By Whom Was Born Jesus
Some of the most skipped-over parts of the Bible are the long lists of genealogies. It seems difficult to even pronounce some of the old Hebrew names. So, we skip over something very important and wonder why space in the Bible is “wasted” with such long, boring lists.
Actually, those long, genealogical lists are another proof to us that Jesus truly is the long promised Savior for every one of us. God caused the Israelites to be very determined in keeping their genealogy intact, so that later generations could see that God’s prophecies do come true. For instance, the long list given in Matthew chapter 1 that ends with “by whom was born Jesus”, is the genealogy from Abraham to the Christ. The original promise from God is recorded in Genesis 22:18, where God says to Abraham,
And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.
Abraham lived over two thousand years before Christ was born, and Matthew traces his descendants to Christ. There is even more to God’s promise to Abraham than at first meets the eye. The apostle Paul notes some details for us in God’s promise. In Galatians 3:16, Paul says,
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “and to seeds,” referring to many, but rather to one, ”and to your seed,” that is, Christ.
It is in Christ only that all the nations shall be blessed. He alone is that one seed of Abraham that would be a blessing to all nations. All the other descendents of Abraham are not a part of being the special blessing for all nations that God promised. God wants us to see how He is able to work over thousands of years of time to keep His promises.
And, no matter what our lineage, all those who believe in and trust Jesus as their Savior will be blessed with eternal salvation. So, we learn that we are children of God through faith alone. It no longer matters where we were born or where we now live. Everyone who accepts Christ as Lord becomes a real part of God’s family.
It is none other than God who makes us a part of His family. John 1:12 assures everyone of that by saying,
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.
So, no matter who we are, our salvation is a gift from God, when we receive Jesus as our Savior by faith. God proved His power to make that true by showing how He kept His promise of the one seed to Abraham.
Your special Christmas gift is to know deep down in your heart that the Christ child is a gift for you, too. When we celebrate Christmas, we are rejoicing over the fact that Jesus now lives in our hearts to lead us to eternal salvation.
A real Christmas is not honestly celebrated, unless we accept Christ as our Savior. People may be excited about all the activities and the pretend stories about Santa and Frosty — but, all of that is hollow and meaningless. They have nothing to honestly celebrate.
It is only when we have Christ in our hearts that we can celebrate the peace and joy of realizing the great depths of God’s love for us in Jesus. As we think about the power of God to keep His promises, we say, “Hallelujah! My Lord, Your love for me is everlastingly faithful. Thank You for leading me to see the greatness and beauty of Your love for me.”
Love,
Margaret
A devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and King of kings…
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