Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Always More Choices Than We Think


Matthew 1:1-2 and 16 - These are the families through which Jesus Christ came. He came through David and Abraham.  Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers…..

Jacob was the father of Joseph. Joseph was the husband of Mary. She was the mother of Jesus Who is called the Christ.

 

Around 400 years pass before God calls Matthew to record the life of Christ…the Messiah they had all looked for so long. He is careful to begin his book with the long genealogy of Jesus. Beginning with the father of all Jews…Abraham….he carefully mentioned 52 generations of royalty like David….sinners like Rahab….strong personalities of faith like Boaz and Ruth….to the simple young humble parents of Jesus….Mary and Joseph.

 

It was a supernatural birth….Mary impregnated by the Holy Spirit…and facing sure ridicule….divorce before he is born….and a possible stoning. But God chose a man of character…of stern principles…a discretionary man….responsive to God’s voice…named Joseph.  He even had the self-discipline to become the model adoptive parent ….keeping Mary’s purity intact until Jesus was born.

 

Joseph initial reaction was probably like most of us...he thought he only had two choices when he discovered his betrothed wife was with child…and it was not his. He could divorce her quietly so that the second option of stoning might be avoided.  But God knew he had chosen the right family mix to raise his only son…and a third option was given to Joseph….marry her anyway …and help raise Jesus…the Messiah….Emanuel…so  God could live among us fully human yet fully God.

 

It is a great reminder that the options my finite …fully human mind and heart can think of are so incomplete once God starts revealing his ideas to my heart.  If I can ask God to embed my character with the principles….responsiveness to God’s voice….self-discipline and discretion of Joseph…I can do so much more with what God gave me.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that my options are always more than I can think of when I keep my heart focused on you.  Forgive me for the times that I limit who I am because I forget I can tap into the supernatural power that gave us Christ in the first place.  Help me to keep my heart and mind completely open and willing to accept all the plans you have to prosper me and bring about good in my life. Amen.

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