God with us, a call to obedience
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”... When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. Matthew 1:18-21, 24
Matthew’s narrative on the birth of Jesus provided a focus on Joseph’s response when he found out that Mary, his fiance is pregnant and the baby is not his. Though he could have walked away from the engagement or exposed Mary to public shame and punishment, when the angel appeared before him in a dream and told him about the plan of God, he obeyed., “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife” (Matthew 1:24). Joseph reminds Christians that the call of God is not always easy or predictable. But you can always be rest assured that if the command is from God it is always right. What transpired in the first coming of Jesus provided Christians that God’s word is trustworthy. When the promises of God were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus as prophesied from the Old Testament, you can also be assured that His promise of coming again for the second time will take place. Christmas should encourage every Christian to believe more firmly that God keeps his promises. No matter how long the time of waiting may be for His coming, the promise of God will prevail. God will never fail! Also the miracle of Christ’s birth proved that God is Sovereign and in control. He did not left this world but came to this world to be its Savior. The divine miracle that brought about the coming of Christ in this world is at the center of Christian faith. Joseph showed His willingness to trust God even if what He was told was difficult to understand. As a child of God, you will always be prodded to do something by Him that requires trust and obedience. Once you determine and resolved in your willingness to act on what was commanded, He will give you the courage to follow. When God came to this earth and promised to save those that will trust Him with their life, the relationship calls for obedience. Salvation is stripped off its meaning and significance if you will not live your life daily experiencing His presence and leading. That was His promise when He came to this world; Immanuel, God with us!
Blessings,
