Only you and He knows what that best is. I love the story of the poor widow who gave all she had. “Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth, he said, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

He sees and He knows. You don’t have to be rich to give Him your best. You don’t have to be the most successful. You don’t have to make the highest grade in the class. Just simply give Him the very BEST of YOU! Our oldest daughter exemplified it so well this week to our family. School doesn’t come easy for this precious child. In fact, it’s downright hard. She had a big test in her Pre-AP Geometry class that was going to make her or break her. We had a discussion about what giving her best looks like. She went to tutoring every day for a week. She stayed after class and came to school early. She even met with her tennis coach who teaches math. He helped her too. Test day came and she gave it her very best. She felt good about what she had done and was hopeful to hear the results. It took the teacher a couple of days to grade it. Early this week she was in my office after school. She logged into the portal to check her grades. I was busy working not paying much attention when I heard her burst out in tears of joy. “Mom, I did it!  I made a 89 on my Geometry test.” You guys…this momma could not have been more proud.  Our girl had given her very best she could offer and that is worthy to Him. You are worthy to Him! He’s the KING of kings and LORD of lords. Don’t settle for giving him your second best. Give Him all you’ve got, every single day He gives you.

We are on our journey to meet Him face to face…just like those three wise men. One day we will see Him, and we will lay our gifts at His feet. We will lay down every treasure we have earned along the way. Follow the star sweet friends…we will get to where we are going and we too will be overjoyed when we get there. Give Him your BEST today!  Merry Christmas!