Thoughts on the Magi

Someone's very happy to be back home in time for the Christmas season!:)

We are now on our 7th month of clerkship, having overcome majority of our major rotations (OB, Pedia, IM); and being in our base hospital this December, on a benign rotation, and be back home again feels like I'm being rewarded for the months of hardwork and toxicity..hehe. This, in itself, is already a Christmas gift I am very grateful for, Jesus.

I also got to attend church last Sunday..hooray for pre-off!..so it really feels like I've been receiving gifts since December 1st. As the Lord allows it, I'll be a different kind of "busy" this December, because I can finally attend parties and events, which I've been missing since clerkship started.

I have missed on a lot of things and have also missed doing a lot of things, journaling being one of them. I'm still able to do it by God's grace, albeit irregularly and inconsistently, but thank you Lord for continuously giving me opportunities to be filled despite missing on church, cell group and accountability meetings.

Last Sunday was different though, as I got to hear a sermon on the story of the Magi once again (it was my most memorable Christmas message from last year as well), but from a different perspective. I looked at my journal and I didn't have any entry on it so I wanted to spend this rare free time processing my thoughts so I could go back on it later on to be reminded and encouraged.

Scripture: Matthew 2: 1-12

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Source: www.biblegateway.com

Other bible translations use "wise men" to describe the Magi, but never as kings. It did not also say that there were 3 of them, just 3 kinds of gifts; and they didn't have names, but that their offering of worship became a part of history means that what they did honored the Lord.

They were not Jews, but they came all the way from the east to come worship Jesus, with the star as their sign and guide, from which we can imply that they have been waiting for this to happen. It has been speculated that this is because of the prophecy and teachings of Daniel, who was once a leader of the Magi, which has been passed on to the succeeding generations of wise men.

I am not adept with historical accounts, so I'm gonna focus on the insights, as I remember them from the sermons I've heard.

On the perspective focusing on Jesus, we see Jesus as the born King worthy to be worshipped and honored, not just by the Jews or the Israelites, but also of the Gentiles. He is King of all. He is the promised shepherd and ruler from Bethlehem and he deserves the best that we have to offer. The question that caught me was, do I, like the Magi, experience exceedingly great joy, each time I remember the birth of Jesus?

This now brings me to the perspective focusing on the Magi - wise men, rich and great men in their own right, who sacrificed their comforts and traveled far and wide to bow down, worship and bring gifts to Jesus. They were following a star, which isn't really a secure and reliable compass by today's standards (at a time when we have GPS but still doubt it), but because they believed that it would lead them to Jesus, they pursued it with great joy. They also brought the best gifts they could bring. And when they were told to go by another route, they obeyed, sacrificing their own safety in obedience to God.

I cried at the question - "What do I bring at the feet of Jesus, to worship and honor Him?" Do I bring my best? Am I obedient and fully yielded to Him? Is He pleased with my offering?

Your word in Psalm 51:16-17 says...

16 For you do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

I long to worship and honor you Lord Jesus, for you are worthy, and you deserve all our praise. Help me worship you with all I have and all I am. I want to offer my utmost for His highest, my best for His glory. This is the desire of my heart.

Also, fill my heart with joy as I remember who You are. You are Jesus, Son of the living God, our Lord and Savior, our bondage breaker, and it is because of your sacrifice and victory on the cross that I am here, free to live and to love, and to celebrate your goodness and greatness in my life. And always, I can say in my heart, it was indeed, a merry Christmas.


 

Birthday Post: 3 Decades of God's Faithfulness

August 5th of 2019 marked my 30th birthday. It was a quiet one, with precelebration with family on August 3rd in anticipation of my duty from August 4th-5th. I had planned on treating my groupmates, but I was too preooccupied with my JIOD responsibilities I decided to delay it to breakfast the next day.

I just came back from checking on a patient when I saw Kirs and got this sweet surprise from her and Ags:)

...the timing was perfect as well because the orders for dinner got mixed up. And this is one surprise that I was very happy about  - simple, quiet, and thoughtful, but well thought of (caramel macchiato for me!) and from close friends I really miss a lot. We were all busy with our respective duties, and they were about to travel to Pasig that night but they took the time to surprise me. Thank you Lord for Kirs and Ags:)

The rest of the night was spent studying the cases of my patients. I initially felt frustrated because I felt that I did not know and could not answer a lot of things. But it was a good sign, because my emotions reflect my desire to become better for my patients. There's also the added pressure of being supposedly among the "best", but You keep me grounded and inspired at the same time Lord. 

When I woke from a short nap in between studying the cases, I said a short prayer of thanksgiving for the Lord's faithfulness in my life. Shortly thereafter, there was an announcement of cancellation of classes. Skeletal duty will be applied the next day which was a treat for us. I thought the Admission conference I was preparing for would no longer push through, but in your wisdom Lord, you did not want our efforts wasted..hehe..and of course, I am grateful for more learnings on my birthday.

I got home at past 9am and the rest of the day was spent sleeping, then another dinner celebration with the family when I woke up.

