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“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. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.” – Matthew 1:20-24.
When you become a Christian, the natural inclination is to do something extraordinary. You want to further the kingdom by doing giant, complicated things that change the world. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make a real difference in our city, state, country, or world. But we must remember that we can also further His kingdom in the ordinary day-to-day moments of life. It means focusing on and obeying God, loving people, and leaving the size of the outcome to God.
But do the small things that I’m doing matter? Is it a suitable return on my investment in time and resources? The Bible partly gives us the answer in Zechariah 4:10, which says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin…” There are many people in the Bible that exemplify this idea. One of them is Joseph.
Joseph is the epitome of someone who obeyed God. He was willing to do the hard but right thing—without hesitation or fanfare. Joseph trusted and obeyed when God redirected him. We know how Joseph didn’t want to disgrace Mary publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. But then an angel of the Lord came to Him in a dream and told Joseph not to fear taking Mary as his wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
Joseph obeyed. He took what he knew of God’s Law and was willing to put feet to it. The problem was he didn’t have all the pieces of the puzzle. An angel told them in a dream to flee to Egypt. Joseph left his community, work, and comfort to obey God. There is no proof that Joseph knew the long-term results of his obedience. His Son would do miracles, preach the gospel, die for the sins of His people, be buried, and rise again. He would save the world. He would do what no man could do. He would bring life where life was impossible.
All Joseph knew was what God had said and what he needed to do to obey. And he did it.
Discussion Questions:
- How does Joseph’s story encourage you to cooperate with God even when He wants you to do something difficult? How does Joseph’s story inspire you that God knows what He’s doing even if you don’t understand?