Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Willing to Obey
“Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife.” (Matthew 1:24 NKJV)
Just as God chose Mary to be the mother of the Messiah, He also chose Joseph to be Jesus’s father figure on Earth. A carpenter by trade, Joseph was a hardworking guy, the kind who chops down trees, frames houses, and builds tables.
Not only was Joseph a good father figure for Jesus, but he also stood bravely with Mary. Initially, when Mary told him the angel Gabriel had appeared to her and announced that she would be the mother of the Messiah, he didn’t buy it. Knowing that Mary was a godly person, he decided to put her away privately. He wasn’t going to expose her. However, his heart was broken because he loved Mary.
Then an angel also appeared to Joseph. Matthew’s gospel tells us, “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit’” (1:20 NKJV).
Joseph could have simply said, “No, thank you, because no one will believe this”; instead, he eventually decided to go through life with people believing that his wife had gotten pregnant out of wedlock. And Mary went through life with the reputation of being a loose woman.
In fact, we read that on one occasion, the Pharisees said to Jesus, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God” (John 8:41 nkjv). They were effectively saying, “At least, we weren’t born out of wedlock.” Those were fighting words.
Yet Mary was fulfilling prophecy, and she obeyed God. And Joseph was willing to do the same.
Has God called you to take a step out of your comfort zone and do something unexpected? Follow the examples of Mary and Joseph, whom God used to change the world.
Copyright © 2022 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of House of David: 30 Days with the Man After God’s Own Heart by Greg Laurie
King David was a shepherd, a warrior, a king—and a man after God’s own heart. Official companion to the Amazon Prime series House of David, a new devotional from Pastor Greg Laurie dives deep into David’s life, the psalms he wrote, and the lessons we can learn from his triumphs and struggles. Grow in your walk with God as you explore the extraordinary life of David. Get your copy today with your gift to Harvest Ministries.
