What about Joseph?
“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of David, the angel said. Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
–Matthew 1:20-21
In this Advent season, we can often forget about a pivotal person and some important lessons learned from him. Joseph.
Joseph was such a good, Godly and righteous man. Think about it. He finds out the woman he is about to marry is pregnant. How can that be? Humanly and understandably you can probably imagine what was going through his mind. He could have acted on that emotion, feeling hurt and maybe even betrayed. He could have acted out in anger. In those days, women caught in adultery could be stoned to death. Yet, Joseph did not want to disgrace Mary publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of David, the angel said. Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
– Matthew 1:20-21
Joseph was incredibly important part of God’s plan. Jesus, the Messiah, was to be from the line of David. Joseph was a son – an ancestor of David, which would legally place Jesus in the line of David.
We can learn also from Joseph’s decisions. They were not based on his own desires or wants, but putting others first. He listened to God and was obedient. Through all of this, Joseph also learned to do whatever it took to make room for Jesus to come into his life.
Are you putting others first? Make room for Jesus and let Joseph’s example be an encouragement to you today. Think of others first. By putting others first and reaching out in love — you are making room for the Christ Child and showing the love of Jesus!
Prayer: Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for using Joseph and teaching us the example of humility, trust and obedience – maybe when we don’t even understand what’s going on. Help us to think of others first, before ourselves. Show us the way. Put someone in our path today that we can be a blessing to. Thank You for all You are doing in our lives, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Please know we are praying for you and we hope this encourages you and blesses your day!
Christine Batchelder