Mary was engaged to Joseph when the Holy Spirit came upon her to conceive Jesus. Joseph thought that Mary had another man, so he decided to separate from her quietly. During this time, when a woman was found to be pregnant before the official marriage ceremony, she was considered an adulterous woman, which was punishable by death through stoning. When Mary agreed to conceive Jesus, she was putting her life, relationship, and reputation on the line, but no matter what happened to her, she trusted everything to the hand of her Father in Heaven. She considered herself a servant of God. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph to explain everything, saying, "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." Joseph then arose and took Mary as his wife and did not have sexual relations with her until Jesus was born. (Matthew 1:18-25).
At the moment the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, Jesus became a human. Although Jesus was still a fetus inside Mary, our Savior, Jesus, entered the world as a human being. The light of God entered the darkness of sin in this world. We, who do not have hope to save ourselves from sin, have hope because Jesus was conceived. We were trapped in our sins and had no way out, but Jesus came to set us free and give us a new life in Him. Since the Fall, humans have been relying on religious sacrifices and rituals to make peace with God, but they are not sufficient to satisfy the holiness of God. Only Jesus can satisfy God's holiness, and that is why He came to make us holy before our Heavenly Father through His life.
Let us thank our Heavenly Father for sending Jesus to bring us hope and redemption. Let us thank our Lord Jesus for coming to this world to save us. Let us be Mary and Joseph, who gave up everything to serve our Heavenly Father. May the hope of Jesus fill our hearts and minds today.
Ask yourself these questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully and meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speaks to you). Who brought hope into this world? How should I live knowing I have eternal hope in Jesus? What should be my response to Jesus' conception this Christmas?
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I have been forgiven and have eternal hope because Jesus came into this world. I was lost in my sin and without hope, but Jesus saved me through faith in Him. I give you all the glory, honor, and praise. May I serve you with all of my heart, just like Mary and Joseph did. In your name Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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