God’s Life-Giving Word of DiscipleshipSample

January 4

Introduction

Today we begin reading excerpts from the Gospel according to Matthew. Mathew’s Gospel begins with a presentation of the ancestors of Jesus in order to make clear that Jesus is from the family of King David and Abraham.

Today’s Key Scripture: Matthew 1:17

There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, and fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon, and fourteen from then to the birth of the Messiah.

Today’s Reading 

Matthew 1:1-17

Reflect

Do you recognize any of the names in this listing? If so, what do you know about them? For those names that are unfamiliar to you, consider looking several of them up in a Bible Dictionary or Concordance (an alphabetical listing of all the words in the Bible along with a reference to the biblical passage in which each occurs). Have you ever done an ancestry search of your family? If so, what did you learn? Whenever you gather with family and friends, do you share memories about any of your ancestors?

Pray

Lord God, you sent Jesus, the Messiah, to be the Savior for the whole world. Teach me to share the Good News of your love with everyone I encounter today. In your holy name, I pray. Amen.

Pray Concern

Those researching their family histories

Tomorrow’s Reading

Matthew 1:18-25: Matthew gives an account of Jesus’s birth.