Key Passage
But after Joseph thought about this, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to accept Mary to be your wife. The baby that is in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son. You will name the son Jesus. Give him that name because he will save his people from their sins."
— Matthew 1:20-21 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key Thought
Most Christians know the three gifts of the Magi to Jesus were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But, did you know that the angel of the Lord also gave Joseph the assurance that God is giving three gifts in sending Jesus? God's three gifts in Jesus are: 1) a Son of David who fulfills God's promise of a King who will reign forever; 2) a child named Jesus who is God's Son, conceived through the Holy Spirit; and 3) a son named Jesus, the Great Deliverer, who will save his people from their sins. As Jesus' younger brother would later write, God is the Father of "every good and perfect gift" (James 1:17). There is no gift more precious or far-reaching than the gift of Jesus, God's Son, and our Savior.
Prayer
O dear Father, you give such amazing and generous gifts. Thank you for your assurance and love, for people of faith who believe and act on your Word, for the Holy Spirit who leads us in your will, and most of all, for your Son and my Savior, Jesus. For these gifts and a host of others I so often take for granted, I give you thanks. You are wonderful and your love is too great for me to fathom. Please accept my heartfelt praise, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Related Scriptures
My dear brothers and sisters, don't be fooled about this. Everything good comes from God. And every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky (sun, moon, stars). But God never changes {like those lights}. He is always the same. God decided to give us life through the word of truth. He wanted us to be the most important of all the things he made.
— James 1:16-18
Thanks be to God for his gift that is too wonderful to explain.
— 2 Corinthians 9:15
But when the right time came, God sent his Son. God's Son was born from a woman. God's Son lived under the law. God did this so that he could buy the freedom of the people who were under the law. God's purpose was to make us his children. You are God's children. That is why God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. The Spirit cries out, "Abba, Father." So now you are not a slave like before. You are God's child. God will give you the things he promised, because you are his child.
— Galatians 4:4-7
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