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Day 5 Through the prophet Micah, God had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem: “But you, O Bethlehem…are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past” (Micah 5:2). So, it was no accident that Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. Before the world was created, God knew that around the year 6 B.C. the leader of the Roman Empire would decree that a census be taken of all the people in his domain. For that reason, Joseph and Mary had to journey about 65 miles to register in the town of Joseph’s ancestor, David. When we think about Jesus being born, we often imagine a picture similar to what we’ve seen on the front of Christmas cards: a soft golden glow surrounding a beautiful mother with a baby in her arms, as her husband and the animals of the manger scene adoringly watch. But Jesus’ birth was not such a pretty picture. First, giving birth to a baby is not an easy thing to do! I am sure Mary did not enjoy delivering Jesus on a stinky floor, after several days of traveling! Mary laid him in a manger, which is a nice word for an animal feeding trough. How would you like to sleep in a box where animals had eaten and slobbered? Jesus went through a lot of trouble to become a human being, and that shows us how much He loves us and desired to honor His Father. Wonder if Mary and Joseph complained to each other about all their troubles. Just to register their names in Bethlehem, they had to make a long journey when Mary was very pregnant, and Mary had to give birth in very unpleasant surroundings. They probably didn’t realize that they were right in the center of God’s will, fulfilling ancient prophecy. We often grumble about circumstances in our lives when we don’t see God’s plan. But if we could see our circumstances through God’s eyes, we would rejoice. If we understood His Sovereignty we could see His plan in every circumstance! #247daily
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