The Christmas Witnesses- JOSEPH
The Christmas Witnesses
by
Bryan Craig
THURSDAY- Joseph
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"Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.'" Matthew 1:19-20 NIV
Joseph
Joseph has always been an unsung hero in the Christmas story for me. He was a faithful Jew, following the letter of the law and engaged to be married. I imagine he had hormones like any normal man, but he suppressed them to honor his faith. Then, he found out that Mary was pregnant, and he knew the baby was not his. Feelings of betrayal and jealousy and anger must have filled his heart. His mind searched through images of different men in their village who might have violated his fiancée. Despite his darkness, he did not want to disgrace Mary. He must have really loved her.
Then, an angel visited Joseph and told him that Mary had not been unfaithful. As a matter of fact, she had been most faithful in receiving this blessing from the Lord. Joseph woke up and was obedient to the Lord in not only marrying Mary, but also in suppressing his hormones for nine more months until the birth of Jesus was complete. (Matthew 1:25) What a faithful man!
Are you like Joseph in that your faith is being tested right now? Has God been working right around you, perhaps in people you love, and you are being stretched to understand what is happening? Has something happened which seems devastating and yet, the Lord is telling you to trust Him? Is Jesus desiring to come into your home, and you are being confronted with the Savior? It is one thing to say we have faith and go to church and call ourselves Christians. It is yet another to thing to go through the crucible of faith where we must trust Him completely, beyond our understanding.
Jesus had to come through the line of David, and Joseph was the one who was chosen, along with Mary, to fulfill prophecy. Like Joseph, you play a very important part in God's Kingdom. He needs faithful men who will carry out their calling. Only you and God know what He is asking you to do, but it will require Personal Abandonment and Absolute Trust to get you there. The Lord has something very special planned for you and if you are obedient, it will bless you as well as the people around you and generations to come.