The Promise of Christ’s Birth

Merry Christmas and welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. I'm Bill Crowder and I called our reading, The Promise of Christ's Birth. In November 1962, physicist John W. Mauchly said, there is no reason to suppose the average boy or girl cannot be master of a personal computer. Mauchly's prediction seemed remarkable at the time, but it proved astonishingly accurate.

Today, using a computer or handheld device is one of the earliest skills a child learns. While Mauchly's prediction has come true, so have much more important predictions, those made in the scriptures about the coming of Christ. For example, Micah 5, 2 declared, but you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. God sent Jesus who arrived in tiny Bethlehem, marking him as from the royal line of David. The same Bible that accurately predicted the first coming of Jesus also promises his return. Jesus promised his first followers that he would come back for them. This Christmas, as we ponder the accurately predicted facts surrounding the birth of Jesus, may we also consider his promised return and allow him to prepare us for that majestic moment when we see him face to face.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Luke chapter two, verses one through seven. In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them. Let's pray. Loving Father, we're so grateful for the birth of Jesus and his mission of rescue and redemption. Thank you for his certain return one day for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening. I'm Bill Crowder, and on behalf of the entire Our Daily Bread family, I want to wish you and your loved ones a very merry and blessed Christmas. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.