God’s message to Mary contained some amazing promises that revealed God’s knowledge of the future. He revealed that her son, Jesus, would be great and called the Son of the Most High and that Jesus would reign forever. He also told her that Jesus' kingdom will never end and that He will be called the Son of God. Because God knows the future, you can trust Him with your future.

When Joseph discovered Mary was pregnant, he wanted to do what he thought was best – break off their engagement quietly. But God spoke to him in a dream and gave him clear instructions to follow. These instructions went against Jewish customs: a "good" man like Joseph would not marry a pregnant girl, and he would name his son after himself (like “Joe Junior” – hey, that’s kinda catchy).

However, the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 had to be fulfilled: "All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel." Immanuel means "God with us." Joseph did what God told him in his dream, and the world received their Savior in part because of Joseph’s obedience to God. You can trust that when God gives you instructions (either through His Word, the Bible, or even in a dream), obeying Him is always the best path.

Jesus was God in human form, so we know that He lived a completely sinless life. So we know that He didn't do anything sinful as a little kid. He may have spilled milk by mistake, just as any little kid would do -- but He didn't ever sin.

The prophecy quoted in Matthew 2:5-6 about the birth of Jesus comes from Micah 5:2 in the Old Testament: "'In Bethlehem in Judea,' [the wise men] said, 'for this is what the prophet wrote: "And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.”'" The wise men searched for the King of the Jews. However, Jesus is more than that – He is the King of Kings (Revelation 19:16) whose kingdom will never end (Luke 1:33). Worship Him!

The angel told the shepherds that their news of Jesus’ birth was good news that would bring joy to ALL people. When they saw the truth for themselves, the shepherds immediately praised God and went to tell others. We, too, can pass on the message that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that EVERYONE who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Praise God, for this Good News, which is for everyone – even YOU!