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Wednesday, January 7, 2009
God's Promise Comes True
All this happened to make clear the full meaning of the
things the Lord said through the prophet: "The virgin will be
pregnant and will give birth to a son. They will name him
Immanuel." (Immanuel means, "God with us.") When Joseph woke
up, he did the thing that the Lord's angel told him to do.
Joseph married Mary. But Joseph had no sexual union with Mary
until she gave birth to the son. And Joseph named the son
Jesus.
-- Matthew 1:22-25 (ERV)
KEY THOUGHT:
What if the fulfillment of God's greatest promises depended upon my
faithfulness? Ouch! That's a tough question. But verses 23-24 emphasize
how this happened with Joseph and Mary. In very simple and
straightforward terms, Matthew tells how God spoke his will through the
prophets and angels as well as how Joseph and Mary obeyed what God told
them to do. That's still the same way God's promises to people come
true today. God uses the simple obedience in matters big and small to
bring about his promised salvation. We will not always know why God
calls us to some task, challenge, or opportunity, but we can be sure
that he will use our faithfulness to him to his glory and our greater
good.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Majestic and loving God, forgive me for my lack of obedience. Please
give me a deeper understanding and appreciation of how my obedience
also helps you fulfill your promises and bring Jesus into the lives of
others. In the name of Jesus I thank you and ask for this grace. Amen.
>> NEW: Phil's What Jesus Did devotional is now
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>> The WJD! web page has related scriptures and the
>> full text of today's key passage. Read it at:
http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/matthew/0107-wjd.html
>> For further study of today's passage, use our
>> online Bible study site: SearchGodsWord.org!
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Matthew+1:22-25&sr=1&t=erv
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