December 14th - Joseph

Joseph

Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph was chosen to be Jesus's earthly father. He agreed to bring up a child who everyone around them would have presumed was illicitly conceived, either through Mary's infidelity or through Joseph's premarital indiscretion. Either way, Joseph would have been the subject of a fair bit of gossip and perhaps pity. However, God revealed the truth to him. The child Mary was carrying was God's son. Not Joseph's, but not the son of any other man either.

Amid the gossip, the pity, the looks down noses, Joseph could be secure in the knowledge that he had been chosen to care for, bring up and teach God's own Son. What an honour. What a huge responsibility.


We can learn from Joseph. Whoever we are, wherever we are, whatever we do, we can love. Christmas is a time when we get together with family, give gifts, eat too much food, laugh and dance and sing. But there are so many out there who are lonely, poor, starving and depressed. Each and every one of us has the responsibility of caring for Jesus, because He told us that whatever we do for the least of people, we do for Him.“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40) Look out for those around you who need you. Ask God to open your eyes and use you to touch their lives.


"Dear God, please help me to care for everyone as if they were you."