We’ve got your daily encouragement, written by Bruce Sampson.
Bible Reading:
“18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 1:18-20
“I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”Genesis 3:15
Word:
No one could have expected the way in which Jesus came into the world. You’re probably thinking, “Do we really have to explain to you where babies come from?” But that’s not what I mean. Though Jesus was born from a woman, he was truly born through the faith given by God to a woman.
Think about it. God could have sent his Son coming down from the sky in radiant light, fully mature with a full set of hair, raining down chariots of fire on the enemies of Israel to delivery them from their oppressors, and bringing salvation to all in a single night. Yet God sent his Son, conceived through a woman.
This wouldn’t have come as a surprised if you have been following the biblical story. It’s often skipped, but if you read the genealogy in the start of the book of Matthew, you notice a scandalous inclusion of five women involved in the family tree that led to Jesus. As tradition in that time, decent was usually traced through men as the head of the family to divide major parts in their history. Not only were there woman in this genealogy, but two (Rahab and Ruth) weren’t even claimed as Jewish yet God used them to rewrite the history of humanity.
God will used the unexpected to shatter our expectations. He will use the foolish things of the world to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). He will bring hope to a situation that everyone else will think seems hopeless.
From conception to the cross, Jesus chooses to live through our same human experience to forever nail the wall of sin we hold so closely to that divides us from God. Through our relationship with God we can expect He might use us too for His purposes.
Prayer:
Thank you God for sending your Son into the world in such a way. I believe I can have a relationship with you in the way you relate to me. Help my heart to heal from unmet expectations as I begin to expect your love for me never ends. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Skillwork:
Meditate on these questions:
- When was the last time your expectations didn’t meet your reality?
- Visualize the cost Jesus went through to be born a dependent child. How does this shape your view of God?
- What would it look like for you to let go of your expectations and expect God to work through you today?
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