Daily Devotional Sunday 27th December 2020
by William Moody
Luke 2:1–7
The Birth of Jesus Christ
2:1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when1 Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,2 who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.3
Footnotes
[1] 2:2
Or This was the registration before
[2] 2:5That is, one legally pledged to be married
[3] 2:7Or guest room (ESV)
God’s plan was coming together, the plan which had been designed in eternity. The plan first spoken of in Genesis 3 when Adam fell into sin was now coming to fruition. Everything had been planned, even down to the finest detail, even as to how He would be born in Bethlehem. God used the decree of the Roman Caesar to have a census so that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem at a time of census, so as to prove that He was the promised descendant of David who would be the Messiah.
The eternal Son of God was going to be born, not into a palace, but born in humble circumstances, being laid in a manger. This was no accident but God’s plan to show that He was the Saviour of humility. He is the one who came down so low in order to lift us so high out of our sin and misery.
Have you fitted into God’s plan by trusting Christ to lift you out of your sin and into a new life with Him?
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