There is much I am thankful for. That I don't look like I'm 30 is already a big blessing..haha..and each time I remember what I have and have become, I can only stand in awe of your amazing grace, love, and faithfulness to me and to my family. I still have a long way to go, but as I walk with you Lord, I am confident that I can take one day at a time, and trust that my life is in the perfect hands of the one who loves me and has already planned the best for me. 

Thank you Lord! To more years of your love and faithfulness!

Sunday Duty Thoughts

This is a pending devotional log from weeks ago, on my first Sunday from status as a clerk. 

It has become difficult to commit to daily Bible reading and journaling, with the way my schedule has been, since I am currently on my major clerkship rotations. But help me Lord to continue to keep at it, if not daily, the best way I can. I do not want to increase in just knowledge and skills and it is my prayer that I would not lose compassion, or be jaded, with the way we are being treated versus the way we want to be treated.

Love remains to be the answer, and I know that I need to regularly spend time with You, the Source, so I would not wither. By your grace Lord, I am hopeful that all these hardships will yield fruit in the right time. May those fruits bring you glory Lord. May I bring you glory Lord.

Essay: Why Is the Bible Relevant Today?

I am currently in the process of tidying up, and I'm torn between throwing and keeping this certificate...

 ...I decided to keep an electronic copy instead (I'm so bright!..haha) and keep a copy of the winning essay as well. I was first out of 3 contestants, and the oldest as well..haha. Our church organized the essay writing contest as part of the Bible Month Celebration last January and I participated because I was afraid nobody would join and I wanted to honor our church's efforts. I guess I missed writing as well so it was a good excuse to go back despite being busy in school.

Honestly, I did not think I would win, because although I would meet the criteria on organization, grammar, etc.; content-wise, I thought my essay was too personal, and intentionally so, because I wrote it just one random morning as part of my quiet time when my morning classes were canceled. Since my intention was to have an entry, I did not want to stress so much over the essay, as I have in past contests..hehe; else, I won't be able to come up with an entry at all. So I revised the guide question a bit and made it into Why is the Bible Relevant To Me? And winning was an unexpected sweet bonus because it came with a cash prize (yey!), although I felt bad a bit when I learned that I competed against high school students. I initially thought that it wasn't fair because I had the advantage, but that's my pride talking so sorry Lord and thank you na lang po!

Enough with the backstory, here's my essay - a reminder for me that I'm always a winner in the Lord when I write from my heart:)

WHY IS THE BIBLE RELEVANT TODAY?

Not all people have had the blessing of being exposed to the Bible at a young age, and as I reflect on it now, I cannot imagine how I would have turned out as a human being, a citizen, a daughter, sister, friend, student, and the many other things I am now to others, if I did not have the wonderful privilege of knowing and learning from the Bible.

As a child, I looked at it as a wealth of stories with lessons on strength, bravery, obedience, love, patience, kindness, generosity, trust and many others. My parents and my teachers on the other hand, made good use of my delight in those stories to instill those virtues in me and introduce me to the greatest hero, Jesus Christ. It was not until I approached my late school age and teenage years that I learned of the foreign comic book superheroes that we patronize in the movies today; but as for the stories of Noah’s ark, Queen Esther, Daniel in the lion’s den, Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, I knew them by heart; and at a time when I was still sheltered from real life’s challenges, they were among my first models of faith and trust in the Lord. 

In my teenage years, when my doubts and insecurities were at their peak, the Bible became a source of wisdom and comfort. I remember the many nights that I felt down and alone as I experienced the world for the first time without the security of home. I would open my Bible crying not knowing what to do, and I would finish reading crying still, but this time, with a sense of strength and hope, overwhelmed with the truth that the Lord is always with me, that He loves me, and that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Living alone in college was one of the most difficult times of my life, especially with the death of our mother, but it was also the time that I learned to really seek the Lord in prayer and meditation of His Word. As I sought Him, the Lord used that time in return to instruct me, mold me, and increase my knowledge of Him through our personal time together while studying his Word, as part of a church with teaching and sermons anchored on the Bible, and as part of a small group sharing our insights and encouraging one another through the truths we learn from the Bible.  

After college, the responsibilities were greater, the problems were more challenging, and the decisions I had to make became more difficult. The Bible remained for me, as a source of strength, wisdom, comfort and guidance, but at a level that matched my needs. For while it does not change its contents, and although I have read it from cover to cover, it always speaks to me in a new way. Or in other times, it speaks to me in the same way, but in my frailty the Lord knew that I needed to be reminded, and there He was, patiently teaching me with the same chapters and verses, and honoring my heart’s prayer to become a better child and servant of His each day. In the same way that I loved the Lord more as I knew more of Him, I needed the Bible more as I learned more of it – not just holding on to His truths for the big decisions, challenges and milestones; but more so for the daily character-building and seemingly small moments of instruction, when He was actually preparing me to shape up when the big moments come along.  

The Bible, God’s Word, is indeed relevant today as it was to me in the past and in the days to come. Its message transcends time, culture, language, changing needs and individual differences; just as God’s love is for all, breaking through all barriers, even our sin. I praise God for the freedom and privilege to experience the transforming power of His Word, and the opportunity to share it to others, that they may also know of Jesus Christ and His life-changing gift, just as it continually changes mine.