Matthew 1:20-21 & 24
Joseph was a devout Jew. He had it in his mind to follow the law and quietly divorce his fiancée that had turned up pregnant; but the Lord had other plans. So, God sent an angel to tell Joseph not only that he was to take Mary as his wife but also that the child who would be born of her had been sent to "save his people from their sins."
In other words, Jesus' birth, Christmas itself, is about people being saved from their sin. That includes not only people coming to place their faith in Jesus for forgiveness of their sin, but also people turning from their sins to obedience to God. And even though Joseph wasn't turning away from sin, we do see him turning toward obedience in the next verses. Verse 24 tells us that after his divine dream, Joseph woke up and obeyed God. In this way, he sets an example for all of us to follow.
Purely by coincidence I happened to read Romans 16 right before I read Matthew 1 tonight. And a certain phrase at the end of Romans 16 caught my attention. "so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith" (Romans 16:26). It is probably the reason I noticed this minor theme of obedience in Matthew 1. Having that phrase stuck in my mind helped me realize that a lot of emphasis is placed on faith at Christmastime and very little on obedience. But there's something wrong with that, because there is an obedience that comes from faith. And I have no doubt in my mind that the kind of faith that God desires is the kind that leads to life change and obedience.
So, this Christmas don't just place your faith in the baby in the manger...obey Him. Wake up on Christmas morning and do what He has told you to do. And then, even after Christmas is over, try to make it your daily practice to wake up and obey just like Joseph did.
No comments:
Post a Comment