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In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered…. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 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, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
--Luke 2:1-6
Of all the places on earth for the Savior, the Son of God to be born, why did God chose Bethlehem?
God didn’t chose Rome with its power and military prowess, nor Athens with its culture and sophistication, nor even Jerusalem, the center of the Jewish faith. No, He chose a little farming village named Bethlehem.
In Bethlehem, we see the power of God and the deity of Christ demonstrated. You see, hundreds of years before Christ’s birth, the Prophet Micah revealed that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)
Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, 70 miles north of Bethlehem, and they had no reason to leave home. So God provided one. Rome, which controlled Israel and most of the known world, was never reluctant to tax its subjects. Caesar Augustus ordered a census, with each man returning to the city of his ancestors.
Nine months pregnant, Mary could deliver her child almost any day. But she climbed aboard the family’s donkey, and Mary and Joseph traveled 70 miles on dusty roads before they finally reached Bethlehem. The trip must have been incredibly difficult and exhausting, but they trusted in God’s provision and fulfilled the prophesy.
God has a purpose for your life, too. You are a child of God, and He is moving in your life, whether you realize it or not.
Sometimes the journey is difficult and hard to understand. But God has a plan for you.
The Great High Priest
Friday, December 06, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:14–16
When the Children of Israel left Egypt, God gave careful and specific instructions to guide both their daily lives and their worship of Him. One of the things God put in place was the office of the high priest, whose responsibility was to lead the people in obedience and sacrifice. The most important task given to the high priest was a beautiful picture of Jesus—the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement on the mercy seat. “And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD” (Exodus 30:10).
Jesus came into the world with the express purpose of laying down His own life as a sacrifice for sin. He perfectly fulfilled the role that the high priest imperfectly pictured. Jesus was more than just the priest. He was also the sacrifice, and His precious blood is the atonement for our sins. This is the true joy of the Christmas story—that salvation has come into the world. But there is even more. When we accept Christ and are adopted into His family, He has compassion on us when we need his help. The earthly high priest was largely cut off from the normal life of the people, but Jesus is with us every day.
Today's Growth Principle:
Our confidence in the future is based on the unfailing and unchanging priesthood of Jesus Christ.
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