Adeola Akinsemoyin @mantha

While Mary and Joseph were still finalizing their guest list and picking out a wedding cake, she startled him with some unexpected news—she, a virgin, was pregnant. 

Assuming she’d been unfaithful, Joseph was poised to cancel the engagement. But while he was still considering his exit strategy, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream—telling him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, for the child inside her was from the Holy Spirit.

“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This miracle was the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies—God-inspired predictions about the Messiah, Savior, or “Chosen/Anointed One”—recorded in the Old Testament.

From conception, Jesus’ purpose was made known: to save His people from their sins. Because even before God created the world, His plan was to save it.

Isn’t it interesting that you didn’t choose the time, place, body, or family in which you were born? But God has you here, right now, on purpose. 

You’ve been grafted into an ongoing story playing out since the beginning of time. And this timeless offer, to be saved from the shackles of your sin and freed from a debt you could never pay, has been extended to you.

What is sin? Sin is choosing our way instead of God’s. Sin is rebelling against His design and His plan. And we’ve all done it—we’ve all fallen short of God’s righteous standard.

But that’s why He sent Jesus—because He loved us that much.

And then, Jesus gave His life for the sake of the world.

If you’ve never accepted the free gift of salvation, today can be your day, and this moment can be your moment. There’s nothing you can do to earn it, but you can come to Him—just as you are.

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In the Bible, many heroes of faith started out at the very bottom.

Think of Joseph for example. He was thrown in a pit and sold into slavery by his own brothers. But even as slave, he developed his skills. He was so valuable that he was put in charge of his master’s whole household.

When he was falsely accused and put into prison, he was so valuable there that they put him in charge of the whole prison. What is that? Cream rising to the top.

When Pharaoh needed someone to run the country during the great famine, he didn’t choose a cabinet member; he didn’t choose his department head. He chose Joseph, a prisoner, a slave. Why?

Joseph developed his skills right where he was. His gifts opened doors for him, and he was always rising to the top.

There’s never an excuse to not keep rising. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like your current job; it doesn’t matter if other people don’t treat you right.

God is saying, “It’s time to get out of the pit. It’s time to shake off the past. It’s time to rise to the top!”

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Have you ever felt forgotten? Unnoticed? Unimportant? 

You’re not alone.

When Jesus was born, He entered into human history in one of the smallest towns in all of Israel. There wasn’t even any room for his pregnant mother in the house, so he was born in a stable next to animals.

This was such a stark contrast to Israel’s current king—Herod, who lived in massive palaces and flaunted his wealth. While Herod was living in splendor, the King of all the universe was being born in the humblest of settings and humblest of towns.

But this obscurity brings us hope. Why? Because it shows us the example that He set for us from the beginning.

The Kingdom of God has always been upside-down compared to the culture of the world. Humility instead of grandeur. Serving instead of ruling. Giving instead of acquiring. God showed us the way His Kingdom works by bringing something great out of something small. That’s what this verse reminds us of:

“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.” 
Micah 5:2 NIV

Though you are small, out of you will come one who will be ruler over Israel.

Wealth and status aren’t measurements for success in God’s Kingdom. Being part of the Kingdom of God is about trusting that God is writing the story. It’s about remembering that the Kingdom of God has never been like the kingdoms of this world. And it’s also about remembering that, out of small beginnings, God can do great things.

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“‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.’”
Jeremiah 23:5 NIV

Old Testament prophets tended to get in trouble. Not because they were bad people, but because they often spoke uncomfortable truths to people in power. Just look at the verse above. On the surface, it seems like a nice, simple promise—one day a righteous descendant of David will come and rule with wisdom and justice. Great message, right? Well, here’s the problem for Jeremiah:

The current king is a descendant of King David. Jeremiah doesn’t say there’s a righteous king in the present, but one coming in the future. In making this prophecy about the future ruler, he’s also critiquing the current one. 

Jeremiah had a lot to say about the kings of his day. He spoke about their failure to protect the innocent, how they ignored oppression, and how they allowed violence against cultural outsiders. In other words, they were poor representatives of God’s love, kindness, and forgiveness. 

Of course, it wasn’t just the kings of Jeremiah’s time who had issues. The Old Testament is full of kings making harmful choices that impacted their kingdom. Even the best of the best, King David, was deeply flawed. But Jeremiah still had hope he wanted to share with his people. 

Jeremiah knew that, despite a long line of troubled, flawed, and corrupt kings, God would one day bring a new kind of king. 

This king would be without the flaws and failures that plagued previous generations. This king would show God’s love, kindness, and forgiveness. He would create a kingdom where everyone could be right with God and live out His righteous ways. 

Jeremiah might not have known the name of this king, but we do. When Jesus came to earth, He announced that God’s kingdom had come. Not a kingdom based on strength, territory, or wealth, but a kingdom of kindness, service, and generosity. The kind of kingdom where everyone is invited. 

Jeremiah knew flawed kings, but we know the perfect, sinless King. It is King Jesus, who calls us to represent His kingdom through daily decisions of kindness, service, and generosity.

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This scripture shares the important truth that new growth is coming. What is unique is the growth isn’t coming from a vibrant tree, but from a stump! A stump is the remains of something that once was vibrant and full of life, but is now seemingly dead.

But what appears to be dead is instead going to produce a “tender shoot,” meaning a young, new growth, and out of that new growth the branch will bear fruit.

