Joy To Your World - Children's Advent DevotionalSample

There is a lot more to the Christmas story than you might realize. The Bible is the most unique book in history because it is God’s word. Each word is inspired so each word is important to understand. There is a lot of important information that isn’t discovered until we study the words.

Luke 2 tells us that, six weeks after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple to “present him to the Lord” (v. 22). The next verses contain some hidden truth too.

The Bible says, “And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons’” (Luke 2:22–24).

What did the Lord want us to know about Mary and Joseph from these verses?

They obeyed God’s word. They did exactly what the Law of Moses said to do. They walked for six miles with a newborn baby to present Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem and make the offering that the Law of Moses required. They obeyed even when it wasn’t easy.

Jesus was the firstborn son of Joseph. If Joseph died, Jesus would be required to take care of the family. This is probably why Jesus didn’t begin his public ministry until he was thirty years old. He was the oldest and needed to care for the family. Joseph was a poor man because his offering was a pair of pigeons. He would have been required to offer a lamb if he was able.

God chose Mary and Joseph to raise his Son because they were obedient to His word. But God also chose two people who were poor. God chose Jesus to be a first-born child, knowing He would need to be responsible for a family. God chose people who would do whatever was necessary to be faithful to him. Hidden in the Christmas story is a message from God about what matters most in this life.

God values people who will be faithful and obedient to His word. God thinks a strong character is more important than things money can buy. This is a great day to follow the example of Mary and Joseph and live faithfully and joyfully for God.