Announcement: "What am I Supposed to Do?"
Today’s Verse:
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ~Matthew 1:20
Have you ever been at a place in your life where you were so overwhelmed that you weren’t sure what to do? That was the question that was on Joseph’s mind. Matthew 1:20 tells us that “while he thought on these things….” He was in deep concentration as he considered the question: What am I supposed to do?
We see a personal distress.
Mary told Joseph that she was with child by the Holy Spirit. This sounded farfetched to Joseph. In his heart of hearts, he thought Mary had broken trust with him. He loved her very much and gave deep thought about what to do. If Mary had been unfaithful, he had the option of having her stoned. The other option was to seek a bill of divorce. However, it was very painful for him to even consider divorce, given his deep love for her. Distress in our lives brings us to the place where we want to know what are we supposed to do.
We see a prioritized directive.
As Joseph was at the lowest point of his life, the Lord sent an angel to bring an announcement to him. First, he was encouraged by the angel. Second, the angel validated what Mary told him. He showed him that Mary told him the truth and was not making up a wild story. Third, the angel told him to take Mary as his wife. He was to fulfill his obligation of preparing a home, being a loving and supportive husband, and being a servant to Mary and Jesus. It was made very clear to Joseph that the Son of God would live in his home and his (that is, Joseph’s) priorities would be around Jesus. That’s what the Lord desires for all of us: that our priorities in our home are centered around Jesus.
We see a powerful doctrine.
In this announcement, Joseph was told of that the prophecy of the virgin birth would occur. The virgin birth is a fundamental doctrine of our faith. It confirms both the supernatural entry and sinless life of Christ. A sinless Christ substantiated His heavenly deity. Yes, He entered this world with a human body, but He was completely God. A sinless Christ was absolutely necessary for the atonement of our sin. First John 3:5 tells us that Jesus came to take away our sin and that He had no sin.
We see the practical duty.
Joseph had faith in God’s Word for him. As soon as the angel finished speaking to him, he arose and took Mary as his wife, but he had no relations with her until Jesus was born. We see Joseph’s faith in God’s Word. In our darkest hour, we can always trust God’s Word. We see Joseph’s faithfulness to Mary and the Lord. We see Joseph’s salvation. He did more than call the infant Jesus. He called on the name of Jesus to save him from his sins.
What am I supposed to do? Like Joseph, have faith in God’s Word for you; obey the Lord with all your heart; don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment; and pray through your situation until God gives you your answer. Our Lord never leads us to sin or to do anything that we will later regret.
Have a faithful God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Hebrews 11-13