For Christians, this verse is talking about the coming Messiah, Jesus, who will come from the family line of Jesse. A family that seemingly was done and cut off to just the stump. Yet, he came as a “tender shoot,” as a baby in a manger, and lived a life to bear fruit for his father and ultimately pay the sacrifice for all our sins on the cross.

This verse also points to an important application for us—that God can take things that look dead in our life and cause new growth to appear. Even when it all seems done and dead, the miracle of growth is always possible.

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“'The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.'” 
Jeremiah 33:14 NIV

A lot of people would have laughed at Jeremiah when he said these words. Why? Because it seemed like God had abandoned both Israel and Judah. 

At this point in the story of the Bible, Israel is gone—wiped out by an invading army. Now Judah is alone, and another massive army is at their gates to destroy them, too. The situation couldn’t have been more hopeless. 

Have you experienced a moment like that? Maybe it was a life-changing loss, or impossibly difficult news. In those painful moments, it can feel impossible to trust God’s promises. The people listening to Jeremiah probably felt the same way. But it wasn’t the end of their story because circumstances can’t ruin God’s promises. 

Yes, the enemy broke in and took God’s people into captivity for decades. But God didn’t abandon His people or give up on His promises. Over time, He rescued His people from captivity and brought them back home. 

God hasn’t abandoned you in your pain either. You might feel like there’s no way out of your situation, or that your choices disqualify you from God’s love. But God keeps His promises. 

For generations after returning from captivity, God’s people struggled. They continued to face heartbreak, setbacks, invasions, and captivity. But when they least expected it, God fulfilled His promise. He sent His son, Jesus, to lead everyone, including the people of Israel and Judah, into a new and better future. 

God's promise of a better future applies to you, too. When we pursue God with our whole lives, we find peace, strength, and contentment. And we live with confidence knowing that one day, we’ll get to spend eternity with Jesus. We have new life believing that God has fulfilled His promise.

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Hundreds of years before Jesus, the people of God were in trouble. 

They were stuck in life, unable to help themselves, and perhaps beginning to doubt that God would save them. Have you ever felt the same way? If so, you might relate to the original audience of this verse—the exiles in Babylon. 

The Babylonians took their land and sent them hundreds of miles away. Maybe they thought God had abandoned them or that He couldn’t hear their cries. But God is always present and He’s always close. 

Isaiah let his people know that God would provide a way out of Babylonian captivity. And God kept His promise, allowing His people to return home. 

Generations later, many of God’s people saw themselves as being in a new exile. They were home, but all was not well. So they remembered this verse and its promise—that no matter how dark or desperate our situation might be, God is able to provide a path out of brokenness, heartbreak, and despair into a whole, healthy future. 

Little did they know that an even more permanent solution to the darkness they lived in was coming. Isaiah 40:3 is a prophecy that was not only fulfilled when the exiles left Babylon and went home, but was also fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah. Through Jesus, God paved a permanent path for people to come out of darkness and find hope, strength, and peace. God provided a permanent way out of darkness and into light.

So what are you going through? What’s your “Babylon?” It might be a habit you can’t break, a loved one who keeps making self-destructive decisions, or a mental health challenge that feels overwhelming. No matter what it is, God can and will make a way out of brokenness and into life.

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Jesus, all powerful and completely perfect, gave up His life for us. He willingly went to the cross to be crucified, the most painful death imaginable, because He loved us so much.

He invites us to do the same. 

1 John 3:16 tells us, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." 

How can we demonstrate this kind of sacrificial love in our own lives? Can we give our time, attention, or resources to help someone in need? Are we willing to listen and be present for others, even when it's not easy or comfortable? Are we willing to even give up our lives to care for and protect others? 

This kind of love is challenging. It asks us to look beyond our own needs and to see the needs of others. It calls us to be selfless, patient, and kind. The good news is, Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything for someone else that He wasn’t willing to do for us first. He knows how hard it is and yet, He still gave everything for us.

Today, let's keep this scripture in mind and look for opportunities to show love through our actions. Whether it's helping a neighbor, spending time with a friend who is struggling, or showing kindness to a stranger, each act of love brings us closer to living like Jesus.

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Do you know what love means? Many people grow up with imperfect pictures of love. It can be difficult to think about when we may not have ever experienced true love. It can be even harder to love others when we aren’t sure what that means. 

Jesus spoke a lot about love, and He also commanded His followers to love people. More than that, Jesus modeled love in His life and ministry. He gave us a picture of what pure love looks like.

Jesus instructed His disciples multiple times to love one another. The Old Testament also contains commands to love others. Jesus’ command is new, not because it was the first time it had ever been said, but because He uses Himself as the standard.

He doesn’t command us to love people until we’re tired. He doesn’t say to love others until we don’t feel like it. He says to love others in the same way He has loved us.

Jesus loves us unconditionally. He does not hold anything back from us. Instead, He gave His entire life up for us. And He didn’t do this to please other people—but because He loved His Heavenly Father, and His Heavenly Father deeply loved us. It was unconditional love that led Jesus to the cross.

Jesus cares about the quality of our love toward others, and the measure of the quality of our love is Jesus, not people. We shouldn’t compare our acts and thoughts against other people, because the only person we’re called to be like is Jesus Himself.  

Think about the past few days and reflect on how loving you were toward other people. Did you go out of your way to help someone? Were you selfless in showing love? Consider a few practical ways you can love others the way Jesus loves you. Spend some time in prayer, and then take a step toward showing someone love.

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