A part of the Christmas story is the journey of the wise men (also called magi), when men came from the east to worship the new King, Jesus. Matthew 2: 1-2, 9-11 (NASB) tells the story:
 
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” ... They went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

This bit of the Christmas story is a great illustration for us as we seek God in our lives. Seeking God can be a vague, seemingly impossible process, but the wise men give us a few pointers as we draw closer to God.

The wise men didn't have an easy journey. They had a long way to travel and had to be concerned about robbers and being sure they followed the star. Seeking the new King of the Jews wasn't an easy task.

When we begin to seek God, we may think it's impossible to get close to Him. He may seem distant, we have doubts, sin trips us up, or circumstances prevent us from drawing closer to Him. But like the wise men, we can push through these obstacles and despite the difficulties, we will be able to enter into the presence of God.

The magi didn't visit Jesus so they could exact a favor from Him. They went to Him so they could worship and adore Him. This is an important detail to keep in mind. As we chase after God, our goal shouldn't be to get something out of Him. We can't treat Him like He's a genie in a bottle or a divine Santa Claus. We must come to Him simply because we want a relationship with Him.

The first thing the wise men did when they saw Jesus was bow down and worship Him. The word worship means to show adoration, reverent love, or devotion. The magi knew Jesus deserved all this and more. What about us? Do we want to express our love and adoration for Jesus? Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Luke 10:27). When we seek God, we should desire to show our love for Him as well as know His love for us.

Christmas is an excellent time to contemplate seeking Jesus and growing closer to Him. Some may find Advent readings and activities a helpful way to get started. Whatever brings you closer to God, the days leading up to Christmas can be a great time to cultivate a deeper relationship with our Savior and the wise men give us some guidance as we pursue the King of Kings.