December 18, 2020
Matthew 1:24-25—Joseph
“When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.” Matthew 1:24-25
As I think back to my children’s toddler years, I can vividly recall some favorite responses: “no,” “why,” and “me do it.” Though our vocabulary expands as we grow older, the meaning behind our responses often remains the same. We continue to resist direction, require supporting evidence, and insist on doing things our way. It’s human nature, after all.
But what if God is the one calling us to respond? What allows us to move beyond our nature and respond like Joseph; righteous and obedient?
“When Joseph awoke from the dream, he aligned himself with God’s plan. Joseph’s obedience to do what God asked of him was an extension of his righteous character. He was committed to obeying God before he was placed in the situation to believe some difficult things and take some difficult actions.”1
Could it be that our daily commitment to obey God is what prepares us to respond favorably when God calls us to act in difficult situations?
As we approach the celebration of the birth of our Savior, let us take a moment to commit to obeying God each day so that we, too, will be poised to respond favorably to God in challenging times.
Prayer: God, we ask for your direction to help us put aside our no’s, why’s, and desire to do it our way. Guide us to align ourselves with you each day so that when you call on us to do things beyond our understanding, we simply say YES without hesitation. Amen
Lynn Ringley
1Bible Study For Life: Joseph’s Obedience. 2018. p. 37 MinistryGrid.com/web/BibleStudiesForLife