Christmas Advent Devotional – Day 1

Advent – Day 1

Advent, in relation to the Christmas season, is the four-week period of preparation before Christmas as celebrated in the Christian calendar. The Word means “coming” and a reminder of the coming of Christ. Even though our relationship with Christ is ongoing, the season of advent is a time set aside to reflect on the birth of Jesus, as well as His second coming. In these devotionals based on the gospel of Matthew, we will be looking at the birth and life of the Lord Jesus. May you be refreshed as you immerse yourself in lessons concerning our Savior Jesus Christ.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:1-17

1 This is the genealogy[a] of Jesus the Messiah[b] the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Devotional Thoughts

Genealogies listed in the bible both in the Old and New Testaments can be intimidating. Compound that with the not so familiar names involved, and you can find yourself skipping large passages to prevent your eyes from crossing (or closing). There are many significant uses of these genealogies. The word itself means “origin.” These genealogies were important to first century Jews to identify who were Israelites, and even identifying which tribes one belonged to.

Genealogies record historical succession, continuity and lend a legitimacy to the stories and names. Many of the names listed can be cross-referenced in other historical documents, lending legitimacy. In the case of Christ, it lends His earthly ancestry validity by connecting him to names that we have previously read about in the Old Testament. Question: How many names do you recognize in this passage from previous bible studies? It also transitions the Old Testament to the New, in this case starting with Abraham and ending with Mary and Joseph. Genealogies show that God cares about each family and each individual. He knows your name. He knows your family name. You are not a mistake. Genealogies also confirm prophecies, and in the case of Christ, fulfils the prophesy of the coming Messiah.

Christ – Son of Man, Son of God

Matthew’s gospel is unique in the portrayal of Christ as the one who is the Son of Man. We know He is the Son of God, which the gospel of John emphasizes. Matthew, however, emphasized on Jesus: Son of Man. His heavenly ancestry is acknowledged, but his earthly parentage is also identified, so that many fulfilled prophecies concerning his birth can be seen. One of such is found in Isaiah 9:7 … upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it. This prophecy is fulfilled in Christ because in his lineage we see King David, and being a descendant of David affords him the authority to rule. It also confirms that He is of the tribe of Judah, as spoken of in Genesis 49:8-12.

The take away here is that Jesus is as human as He is of heavenly descent. It encourages us that we can live as He lived. He was subject to the same temptations, elements, opportunities and afflictions that we also are exposed to. His human form helps us to see that we can live a righteous and godly life. That is not to be interpreted as a life of perfection, since the word of God even tells us that the righteous man will fall many times but rise again. It however gives us hope that we have the power to live such a life, as Christ lives in us.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for giving your life for me, that I may be saved. In this season open my eyes and my heart to learn of you. Draw me closer to yourself. In You I have access to many blessings such as the forgiveness of sins, abundance of grace and adopted into the most important family of all. Have your way in my life. Amen.

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Announcements of Winners

There are two announcements that will be released in a subsequent devotional.

Winner of the November Gift Package Give-Away. Be on the lookout! If you did not get a chance to participate, you can enter the December Give-Away by subscribing to the Newsletter.

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Christmas Gift Package

The Christmas package is now available on limited supply, a well-deserved gift for yourself or someone else. It contains autographed copies of Restore Me! But Privately, Please and New Wine, a Bookmark, a Taylor Grip Pen, a fridge magnet and a Journal.  Click on this link to order your copy.

My prayer for you is that you will be refreshed, restored and be rejuvenated to enter into the next season that the Lord has been preparing for you. Let’s stay connected through the resources listed below.

God bless you.

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