Gifts of the heart.


                     Gifts Of The Heart
 


This Christmas season I decided to study more about the history of the birth of Jesus Christ recorded in Matthew 2;

Matthew 2:Now when Jesus was aborn in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, aWhere is he that is born bKing of the Jews? for we have seen his cstar in the east, and are come to dworship him.

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

aAnd when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he bdemanded of them where Christ should be born.

And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet,

And thou aBethlehemin the land of bJuda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a cGovernor, that shall drule my people Israel.

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 ¶ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and afrankincense, and myrrh.

I found out that gifts given by the wise men were actually three kings according to the book of 

Isaiah 49:7

Old Testament

Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.


Psalm 72:10

Old Testament

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.



Here's a video from the LDS Tabernacle Choir performing 

WE Three Kings


The meaning of the Gifts of the Magi


Gold:  symbolized that Jesus Christ is a King

Frankincense:  symbolized divinity

Myrrh:  symbolized His sufferings and death.


The bottom line is, wise men, three kings, prophets or righteous gifts were foretold to take gifts to the Son of God.  That was their gifts from their heart.


I'm pretty sure that we don't need to be each giving gold, Frankincense and myrrh but like what President Monson had said: and I quote:



Doctrine and Covenants 64:34

Doctrine and Covenants

34 Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.


Like the wise men of old, when they took their best gifts when their treasure chest, we too can take our best gifts to give the Savior of the World.  We can give Him our Heart, our willing mind and our obedience.  


When we give Him our heart, we are willing to mourn with those that mourn, we will reach out to others, give help to the desitute, do our ministering and serve in any capacities we can to build His kingdon.  In other words, we will serve our utmost best in our individual wards, our families, our communities and our neighborhoods.


When we have a willing mind, we are willing to submit our heart, mind and soul to the Lord.  I will loose myself in His service.


Obedience to His commandments and His requests will be a natural part of our lives.  There will be no questions asked as to which commandment to keep and not.


His promises to us:


We shall eat the good of the Land of Zion in these last days.  Need I say more?


That is all we need to do to reap all the blessings of the land of Zion in these last days.  May you all have a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.  Our hearts He made, let's give it back to Him by doing good and keeping His commandments.


Stay blessed all!

'Ofa atu.








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