Scripture to Read: Matthew 1:18
God used Matthew, just as He also used Luke in the Gospel of Luke, to show us that Christ was fully human and fully God. Jesus was completely human because He was born of a woman and Jesus was, and of course, is and always will be, 100% God, because the seed planted in Mary was from the Holy Spirit. The only way Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice for all sins for all time for the entire human race was that He had to be 100% human. Jesus had to live a completely sinless life to pay the full price for the sins of everyone who has ever lived, is living now, and is still to come. Jesus came for that purpose: to destroy the works of the devil (1 Corinthians 15:26, 54–57; 1 John 3:5, 8) and to completely abolish sin and death. God also used Matthew to confirm that Mary was a virgin. God clearly tells us in Matthew 1:18 that Mary and Joseph had not been together. It is a reference to the fact that they had never had sexual relations. We’ll see another reference later, but for now, we know that God is confirming for us that Mary was definitely a virgin. As we think about the miracle that took place, God choosing to come to earth as a baby, to live in an earthly dwelling, to face every temptation as we do yet never sin so that He could pay the price for our sin is overwhelmingly astounding! The fact that God loves us that much is truly hard to comprehend.
Challenge & Application
· What was the most significant thing you learned from the devotion today?
· What did God reveal to you about how much He loves you? Who can you share this truth with who also needs to know how much God loves them?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!