It was a bad dream. It reflected my selfishness. In this dream, I intentionally arrived late. I didn’t want to get caught up in the crowd of angels, and wise men who had come to worship and adore. I wanted a private audience with this baby. I had a list of things to present this new-born child. My list was important to me. It had all the things I wanted this baby to do for me.
In this dream, they all seemed to ignore me. Joseph huddled around and protected his new family, as Mary nursed the baby Jesus. There was no place for me to sit. There was only straw, huge stones and dirt. The angels were still rejoicing, the shepherds still adoring, and the wise men were still worshiping. They all had gifts. I had a list.
The gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh emphasized the infinite royalty of this child king. The shepherds brought their humble praise. I brought a list. I did not come to adore this child king. I had come to implore Him.
Do this for me Jesus. Do that for me Jesus. Help me with this and help me with that. My bills, the roof on my house, the car repair are the things on my list. I need you to help heal my cousin and my spouse and even, my dog. I came to implore you Jesus, not to adore you. I need you to do for me what is important to me.
Such is the dream of a self-centered, not Christ centered soul. God has revealed Himself in His Christ. The more I fail to adore, the more lists I will present to Jesus the things I want Him to do for me, instead of surrendering my life to Him.
The more I worship, bow down and praise and worship, the greater joy and peace I have. The angels, shepherds and wise men knew it. They came to adore, not to implore.
