This stopped me in my tracks

"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)

Faith Beyond Words

Scripture presents Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, as a man of few words; not one word Joseph said is recorded in Scripture. But even though Joseph didn’t say much, his actions spoke volumes. Every time Joseph is encountered in Scripture, his faith is being challenged.

Have you put yourself in Joseph’s shoes? Your fiancée, to whom you have already given a ring and made some very solid wedding plans, tells you she is pregnant and you know—YOU KNOW—that baby isn’t yours! And to top it off, she says she is with child by the power of the Holy Spirit! She’s a fornicator and crazy, too! We would all have agreed with Joseph: put her away, put it behind you, and go on with life.

But God sent a command by an angel into Joseph’s dream, and he obeyed. He married Mary knowing the cloud of fornication would be over them the rest of their lives. Yet, Joseph didn’t hesitate; when he knew God’s will, Joseph obeyed.

Exactly What Satan Does

I read something the other day that stopped me in my tracks and made me think about how important obedience is and how well I obey my Lord:

Believing in Jesus but not obeying Him is exactly what Satan does.

Satan does not accept Jesus as Lord. Satan knows Jesus exists, but he refuses to obey Him. When I look at my life, I trust in Jesus as my Savior and King, but there are still times I don’t obey Him, and I realize my disobedience is worse than what Satan does. When Satan disobeys, at least he’s being the rebel he claims to be. When I disobey (Lord, forgive me), I’m being a disobedient hypocrite.

My Desire 

I desire to be more like Joseph, a man who, when he knew God’s will, obeyed it. He proved it over and over again. God sent Joseph three more dreams—run to Egypt, come back from Egypt, go to Nazareth—and every time, he obeyed. I know I’m not called to be Joseph—only one man got that job—but I have been given the privilege of serving where God has put me. None of us will ever be the earthly father of the Son of God, but many of us are sons, brothers, husbands, fathers, grandfathers, and friends of people who need us to listen when God speaks and then obey what He commands.

Lord, help me, help us, to be like Joseph: a man whose faith is spoken more loudly by his actions than by his words.

RALI on, brothers.

Mike Book

MD5 Facilitator