We often have an idealized and romanticized picture of the days leading up to the first Christmas.
We see Christmas cards and nativity scenes, and we assume those days were stress-free. But that’s far from how those involved in the first Christmas actually felt.
The very first Christmas didn’t start out as a merry time for most of those involved. The news that Jesus was coming stressed everyone out.
You may be in similar shoes this Christmas. You may feel confused, hurt, afraid, or simply exhausted.
What does this Christmas story have to say to you?
Over the next few devotionals, I’ll go deeper into how each of these central characters in the Christmas story responded to their pain—and how God changed everything for them in response.
But they all have one thing in common: They turned to God.
The Bible says, “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (Joel 2:13 NIV).
No matter what you’re going through, God loves you. When you turn to God, he won’t turn away.
On that very first Christmas, every one of these characters turned to God. They all looked to him to meet their greatest needs.
God was there for Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men.
He’ll be there for you, too
“¿Por qué tienen miedo? —preguntó Jesús—. ¡Tienen tan poca fe! Entonces se levantó y reprendió…
We only learn who we are in relationship. We only learn our true identity in…
“Ahora que saben estas cosas, Dios los bendecirá por hacerlas”. Juan 13:17 (NTV) Los vientos…
You need to plant by faith, not by your feelings. Do you think that every…
“Entonces ya no seremos inmaduros como los niños. No seremos arrastrados de un lado a…
Years ago PBS did a series of family histories of famous Americans. They wanted to…