Honoring God
David Honors God
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)
The Lord is With You
Matthew 1:18-25 The Message
The Birth of Jesus
18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic sermon to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).
24-25 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.
For Reflection
In the act of extreme tenderness and beauty, Joseph dismisses his fear of violating the law, which would have resulted in Mary's death by stoning for her "sinfulness.' He did not break off the marriage on the grounds of her "apparent guilt." Joseph chose God and Mary, not the law and potential threats that it portended.
Pray
Pray that in following the will of God, you will display the courage of your spiritual convictions in allegiance to God.
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