"Christmas- The Birth of Jesus Christ"
We must prepare our hearts for Christmas and tune our hearts for heart worship.
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost" Matthew . Here we see the introduction to the Christmas story. The first chapter of Matthew focuses attention on Joseph although Mary is mentioned. We see the preparation of Joseph and his rising to great spiritual heights.
Joseph was a godly man whose heart was prepared for a great revelation. I don’t know how long God prepared him. We don’t see in the Bible much of Joseph’s early preparation. But I marvel at this young man. He had a great mental shock when he discovered that his betrothed was expecting a baby.
We see in Joseph a beautiful character. He was in great perplexity. He might have well said to himself: "What shall I do? A great calamity has overtaken me. All right, I’ll break my engagement; I’ll put her away." But he had the ability to receive God’s revelation.
Today the world is full of suspicion. Men and women even in wedlock are full of suspicion. A heart full of suspicion—this is characteristic of many young people today. They begin with a life of impurity and this leads on to a mind obsessed by suspicion after marriage. They tutor their minds after the movies and its sexual promiscuity. Thus, there is no joy in their married life.
But Joseph had the ability to tune to Heaven. He could hear God. After all, that is religion—listening to God. Some are busy practising in their choirs for Christmas and laughing with their friends that they have no time for God. I don’t say you should not practise. You must praise the Lord in perfect tune and harmony. If you have a discordant voice ask the Lord to touch your voice. But don’t forget that the first thing which is needful is to listen to God. Many do not have this ability at all. So their Christmas is confined to the lower part of the abdomen—gastronomic delights only. They are not in tune with God.
All of us are going to come across perplexities and difficult situations. Many times I have to look to God for guidance. At times it takes a long time of prayer before I get guidance. But that is not the ideal way. We should be so close to God as to get continual guidance. Then there will not be any wastage in our lives.
If your father is a godly person and if you yourself don’t have guidance from God, submit yourself to your father’s guidance. Parents should know that it is a great responsibility to guide their children.
We should remember that very often we misjudge others. Joseph was misjudging God’s chosen virgin, Mary. He was evaluating the greatest birth in this world, in purely physical terms.
To conduct your family life, revelation from God is very essential. Otherwise you are at sea and are lost. How close Joseph came to departing from God’s great plan! "I won’t have anything more to do with her," he said to himself. God said, "Stop. Your fear is unjustified. Don’t fear Joseph, to take to yourself your espoused wife."
What is the truth about many of us? We are stubborn as mules. We do not stop but go on fighting against God’s will. What is the use of fighting against God’s will? God has the highest plan for you.
If you are not prepared to be guided by God, your life will be full of fears. If you are guided by God, there is no fear. We can be very wrong in our decisions. Suspicion springs very often from an evil heart. If you marry a chaste girl and you can’t trust her, that means you have lived deceitfully.
What was Joseph’s reaction to God’s guidance? He went ahead with the marriage and he knew her not until the arrival of the firstborn. Wonderful! Should a character like Joseph be only in the Bible? No, such men must be found in our midst. Has God’s revelation to man stopped? No. God wants to speak to you. He wants to guide you into all truth. He wants to deliver you from all your fears and perplexities. He wants to bring peace into your home.
There was no human solution to Joseph’s perplexity. No one could have guided him aright. Revelation was needed. Without revelation one is at sixes and sevens. Will you let God speak to you and bring your endless confusion to an end?"
- Joshua Daniel