Whether a nation has a Judeo-Christian history or not,  most nevertheless still run post-Christmas sales. China, Japan, South Korea, even the malls in a good many Middle Eastern countries all have massive post-Christmas markdowns.

Today, a pair of shoes is worth x. Tomorrow all of a sudden, they’re out the door for half price. What changed? They’re still the same pair of shoes. The wholesale price to the retailer certainly hasn’t changed. And yet, they’ve been devalued, marked down, just to clear them out. Speaking of Jesus,

John 1:46 … Nathanael said to Philip, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see.”

Though spoken years later, Nathaniel’s words reflect a dismissive attitude toward Jesus’ humble beginnings – born as He was in a manger to parents of no status, raised in the obscure, working-class town of Nazareth (far from Jerusalem, the centre of religious respectability).

From the world’s perspective, Jesus had no credentials, no pedigree, no place. Yet heaven called Him “Saviour, Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11)

Many a person’s life has been marked down like a post-Christmas sale item, like Jesus’ was. And yet look at Him. He remains to this day the Saviour of the world, having died on that Cross and been raised back to life again.

People will mark you down. They will dismiss you, ignore you, despise you even. But have no doubt – God sees you, He loves you and He has a plan to achieve mighty things through you, despite what others may think.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.