Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year 2016 | Page 27

Friday—December 16th

He Fulfilled His Promise to be with us
Matthew 1:18-24
A big part of marriage is companionship. Boy meets girl, girl meets boy, they like what they see.
From there they learn about each other. If they’re a match, eventually they get married –
meaning they commit to being companions.
Joseph wanted that with Mary. You can imagine his disappointment, then, when “before they
came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.” Of course, Joseph
didn't know this was the work of God – he assumed she had been with another man, and so
“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.”
Then God stepped in. He explained to Joseph what was going on. “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. 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.” Matthew tells us that “All this took place to fulfill what
the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and
they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us.').”
Joseph wanted to be with Mary, but he got more than he expected. Not only would he be with
Mary, but God the Son, Jesus, would be with him. That was an incredible gift.
This is a gift you have received as well. When Jesus came to this world, he fulfilled his promise
to be with us. He came not as our conqueror, but as our deliverer. He “did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) He came to
win our forgiveness on the cross and restore our relationship with God. Yes, when Jesus came
to earth, fully man and fully God, he fulfilled his promise to be with us.
Yet, unlike marriages, this isn't “until death do us part.” Death cannot separate us from Jesus!
Through faith in Jesus, he will be with us forever, and we will be with him forever.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, my sins separated me from you. I deserved to be apart from you forever in hell. Yet
because of your great love me for me, you came to earth as one of us. You lived the perfect life
for my sake and bore my sins on the cross. Now, you promise to be with me forever, and
someday take me to be with you forever in heaven. Thank you, Jesus! Amen.
ACTIVITY:
For the next week, try to establish a new habit. Whenever you feel stress, anger, loneliness,
sadness, or fear, turn to Jesus in prayer and ask him, “Lord, fulfill your promise to be with me
and give me peace in this time of trouble. Amen.”

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