YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?

Matthew 1:18-25How we deal with life's interruptions is one of the defining qualities in who we are as people. Our character is determined NOT when life goes according to plan, but by how we react when it doesn't.I don't know if there is any character in the Bible that faces this issue more personally than Joseph. The carpenter from Nazareth was anticipating his forthcoming marriage to Mary, and suddenly all of those plans are swept away in angel dreams, and Divine visions and the slow realization that instead of refinishing furniture, he would be raising the Son of God. Instead of merely waiting on the happy day of his wedding, Joseph found himself and his life upside down, while he waited on Jesus to be born.You and I can understand why God chose this man to be the earthly father to Christ, when we really examine how Joseph handled the interruptions to his life with faith and obedience. His life may have veered off course, but Joseph was still waiting on God. You and I would do well to follow that example. Joseph modeled complete trust in God, even when he didn't understand what was happening.Joseph married Mary, even when every ounce of reason in him, said this was another man's baby she was carrying.I know, I know, Joseph saw an angel, that's why he trusted God. But I also know human nature. Joseph saw that angel once that we know of --- he had to watch Mary's belly grow with a baby inside for 9 months knowing he was not the father. Trust does not come easily when understanding is far removed.I can hear God speak to me on Sunday and forget it by Tuesday! Joseph had to trust God for 9 long months while he waited.SAVORING

The question is not whether life will ever careen off of your highway of hopes and dreams, BUT, what will you do WHEN it does!

How have you responded in the past, and how are you preparing to respond for the next time life changes directions unexpectedly?

OH THE JOY!

• Ephesians 1:3-6 (MSG) ³ How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. ⁴  Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. ⁵  Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) ⁶  He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

I always want to give DeLaine the perfect gift.  I’ll be honest, I stress myself out because of it.  I spend a great deal of time listening to what she says she would like and then I start researching and figuring out what would have the most impact.  The moment I get the gift I am so impatient to give it to her.  I don’t want to wait, I want her to get it so that I can see the joy and wonder on her face that I did listen.  The greatest joy for me as a gift giver is watching people open the gift I gave them and seeing their joy and pleasure at it, and then having the satisfaction of seeing them use it.I wonder if that is how God must feel?  I wonder if He was impatient to send the gift of His Son to the world?  I wonder if He must light up when we respond to His gift and open it up and use it.  Our reading says that He took great pleasure in planning this.  Does your response to His gift bring Him joy? SAVORING

Look at Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2 and Hosea 11:1.  Do you get the impression that God was anxious to let us in on the surprise?How does it make you feel knowing that giving you the gift of Jesus gave God great pleasure?How can you thank Him for that gift?

PARKING LOT PRAYERS

I pulled into the mall and started to slowly drive around praying for a parking spot.  This time of year a parking spot is as elusive to find as Bigfoot.  As I pulled down yet another aisle I saw the reverse lights of a car coming out so I stopped and turned on my blinkers.  Thank you God, you heard my prayer.  I saw the problem a little too late, the car was backing out in a way that blocked me from immediately taking the spot and in that moment another car swooped in and took the spot.  I admit, I almost lost my salvation!  After another five minutes of fuming and looking I finally found a spot at about the furthest spot from the mall.  Honestly I came close to just saying, “Forget it, I am not going to follow through on my shopping.  I am so mad and frustrated.”

I wonder if that is how Joseph and Mary must have felt.  I wonder if he prayed and asked God to show him favor and allow them to find a room in the town.  After all, they were doing “God’s work.”  God did provide a room but not in the way that they were expecting and I wonder if they could have missed the miracle because they did not see God’s answer because it did not look like the answer they were expecting.  Too often we are missing God’s answer to our prayers because it is a stable not a room.  We despise His answer and turn away from it and miss out on the amazing things that happen because we simply trusted and enjoyed the journey.

 SAVORING

• Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV) ⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰  so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, ¹¹  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.
• Romans 8:28-38