The Choice!
This week as a nation we have had, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday. The week after Thanksgiving is replete with plenty of attention given to seeing that people spend a lot of money around Christmas. I read a familiar scripture in an unfamiliar translation and it goes like this:
8 So here, finally, is the story of the birth of Jesus the Anointed[ (it is quite a remarkable story):
Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, son of David. They hadn’t married. And yet, some time well before their wedding date, Mary learned that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1;18 (The Voice)
I love the expression "so here, finally," – because in the midst of all kinds of human suppositions and verbiage we can loose track of just what exactly is the main point. The main reason we recognize this time of year, is not for balancing the commercial books or even given to a worthy cause, the main reason for the season is that time itself was interrupted when a maiden by the name of Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit, not her espoused husband Joseph. The story hinges on what is Joseph going to do.
Fortunately Joseph was a just man and instead of putting Mary away in some far distant place rather than his becoming disgraced, Joseph listened to all things -an angel – who gave him instructions:
Messenger of the Lord: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to wed Mary and bring her into your home and family as your wife. She did not sneak off and sleep with someone else—rather, she conceived the baby she now carries through the miraculous wonderworking of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will have a son, and you will name Him Jesus, which means "the Lord saves," because this Jesus is the person who will save all of His people from sin.
24 Joseph woke up from his dream and did exactly what the messenger had told him to do: he married Mary and brought her into his home as his wife. Matthew 1:20-24 (The Voice)
In essence, the future of mankind depended on Joseph’s choice decision. We all have decisions to make and some are insignificant, as to whether it’s chicken or beef; yet there are some are life-altering, as, what does Jesus want me to do? While we may not have to confront the care of the Son of God as a pre-born baby, if that baby now lives in our heart, then our decisions are still very important for God has entrusted us to continue His Work on earth.
Maria