Matthew 1:20, 21

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. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” ~ Matthew 1:20, 21


Joseph was a thinker…and that was good as far as Mary was concerned, and for the baby Jesus. Had he acted hastily, Mary would, by law, have been stoned to death for her supposed adultery. The course permitted to Joseph was violent and unjust. But, Joseph “considered” his line of action, not knowing which way to exactly turn, that is, until an angel appeared to him in a dream. God will guide us when we put our questions to him. When we are anxious we have one which hears us and will show us the way. The words for Joseph were assuring words, letting his heart be at ease with the character of Mary and her uprightness. The Holy Spirit had come over her and the child already had a name, Jesus. This name was a common name, and is the same in Hebrew as Joshua, Yehoshua, meaning, “He saved, delivered, put in a state of safety.” This saving of Jesus was not a saving from Roman rulers, but from the oppression of sin. This was the purpose of Christ, his great errand. His life was to make atonement for our sins, the ones the Father has given to him. His atonement was for every person who accepted and believed on him as the Christ. John 3:16 reminds us of this as John wrote: “For God so loved the world…”. This does not include only some, but all whom would come spiritually to know Jesus Christ and to receive him as their personal Saviour. That he should die for you and me is a wondrous thing. The Apostle Paul once wrote that he was the greatest sinner, the least of all, but in reality, we are all the greatest sinners when our back is turned on Christ. Thank God for the saving grace of Jesus Christ and for the man called Joseph who became our Saviour’s earthly father.

Pastor Julia

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:26

Image
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans ~ Romans 8:26 Many days, many times, I have the words for prayer. It comes forth and flows fairly naturally as I converse with my Lord God. I hope in the God I worship to hear me, and to receive my words, as I pray in the name of Jesus and believe in Him, my intercessor. He is my Living Saviour, my High Priest, standing at the right hand of God the Father. But there are times when my pain has been so deep that my words will not come. There are times when my agony is so piercing that what words I may speak would not be enough. And so, in my deep, black moments, I come before my God and let my darkest emotions erupt in sounds that only He can understand. The Holy Spirit within me cries out in my stead, and He becomes my second intercessor. It is not that He is not there with me in all my prayers, but there are times wh...
Read more

Proverbs 18:2

Image
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in sharing their own opinions ~ Proverbs 18:2 If we are going to understand something, we must fully digest it so that when we speak, we speak with wisdom. When we have only half truths in our mind, our words become empty and senseless. We then puff out air rather than understanding when we speak. A wise person will want to improve their mind through learning in various ways from the world around them. A person who delights in spiritual understanding will find peace and enjoyment in reading the Word of God on a daily basis, and in participating with God’s people in a learning and praising environment – the church! We come together in corporate worship with the understanding that not one of us knows all things, but we bend our mind and heart to learn what God has to show and say to us. A foolish person makes a show of what they “know” to please their friends or to save face in front of them. More often a wise person will hold t...
Read more

Isaiah 43:19

Image
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert ~ Isaiah 43:19 When we meet a challenge, we are often found discouraged, lost, even hopeless. Nothing is working, everything seems to be against us. We do not know how to move forward, so we remain curled up in a ball. Then, a glimmer of light shines through! Hope is regained and movement is stirred within. Don’t we become excited when we begin to feel it? God moves like that. We cannot see our way around it, but He can and does. And He makes a way for us out of the calamity of our fears. It is the feeling of springtime after a long winter, or the smell of fresh cut grass. Life stirs within and we move and we see what God saw all the time – the answer to our dilemma. Our desert place becomes an oasis, and we can do what we are called to do. Something totally unexpected happens, something unheard of, but it begins in our life, and we feel the...
Read more