And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” which means, God with us. When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (Matthew 1:19-25 ESV) The Bible doesnt tell us a lot about Joseph, but these verses speak volumes about his character. Joseph didnt want to disgrace Mary publicly, although he had every right to do so. The engagement period in their society was much more binding than in our society. Couples would actually have to divorce for the marriage arrangement not to be fulfilled. This could have been done in a public forum such as a court, but in his heart Joseph wanted the matter to be handled privately. The angel changed his mind though! He followed through with Gods plan to change the world, which couldnt have been easy. Being female, I usually look at Jesus birth through Marys eyes. But when we stop and look at it through the eyes of Joseph, how much trust he had to place in His God and in Mary, it really is a true example of we must place our whole lives in our Great Gods hands and trust that everything will be ok no matter what the world thinks. We have to wonder if his family tried to talk him out his decision to believe the angel. Did they think he was crazy? Have you ever made the decision to follow Christ down a road no one thought you should? Be strong in your decision! Its never wrong when Christ is leading the way! God chose such a strange way to save the world didnt He? His people were expecting a mighty King and they knew Him not because they thought He would be sitting on His throne here on earth. Im so proud our Savior rules from Heaven above, as our Savior and Risen Lord! God, I love You so much! Thank You for working in us and through us and using us to bring others to You. Use us daily in Your service. May we have the faith of Joseph in our lives as we follow You. Give us wisdom and knowledge as we study Your word and may we grow in our faith daily. May You be the centerpiece of all our Christmas celebrations this year! We give You all honor and all glory and all praise. You are so very worthy!!!
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 12:42:09 +0000
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