Hey, welcome to today's word of encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

The reading for today titled Jesus Our Rescuer was written by Marvin Williams.

What began as a normal cable car ride across a Pakistani valley turned into a frightful

ordeal. Shortly after the ride began, two supporting cables snapped, leaving eight

passengers, including school children, suspended hundreds of feet in the air. The situation

sparked an arduous 12-hour rescue operation

by the Pakistani military, who used ziplines, helicopters, and more to rescue the passengers.

Those well-trained rescuers are to be commended, but their work pales in comparison to the eternal work of Jesus,

whose mission was to save and rescue us from sin and death. In Matthew chapter 1, prior to Christ's

birth, an angel instructed Joseph to take Mary home because her pregnancy was from the Holy Spirit.

Joseph was also told to name his son, Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins.

Yet, while this name was common in the first century, only this child was qualified to be the Savior.

Christ came at the right time to seal and secure the eternal salvation of all who repent and believe in him.

We were all trapped in the cable car of sin and death, suspended over the valley of eternal separation

from God. But in His love and grace, Jesus came to rescue us and bring us safely home to our

Heavenly Father. Praise Him.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Matthew chapter 1,

verses 18 through 25.

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. 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. But after he had

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