Matthew 1:18-25
"When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus."
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When was the last time you had to make a tough decision? What did you do? I'm not talking about whether to move "American Idol" to a higher priority on your Tivo season pass, causing you to risk missing "Lost" for the rest of the season. I'm talking about the really hard decision. The decision that seems to have material risk whichever choice you make.
This section of the Gospel of Matthew tells the story of when Joseph makes a decision to stay with Mary, take her as his wife and raise a son that is not his own. In today's world, this type of thing seems to happen every day, meaning, we see families all around us who have mixed parental situations. But, during Joseph's time, the decision to follow the guidance from the angel in his dream had dramatic and far-reaching consequences. Men, at this time in history, spent their entire lives building an honorable reputation, preparing for a traditional family life in their communities. This choice could have wrecked all of that for Joseph.
Joseph's choice to stay with Mary and raise Jesus as his son showed honor in a very different way than how it was traditionally defined at the time. And aren't we glad he did!
So today, if you are faced with a very tough decision, pray for guidance; God will not lead you in the wrong direction. Think of Joseph and his choice, the choice of a loving father whose rich and wonderful reward for his decision, following guidance from God, was to be the earthly father of our Heavenly King and Lord, Jesus Christ.
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