Sorry, no results.
Please try another keyword
by Bob and Debby Gass
Lessons from the life of Joseph (2)
December 24, 2024
‘Joseph … decided to break the engagement quietly.’ Matthew 1:19 NLT
Joseph’s life of silent action gives us three keys to living in God’s promises. Today, let’s look at the first key: Mercy. We are introduced to Joseph in the middle of a personal crisis. He is in love with Mary. And he believed that she loved him … until he heard she was pregnant. How should he respond? Openly shame her? Or surrender her to a public stoning as the law of Moses required? No, he chose mercy over malice and anger and revenge.
The mercy of Joseph preserved the life of Mary and protected the unborn child Jesus so that He could fulfil His destiny and become our Saviour. And this understanding, forgiving, and merciful carpenter helped to raise an understanding, forgiving, and merciful Son. A Son who would confront prejudice and hatred; who would rise above the discrimination of His culture and treat a Samaritan woman as an equal; who would release ‘the woman at the well’ from a lifetime of failure and emptiness, and also bring hope and salvation to an entire city; who would tell a guilty woman caught in adultery and about to be stoned by a religious mob, ‘… “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more”’ (John 8:11 NKJV). A Son who would accept sinners not as bad, but as lost.
One of Joseph’s other sons, James, would one day grow up to believe in Jesus and write one of the books of the Bible in which he said, ‘But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds’ (James 3:17 NLT). Has someone hurt you? Follow the example of Joseph and show mercy.
Soulfood: Job 21-23 Luke 1:67-80 Ps 128 Ecc10:5-9
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2024
Subscribe Today
Have this devotional delivered to your inbox for daily inspiration.
More Inspiring Devotions
American preacher Dr Stephen Olford said, I want to hear the voice of God before I hear anyone elses in...
To grow spiritually, you must get alone with God. When you come into His presence, you should have these attitudes:...
When it comes to lifes great achievers, the apostle Paul is in a league of his own. But he takes...
A pastor writes: When God created man, He made him in His own image. That was Gods original plan, and...
Showing 1-4 of 5702 results