Jesus' humble birth shows us that God wanted everyone to know Him. There was nothing important or powerful about shepherds in those days, but that is exactly who the angels go to tell first that Jesus had been born. God cared about them and wanted them to know the good news. God cares about you and your family, too. He wants you to know the good ne…

Hundreds of years before this journey took place, God promised that he would send a Savior who would be born in Bethlehem. God doesn't just make promises, He keeps them. He promised a Savior, and He sent Jesus at exactly the right time, in exactly the right place. Because of God's great love for us, He sent Jesus so that we would have the opportuni…

Joseph was told in a dream about God's big plan, not only for Joseph and Mary, but for the whole world. "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." After the episode, take a few minutes and let us know you're on this Jesse Tree journey with us. Just go to fbmaryville.org/j…

Mary was simply a young Jewish woman living in Nazareth when something extraordinary happened. While engaged to a man named Joseph, Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel with some incredible news. Mary is told that she has been found highly favored and that the Lord is with her. After the episode, take a few minutes and let us know you're on this Je…

Jesus' birth in the small town of Bethlehem can remind us that Jesus came for everyone. He didn't just come for the rich, powerful, or important people. He came for the ordinary people. People who came from humble beginnings. The good news of Jesus growing up to live a perfect life, giving His life, and rising from the grave, is good news for all p…

Our desire for peace is not an accident. We were made for peace. In the beginning, God created a world of perfect peace. When sin entered the world, that peace was shattered, and ever since, the world has lived in that brokenness. Many people look for peace in what the world has to offer. This is a peace that does not sustain. Through a belief in J…

Esther was brave and went to the king to save her people, even though she could have died. That's a picture of what Jesus did for us. The difference is, Jesus did die. He gave up His life to save us. He then rose from the grave, defeating sin and death forever. After the episode, take a few minutes and let us know you're on this Jesse Tree journey …

We can learn from Jonah that God's love will find us no matter what we've done or where we've been. Jonah failed, but God forgave him and used him anyway. Even when we don't deserve His love, it's still there. He doesn't give up on us. He calls us to Him, forgives us, and gives us new purpose through our belief in Jesus. After the episode, take a f…

Daniel's story points us to Jesus. Like Daniel, Jesus was faithful and obedient to God, even when it led to suffering. Like Daniel, Jesus was falsely accused. Like Daniel, Jesus was placed in a sealed pit (a tomb). And just like God delivered Daniel from the lions, God delivered Jesus from death itself. Through Jesus' death and resurrection, the Go…

God's people were going through a time when they had forgotten to worship God. They instead were worshiping a false god named Baal. It was Elijah's job to remind the people about the one true God, but the people didn't want to listen. This was all about to change. After the episode, take a few minutes and let us know you're on this Jesse Tree journ…

Many years before Jesus was born, people called prophets would bring God's message to the people of Israel. The prophets reminded the people of what God wanted them to do. God wanted them to understand who He was and trust Him in the way they lived their lives. The prophets told the people to worship the one true God, and foretold of the promised M…

Jesus came from the family line of David. Just like David was a shepherd and a king, Jesus is our Good Shepherd and our Forever King. David was a good king, but he couldn't take away people's sins. Jesus is the perfect King who did take away our sins when he died on the cross and rose from the grave. After the episode, take a few minutes and let us…

Just like God had a plan for Ruth and Naomi, He has a plan for us as well. He loves us so much that just like Boaz was the redeemer for Ruth and Naomi, God sent Jesus to be our Redeemer. When we trust in Jesus, we can be part of God's family forever. After the episode, take a few minutes and let us know you're on this Jesse Tree journey with us. Ju…

Just like Rahab was rescued from Jericho's destruction, we can be rescued from sin and death by trusting in Jesus. Rahab's story reminds us that God's love is for everyone. No one is too far from God's forgiveness. When we put our faith in Jesus, we become part of God's forever family —just like Rahab did. After the episode, take a few minutes and …

Discover the sweeping story of Moses, born under Pharaoh's oppression yet rescued and raised in the palace itself. From the burning bush to the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, we follow God's powerful rescue of His people. The journey leads to Mount Sinai, where Moses delivers the Ten Commandments and a new covenant begins. After the episod…

Joseph chose forgiveness over revenge. He saw that God used everything, even the bad parts of his life, to bring about something good and to save many people. When Jesus came to earth, some people hated Him and wanted to hurt Him. They arrested Him, lied about Him, and even killed Him on a cross. It looked like the worst thing ever, but what did Go…

Even though Jacob had done some deceptive things, God was showing Jacob through this dream that He was going to be with him. The blessing that started with Abraham was now passed to Jacob. God eventually changes Jacob's name to Israel, and he becomes the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. After the episode, take a few minutes and let us know you're…

At an old age, Abraham and Sarah had a son, and they can now see a path to God's promise of a family as numerous as the stars. But first a test. And not just any test. A God test. After the episode, take a few minutes and let us know you're on this Jesse Tree journey with us. Just go to fbmaryville.org/jessetree and hit the button that says "We Are…

God made a promise to Abram that he would have a family as numerous as the stars. The problem. Abram and Sarai had no children and were well past the age of having a child. But we are going to see today that even when something seems impossible, God always keeps His promises. Something to note about today's devotional is the name changes. Abram is …

If you remember from yesterday, we talked about Abram. Abram had faith to trust God even when he couldn't see all the plans God had for him. Today we are going to see more details into God's plans for him, which includes his wife, Sarai. After the episode, take a few minutes and let us know you're on this Jesse Tree journey with us. Just go to fbma…

After the account of the flood, we read about Noah's three sons in Genesis 9 through 11. In chapter 11, we follow the family line of Noah's son Shem, and end up with a man named Abram. Here we see that God had a high calling for Abram, which would eventually lead to him being called the "father of many nations". After the episode, take a few minute…

Sin is anything we think, say, or do that goes against God's rules. Sin has consequences that ultimately lead to death and separation from God. There came a time in our history when there was so much sin in the world that God decided to destroy mankind. There was only one man who was righteous in God's eyes, and that man was Noah. After the episode…

Today we are going to read about God's first people, Adam and Eve, and how they disobeyed God, bringing sin into God's perfect world, and changing the history of all mankind. After the episode, take a few minutes and let us know you're on this Jesse Tree journey with us. Just go to fbmaryville.org/jessetree and hit the button that says "We Are Part…

When we look at creation it's important to understand that what we read in Scripture, from beginning to end, is absolutely true. There are definitely areas of Scripture that our minds may not fully comprehend, and that is okay! That's where faith and trust come in. So when it becomes difficult to accept that God simply spoke and the most complex th…

Through the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, we find that God had a plan to work through the family line of a man named Jesse. Join us today in Isaiah 11 as we watch His plan unfold. After the episode, take a few minutes and let us know you're on this Jesse Tree journey with us. Just go to fbmaryville.org/jessetree and h…

The Jesse Tree Advent devotional starts tomorrow! In today's episode, we'll discuss how to lead your family on this journey and highlight some of the key resources. Visit fbmaryville.org/jessetree to download the Jesse Tree booklet and ornaments. Please also click the button that says "We Are Participating." This will automatically add you to the J…