Many people think of us wise men as being so rich and powerful that we had no obligations or nothing better to do than to pull up stakes and head to Judea. That's not the case. We had our own jobs and means of livelihood as astrologers, and also other work that we did in our realm. In some ways our watching the sky and discerning the heavens was what you might almost call a hobby.

The reason this is important is because you should know how much faith it took for us to be so convinced that this new star signified something special--something so utterly important that we had to leave everything else behind and go in search of the King, the happening, the reason for this star. We were convinced that this was a noteworthy event in history, something that we had to become a part of.

We were led by the Spirit of God. We couldn't have had such insight or been so convinced that what we were doing was right if we hadn't been. Like Daniel in Babylon centuries earlier, not all wise men were idol worshipers and followers of strange gods. We knew the one true God, and it was His Spirit that we lived our lives in the light of. It was His wisdom that filled us, led us, and later warned us of the danger from Herod (Matthew 2:12).

Nothing could have prepared us for the impact of seeing the revelation of what we were looking for, the end of our journey chasing a star, and finding a simple, humble boy awaiting us. It was at once the most shocking and beautiful moment of my life. I knew instantly, as did the centurion who executed Him many years later, that "truly this is the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54). It was unmistakable. But at the same time it was shocking beyond description to see how ordinary Jesus and His parents were. To see that God had chosen to manifest Himself to the world in such a regular, ordinary, and humble way was amazing, and deeply beautiful.

That's how it always was with Jesus, and anyone who knew Him at any age in His life would tell you the same. You could feel something supernatural about Him; His whole life was permeated with the aura of the divine, yet at the same time He was just like you or me. Truly He was Emmanuel--God with us.

Looking upon that young child brought tears to my eyes, to see that the God I worshiped truly cared to manifest Himself to us on Earth, and that He'd chosen such a weak and simple vessel seemed at once to rewrite every notion that I had maintained about this God.

From the same God Who wrote His works in the sky, Who hid His secrets in the planets, Who created the entire universe, somehow I expected something else, something more grand or powerful. Yet as I gazed upon the boy, I knew it was right. I knew in my heart that this was the right way, the truly loving way. All my life I had lived in awe of God, mystified by God, but not until I saw Jesus did I feel loved by God.

You too can find Christ today if you follow God's Word, for He has promised that if we seek, we will find Him. In fact, it may surprise you to know that He is looking for you. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in" (Revelation 3:20).

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Art (adapted) from www.freepik.com and TFI. Used by permission. Text copyright TFI.