DEVOTION – DAY 311

Matthew 1:21-25 “Obeying God”

 

Matthew 1:21-25 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.”

 

Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph. But before they could be together, Mary became pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Joseph knew about Mary’s pregnant condition and had planned to divorce her quietly in order to save her from public disgrace. In their culture, a woman in Mary’s condition would cause her to be treated as a social outcast. Joseph would want to have nothing to do with Mary. However, an angel of the Lord revealed to Joseph in a dream that Mary was pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Her birth of her son would be a virgin birth since Joseph had not slept with Mary. Despite the potential social stigma of Mary’s condition, Joseph was willing to obey the Lord’s plan for him to marry Mary and to be the father of her son and to give Him the name, Jesus. Joseph was willing to set aside his own plans to obey God. He was willing to accept social ridicule and embarrassment to be the father of Mary’s child because he wanted to obey God.

 

Sometimes, when we obey God, we must be prepared to put aside our own plans and feelings. We must be prepared to come out of our comfort zone and do what God wants us to do. We know someone whose parents had placed much hope on him. They made sure he had a good education and they saved hard to support him through college to complete a degree in dentistry. Whilst in college, this man discerned that the Lord had called him to serve Him in full time ministry. He struggled with obeying the call of God. But in the end, he obeyed God. The hardest thing he had to do was to inform his parents that he would be giving up a career in dentistry to serve God instead. God gave him the courage to face his parents and in time, they accepted his decision. This man learnt that serving God does require sacrifices but he never regretted his decision.

 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for calling us to serve you. Please help us to obey your call willingly even if it requires sacrifices and being outside our comfort zones. We know that when you call us, you will enable and empower us for your glory. We pray this in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. What is your response when you are called to serve in an area that is outside your comfort zone? What happened? Share.
  2. What are the benefits of serving God when you are outside of your comfort zone? Discuss.
  3. How does Joseph’s obedience in this devotion encourage you to obey God’s call for you? Share.