Verse of the Day: Luke 2:4-5

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to...

Verse of the Day for Monday, December 22nd, 2025:

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. — Luke 2:4-5

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Thoughts on Today's Verse....

For the next few days, let's journey with Joseph and Mary as they experience the incredible grace of God in the miraculous birth of God's Son to their family. These verses give us the basics:

• They took a trip south from their home.
• The expectant couple went to Bethlehem, which was King David's home city as well as their own.
• The two were "betrothed" (legally pledged in marriage), but not yet married.
• The time for Jesus to be born was quickly approaching.
• Joseph and Mary were going there to register with the Roman government in Bethlehem as required by the census.

Intrigue about Jesus' biological father hinted at scandal associated with Mary's pregnancy. Themes of promise and fulfillment from the prophets frame the story, reminding us that this is God's story. Human faithfulness amid social, religious, and familial storms echoes throughout the story. The Roman census provides a real historical context for real everyday people who journeyed, risked, sacrificed, and welcomed the newborn Messiah. The Lord enters our world very much in a place where we find ourselves. God has chosen to enter our world in Jesus, Immanuel, as one of us. The Messiah born into such a mess is certainly a Savior and Lord we can reach, follow, and love. This Jesus is one of us.

My Prayer...

Holy and loving God, thank you for the gift of Jesus. Thank you for entering our messy world with all its contradictions, ironies, and conflicts. Thank you for not being aloof or immune to our struggles, but for sharing in them with us as our Immanuel, "God with us"! Amen.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@verseoftheday.com.

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View this email in your browser December 22, 2025 The Wonderful Counselor Psalm 16:7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.     NIV      I can echo those words of David. I know what it is to have access to the Lord's counsel. I value the counsel of the Lord above that of all human wisdom. I've proved so many times in my own experience that the Lord's counsel is reliable.      Later, in the book of Isaiah, the Lord is described as a wonderful counselor, a counselor who is on a level higher than that of human wisdom, human insight, or human knowledge. I'm so glad that I have access to the Lord's counsel.      And I can echo, too, those words that David utters in the next line: "Even at night my heart instructs me." So many times when I have an unresolved problem and I go to sleep and commit it to the Lord, in the night the Lord awakens me. And in the innermost depths of my heart, in the stillness of the night, with that still, small voice, He speaks to me. He shows me the answer to that problem. Oh, it's so good to know that you have access to the counsel of the Lord when you've come to the end of your own ability, when you've reasoned everything out and it doesn't make sense. When you're at an impasse in your life and you don't know which way to turn.      Remember, the Lord is the wonderful counselor. Go to Him, commit it to Him and in His own wonderful way He will show you the answer. —Derek Prince To view a video of scenes from Israel with Derek's original audio on our website click here. Copyright © 2025 Derek Prince Ministries, Int., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box  19501 Charlotte, NC 28219-9501 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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