“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!’” (Luke 1:26–28 NLT)

It’s difficult for us to understand, two thousand years after the events of Luke 1, the significance of the angel Gabriel’s appearance to Mary in Nazareth. After all, the Lord could have found the future mother of the Messiah in Rome, the capital of the greatest power on earth at the time. He could have found her in Athens, the cultural center of the world. He could have found her in Jerusalem, the spiritual center of the world. But God chose Nazareth, an obscure city that was notorious for its sin. Years later, when Jesus’ future disciple Nathaniel heard that Jesus was from there, he said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46 NLT).

If Nathaniel had been present during the events recorded in Judges 6, he might have asked, “Can anything good come from the least important member of the least important clan of the tribe of Manasseh?” And he would have been stunned at what God accomplished through Gideon.

If Nathaniel had been present when Samuel was anointing the king of Israel, he might have asked, “Can anything good come from the eighth son of Jesse, a shepherd who writes and sings psalms?” And he would have been stunned by what God accomplished through David.

If it seems to us that God chooses unlikely people—or people from unlikely places—to accomplish His work on earth, it’s only because we have such a limited perspective on people’s potential. In 1 Samuel 16:7, God said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (NIV).

God obviously saw something extraordinary in Mary’s heart. What’s amazing about Mary is that she lived a godly life in a godless place—and that she did so as a very young teenager. Many Bible scholars believe she may have been as young as twelve, but not much older than fourteen, when God chose her.

Here she was, a nobody living in a nothing town in the middle of nowhere—precisely the kind of person that God goes out of His way to call. He chose an unknown girl in a relatively unknown city to bring about the most well-known event in human history, an event so significant that we divide human time by it.

Maybe you’re trying to live out your faith in a godless place today, maybe at work or school or among unbelieving family members. You’re wondering if it can be done. It can. Mary stands as an example for us, proving that it is possible to live a godly life in an ungodly world.

Reflection question: What challenges do you face in trying to live a godly life in an ungodly world? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” (Galatians 4:4–5 NLT)

When we think of Christmas, we think of the arrival of Jesus: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 NLT). In reality, it was also a departure. For us, a Child was born. But for God the Father, a Son was given. Twice in Galatians 4:4–5, God talks about sending Jesus to us (NLT).

In Heaven, the time had come for the departure of God’s Son. We even have a record in Hebrews 10 of Jesus’ farewell words to the Father. He said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—as is written about me in the Scriptures’” (Hebrews 10:5–7 NLT).

It’s impossible for us to comprehend the sacrifice, the break in intimacy, involved in God’s sending of His Son. We see that intimacy between Father and Son throughout Jesus’ public ministry. Luke 6:12 says, “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God” (NIV). Jesus prioritized His relationship with His Father above all else.

We see that intimacy in Matthew 26:39. As the time of His sacrifice approached, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (NIV). Jesus knew what was coming.

And in Mark 15:34, we see the unimaginable agony of Jesus’ sacrifice as He cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (NIV). God placed the sins of the world on His Son. And in that moment, Jesus was banished from His Father’s presence because sin cannot coexist with God. Jesus suffered the separation from God that we deserve.

Jesus also made an unimaginable sacrifice at His birth. He went from the throne of Heaven to a feeding trough. He went from the presence of angels to a stable of animals. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. The apostle Paul summed it up well: “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT).

No one who has ever lived has even remotely affected human history the way Jesus Christ has. He has been opposed, censored, banned, and criticized by every generation since His birth. Yet His influence continues unabated. There has never been anyone like Jesus because Jesus was not just a good man. He was the God-Man who came and walked this earth because of the sacrifice of His Father. And that’s what we celebrate at Christmas.

Reflection question: Where do you see evidence of Jesus’ impact on our culture today? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” (James 1:17 NLT)

You’ve probably heard the saying, “All that glitters is not gold.” But it’s equally important to remember that all that’s gold doesn’t necessarily glitter. That is, not all valuable things appear to be valuable at first glance.

Some of the most precious gifts tend not to attract our attention at first. We take a hurried glance and see nothing of significance. But if we go back and take another look, we begin to discover the glory and wonder of that gift. Think of Christmases past when you set aside a present that didn’t have that “wow” factor to move on to other shinier gifts with more bells and whistles, only to come back later to the less showy but more useful gift.

So it was with the helpless baby in the manger in Bethlehem on the first Christmas. At first glance, He probably didn’t appear to be much of a gift. Another child born into humble circumstances. What value could He have? Why would He even merit a second look?

The Bible practically bursts at the seams to answer that question. God dispatched angels to keep people from looking past His gift. That baby was the only begotten Son of God. Words cannot describe His value. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!” (NLT). Even God couldn’t give a greater gift. He sent His dearly beloved Son into the world as a baby so that, ultimately, we could be saved. God gave us that which was most precious to Him so that His Son would be most precious to us.

Our Lord Himself spoke of such a sacrificial act in Matthew 21:33–46 in His parable about the vineyard owner. The owner, who had unworthy servants looking after his property, sent his representatives and servants to the vineyard. One after another was maltreated and even killed. Then the owner thought, “If I send my son, they won’t do this to him. Surely, they will respect my son. There is nothing beyond this. It is the last act.”

Hebrews 1:1–2 says, “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe” (nlt). God sent many servants into the world and to the nation of Israel. He dispatched countless outstanding men and women to accomplish His work. But He surpassed them all with the gift of His Son.

This is what should fill our minds and hearts with astonishment at Christmas: God has done something that even He Himself cannot exceed. He gave His only Son, His eternal Son, so that we might have eternal life.

Reflection question: What impact has God’s surpassing gift had on your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.