**Daily Devotional** **December 21** *1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. - Luke 2:1-3 (KJV)* The Christmas Story continues. It is so amazing that God uses even heathen Kings to cause His prophecies to come to past, as it was prophesized that Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Caesar Augustus ordering that all should be taxed helped fulfill this prophecy. The Jews were at this time living under the rule of the Romans, as they had been conquered by them, so they were having to abide by this decree to be taxed. This was not the first time of them being taxed, as this verse shows, but this was at the time so that Mary would deliver Jesus during this trip, fulfilling the prophecy. Joseph was a descendant of David’s (Matthew 1:1-17), so he had to take Mary, his wife, and they went to the city of David to register, and pay, the tax that was ordered. The Roman’s were the rulers, and they didn’t care that Mary was about to deliver her first child, but Joseph and Mary had to abide by this decree. The Romans were rulers of the whole known world at this time, so everyone had to go to their ancestral city to be taxed. Can you imagine what confusion such a large amount of people traveling at one time caused, and the hardships that they must have encountered in doing so. Praise God we don’t have to do this in our day and time. Devotional by Pastor Joe W. Green, www.infinite-faith.com