Come Home for Christmas
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Thank You for communicating with us, Your creatures with such profound love and respect! Thank You for Your written word—the Bible—that I may know both who You are and what You call us to be and become. I pray that as I continue to study about Joseph’s response to Your purpose in his life, that I may more fully understand your purpose in my life, as Well. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God’s Word Today
Matthew 1:20-25
20As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and he will be called Immanuel
(meaning, God is with us).”
24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, 25but she remained a virgin until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Matthew 2:13-15; 19-23
13After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up and flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the child.” 14That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.
19When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him, 20“Get up and take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” 21So Joseph returned immediately to Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22But when he learned that the new ruler was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid. Then, in another dream, he was warned to go to Galilee. 23So they went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets concerning the Messiah: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Has God ever used a dream to communicate with you? If so, what did He ask you to do?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
What is the significance of the name Jesus—according to the Scripture reading for today?
What prophecy does Jesus birth of a virgin fulfill according to today’s Scripture?
Understanding God’s Purpose for Us
According to today’s focus Scripture, what is God’s purpose for our livers?
Applying God’s Word to Our Purpose
God’s purpose for Joseph was quite specific: He was to take Mary as His wife, and to rear Jesus as his son. Joseph’s obedience to this purpose, quite literally saved Jesus’ life in His first several years of his life here on earth. How does Joseph’s response inform our response as followers of Jesus today?
Thoughts—“A Tale of Two Dreamers!”
In both the Old and New Testaments we find a dreamer named Joseph. There lives hold some parallels that are worth considering. Both were faithful young men who sought the will of God in their lives. Both of them ultimately ended up in Egypt although they had not plan to go there. Each in his own way helped to provide for the salvation of his people. The first Joseph—the son of Jacob—“saved” his people by planning ahead before a major famine came to the middle east and then he provided the food that saved his family’s lives. Eventually, they came to live in Egypt with Him, which caused another time of “salvation” to be necessary 400 years later! Joseph “saved” his people by saving Jesus’ life. If Joseph of the New Testament had not heeded the dreams God gave Him and the messages God sent in those dreams, Jesus would not have survived toddlerhood! This, we see that in two vastly different eras God used “dreamers” to accomplish His will. What do we learn from this truth? Perhaps we learn that God wants us to dream---literally and figuratively! God puts desires in our hearts; God gives us pictures of a future reality that does not yet exist and then challenges us to take steps of obedience to see the reality happen. As we go about our daily lives, may we ever live to dream God’s dreams and then respond in obedience to the messages He give us in them. As we do, we can be sure that God will do His part to fulfill the dreams and see that the reality works for the salvation of His people!