Daily Devotions – Immanuel, God With Us

Daily Devotions – Immanuel, God With Us

 

 

Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:

Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Why did we not finish the week with the passage from Revelation? Because the end has not come yet! Instead, like Joseph, we live with a promise that God is with us now. That promise gives us hope and gives us the strength to do God’s will even when it seems strange. That is what Joseph did. He wanted to mercifully and quietly divorce Mary, but instead, choosing to believe the promise of God, he married her and helped to raise the Son of God. This Advent, as you make all the preparations for Christmas, God has promised to be with you and care for you. God is with us, you and me. That is an incredible promise that we should not take lightly. Like Joseph let us seek to live by that promise and do God’s will and be servants in the Kingdom of Christ our King.