Amazing!

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife. — Matthew 1:24

The Christmas story, recorded in Matthew and Luke, has become so familiar that I wonder if we grasp the reality of what actually happened: An angel told a young virgin that she would conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-38). The angel then told her fiancée to marry her and name the baby Jesus, “for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Shepherds saw angels in the sky and were told of a Savior’s birth in Bethlehem (Luke 2:11). Wise men traveled hundreds of miles to worship the One who, they said, “has been born King of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2). Amazing!

Equally astonishing is that Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men did exactly as they had been told. Mary yielded herself to God; Joseph took her home as his wife; the shepherds went to Bethlehem to find the baby in a manger; and the wise men followed the star. With no idea of the outcome, they all took the next step by faith in Lord. Amazing!

How is it with us this Christmas? Will we trust God and follow His leading even when we face uncertainty and overwhelming circumstances?

When you and I obey the Lord, the outcome is truly amazing!

                             — David McCasland

To follow the leading of God,

To step out in faith and obey,

Is always the path we should take

Whenever we can’t see the way. — Sper

READ: Matthew 1:18-25

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading. — Chambers

The Bible in one year:

• Zephaniah 1-3

• Revelation 16