(The Story of Jesus)

How many of us would do the “right thing” before being told? How “grown up” are we? How noble, full of integrity are we? Do we even have to think about it first or is “doing the right thing” a way of life? What is in our heart of hearts? For what we have in our heart is how we will behave when no one is looking. This is a mark of maturity, when acting on the behalf of another, putting aside your own interests, for the benefit of others, expecting nothing in return, is a way of life.

Joseph is that man. God chose well. From the beginning of time, God knew Joseph would be the man, “in the line of David”, who would be the earthly father of His Only Son, Jesus. Joseph had the genealogy, but he also had the integrity to do the “right thing”…before God spoke.

“The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.” Matthew 1, Msg

Joseph steps up. Before God spoke to him in a dream to reassure his decision, Joseph was going to take care of Mary! Yes God knew what He was doing when He chose Joseph to be the caregiver of Jesus. Jesus Christ, called “son of Mary” (in a derogatory way) later on would be the Savior of the world, including Joseph and Mary, his earthly parents. Joseph, man of integrity and maturity of faith, took on this situation with wisdom, insight and understanding. Did he cry out for wisdom like his forefathers? We do not know, but we do know he stepped up to take care of Mary, even before God spoke.

Question for us? Have we matured to this level…as a lifestyle? Are we known as a person of integrity, one that can be counted on, whatever the circumstance or situation? Do we love God first, then others and live it?

As believers, we are all concerned, (maybe too much), about knowing God’s will, “his pleasing, perfect will” as in Romans 12, for our own lives. Knowing is living. That is the focus! Read the previous words in Romans 12…the part of laying down our lives daily, “Take your everyday, ordinary life–your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life–and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.” (Romans 12, Msg)

So, it seems knowing God’s will is living a righteous life no matter what your vocation, situation, or circumstance. Yes, we are “called” and then equipped by God for specific tasks in this brief journey on earth, but we are COMMANDED to love God first and then love others, putting ourselves aside as the foundation for living before God speaks to us about those specific tasks. In others words, don’t be tied down to the task, but be bonded the King of kings and Lord of lords!

Dear Heavenly Father, We can learn many lessons from Joseph just from this small bite of the Story of Jesus! I have always admired who Joseph was and what he did as a lifestyle. We pray that Your Holy Spirit would fill us with all we need to be persons of faith, with integrity as a lifestyle. We want to mature to the point where living the Truth is habit, something we do not even have to think about, we just do it…even before you speak to our hearts to do it. Just like Joseph. In Jesus Name, Amen