Matthew 1:24

New International Version (NIV)

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

For meditation

One thing most Christians can agree on is our common struggle to obey the word of God when it scratches our comfort zones. What do we do when His word gets uncomfortable? How do we receive His teaching when it does not suit us?

These are the questions that make Joseph’s obedience to the angel of the Lord challenging to me today (Luke 1:24). Joseph’s example confronts my battles with obedience and encourages me to search my heart for the reasons for my struggles.

We find it convenient to claim that the old saints, like Abraham and Joseph, obeyed God because He spoke to them face to face and in dreams. Such claims reveal either of two things. They show our partial acceptance of the Bible as the authoritative word of God or our spiritual battles with the flesh. For God speaks to us today as directly as He did to Abraham when He called him (Genesis 12:1). God commands us by His word, just as He commanded Joseph to take Mary home to be his wife (Luke 1:24). The critical question is not about how He speaks today, but how we perceive our relationship with Him and the value we put on what He says.

So, this Christmas season, let us challenge ourselves to be like Joseph and reflect on the reality of the Word becoming flesh (John 1:14), by whom God speaks to us in the Bible—His voice for our time (Hebrews 1:1-2). We may excuse our struggles to obey during difficult circumstances, but He still encourages us to determine to learn to do so, just as Christ did, when He clothed Himself with humanity (Philippians 2:5-11). For this reason, He came and lived to die to save us—the joy of the season.