The birth of Jesus, the EMMANUEL "God with us" ~ Gospel of Matthew

Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, 

is born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary 

in the city of Bethlehem.

"May all kings bow down to him 

 and all nations serve him."

~ Psalm 72:11 ~

Herds of camels will cover your land,

young camels of Midian and Ephah.

And all from Sheba will come,

bearing gold and incense

and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

~ Isaiah 60:6 ~

Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

The angel said to shepherds abiding in the field, 

keeping watch over their flock by night, 

Fear not: for, 

behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 

which shall be to all people. 

For unto you is born this day 

in the city of David a Saviour, 

which is Christ the Lord.

~ Luke 2:8-11 ~

Matthew 2:1-12
The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

** magi means wise men or priests who studied the stars.

"Freely you received, freely give" Matthew 10:8

Jesus has blessed us and in turn we should share our blessing with others. Jesus' instruction deals with our relationship and attitude toward other people as we are the vessels through which the Father is reaching out to the world. Jesus is filling us with every good thing we need to serve him and we are only bearers of these blessings, and we should also bear the fruit of the Spirit from within us. All things are poured into us, produced in us and we only need to be obedient vessels of God to carry it so others may benefit. We cannot afford to be selfish of these blessing, whether it is love, mercy, forgiveness, time, strength, encouragement, riches, patience, understanding or revelation as was given for us to freely by God and we should also give it freely to others. Therefore, what we need to be doing is anointing, casting out demons, healing the sick, preaching the good news, loving the unlovable, feeding the poor, sharing the light in the darkness and investing in lives that seem worthless. 

We as Christians have received the Word of God (our daily bread) and His only begotten son Jesus Christ our Saviour who died for our sins. Each and everyone of us has been saved by His grace through our faith in Jesus. God freely gives us salvation, but in order for people to receive His gift, they must first hear the Good News through the Words given to us by He alone. God gives us so much in this life and blesses us in so many ways, that the very least we can do is share it with others. 

We should do it in God's will and in abide to his new commandment "Love one another as I have loved you.", and without having a thought of what will gain by doing it. God knows what good we have done and he will bless in His time.

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Worship the LORD, 

our Creator and Saviour, 

for He is generous and good beyond our imagination! 

Praise Him, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, 

that He showers us with His abundance blessing 

and empowers us to give along with Him.

Give thanks to Jesus 

for giving Himself so freely for us. 

Thank Him for not only forgiving you 

but also freeing you from captivity 

of the sin in this world.

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Generosity Encouraged

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;

their righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!