Sunday, December 13

Extraordinary acts of God start with ordinary acts of obedience

Scripture:

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20

Observation:

Don’t let other people’s opinions of you rob you of your joy. Pleasing God often means disappointing people. Joseph would have had to endure a fair amount of criticism and gossip because of his decision to take Mary as his wife. Despite this, he chose to believe God and hold fast to what he knew God wanted him to do. Because of this, God used Joseph and Mary in a world-changing way.

Application:

Focus on what God thinks of you. Be willing to be criticized. Extraordinary acts of God often start with ordinary acts of obedience. Be willing to obey God, even if others won’t understand.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to have the kind of faith that allows you to use me in world-changing ways. I want to obey you, whether it’s easy or hard. Help me to not be swayed by the opinions around me when they want to discourage me from following your instructions. I will follow you Lord. Amen.