Scripture to Read: Matthew 1:25
Another part of trusting and obeying God was Joseph’s willingness to call Jesus by the name given to him by the angel God sent to Joseph in a dream. Another sign of Joseph trusting God was that Joesph did not have sexual relations with Mary until she gave birth to Jesus. Now, there is nowhere in Scripture that says Joseph must not have sexual relations with his wife, Mary until she gave birth to Jesus. But Joseph’s choice to do this further shows how Joseph chose to walk in God’s righteousness and was willing to die to his fleshly desires. Joseph was walking according to Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” The fact that God had Matthew write down that Joseph kept Mary a virgin until she gave birth to Jesus was also further evidence that Jesus was the Son of God and not the physical born son of Joseph. We know that Mary and Joseph did have sexual relations after Jesus was born because Jesus had younger brothers and sisters. Some religions teach that Mary should be worshiped too, not only because she was the mother of Jesus, but they teach that Mary remained a virgin all her life. We must be careful to know God’s truth, so we are not swayed by false teachings, and so we can lovingly correct those who are wrong.
Challenge & Application
What did God teach you today about trusting and obeying Him, like Joseph did? What will you share with this you know about what it means to trust and obey God in all areas of our lives?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!