Today’s Reading: Matthew 1:18-19

As we begin a new journey through the book of Matthew, I am asking God to give me new insights. I long for my heart to take the next steps in my surrender to Him. As Frances J. Crosby wrote in 1880, I am asking God to write the story of Jesus on my heart so that I have a renewed submission to whatever the Spirit wants to do in me.

My plan for this year is to go through the book of Matthew, and then return to the other gospels after we have studied this apostle’s account of the life of Jesus. Some of these devotionals will be familiar from previous years and some will be new. I invite you to join me in studying the book of Matthew in preparation for the upcoming celebration of the birth of Christ.

THIS IS HOW…

Everyone’s story can be started with these three words. This is how Sherry came to be born to a young couple in Bloomington, Indiana. This is how that family came to know Christ. This is how Sherry fell in love with her friend, Scott, and they chose to get married. This is how their family grew, and this is how all five of them pursued God’s call on their lives.

The story of Jesus as told by the apostle Matthew starts with these same three words:

THIS IS HOW Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. – Matthew 1:18-19

THIS IS HOW Jesus was born.
THIS IS HOW the virgin, Mary, came to be with child.
THIS IS HOW Joseph decided to marry her instead of divorcing her quietly.
THIS IS HOW Mary & Joseph were in Bethlehem when Jesus was born.
THIS IS HOW Jesus was born in a stable instead of an inn.
THIS IS HOW shepherds and wisemen came to visit the baby Jesus.
THIS IS HOW Herod came to know of the birth of King Jesus.
THIS IS HOW the prophecy of Isaiah came to be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.

This is how the story of Jesus began. So what is your story? How did you come to know Christ? What circumstances brought you to the place in life you are today? How would you finish this sentence:

THIS IS HOW ______________________________________(fill in the blank)

In a trust exercise, our leadership team went around the table sharing a little about our backstory. Where were you born? How many siblings do you have and where are you in the birth order? What is something about your childhood that speaks loudly into the adult you are today? It was a moment of honesty and vulnerability – a moment when we trusted each other with new information and purposefully began a journey to increase our trust in one another for the sake of our effectiveness in ministry.

Knowing where we have been, and how we arrived at where we are today, helps us gain focus on where we are going. As Paul Harvey would ask, what is the rest of the story? We have the opportunity to write the next chapter of our lives – our next THIS IS HOW.

Heavenly Father, we bow before you on this beautiful morning asking that you would see into our hearts. Lord, see the desire of our heart to live a life that pleases you. We thank you for our story, for the way you have been with us through the great times and through the difficult ones. We ask for a renewed faith as we study the gospel of Matthew, hearing again how you gave your Son for us — to be born in a manger and to die on a cross. May our hearts be open to any new insights you have for us as we read through your story! Lord, we bring to you the gift of our lives and we give you where our story goes from here. Father, take the pen out of my hand and write the rest of my story for me. I give you creative control of all my tomorrows. Amen.