1. God knows our thoughts. It was while Joseph was thinking about how he could put Mary away privately that God sent the angel to speak to Joseph. While we’re imagining how to fix a problem we can be sure that God’s knows what we’re scheming and He always has a better solution. We can wait on Him to “fix it.”
2. God will send assurances to guide us when we’re seeking to do His will. This passage tells us that Joseph was a just man; He was right with God and I believe this means that He wanted to do what was right before His God. While he was seeking to do the right thing the angel spoke to him to tell him what he needed to do. When we’re right with God and desiring to do His will we can rest assured that He will show us what to do. Sometimes He will send people (pretty sure it won’t be in the form of an angel!), to encourage us and give us godly counsel. Sometime a passage of Scripture will give us direction. Sometimes God allows circumstances to come up that steer us in the right way in order to accomplish His will.
3. God values the family unit. Why would God care if Joseph left Mary? The conception of the Christ Child was of the Holy Ghost; not by Joseph. Of course we understand that Joseph was in the line of David as was prophesied, but I believe this also shows us that God wanted the Christ child in a family with a mother and father. We need to value the family like God does. Our world today is very casual about the family. They form family units with two mothers, two fathers, or only one parent – so what? But this is not God’s plan. I know there are always extenuating circumstances where a parent didn’t want the home to be broken, but the other partner has left; but I’m referring to the times when there’s no concern about this happening. God created the family. Your family is important to Him and He wants your children to have the blessing of being nurtured and trained by both its parents.

The Christmas story is precious to children, but it’s just a precious to us as adults. Oh that we can read the Scriptures about His birth and find fresh and relevant truths for our lives today.

According to many working people, today and every Friday is TGIF (thank goodness it’s Friday!). Wednesday is “hump” day – the middle of the work week and moving closer to the weekend. Any holiday is exalted beyond measure; who cares if it’s just “Celebrate the possum day”, as long as it relieves a person from going to work! Too many people are lazy, slothful and wasteful with their time whether it’s working at their job or working at home.

Why do we work and what should be our attitude towards work? You know that it all began after Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. God put Adam to weeding and tending the garden by the “sweat of his brow.” (Genesis 3:19) This gives the idea that there’s some exertion of energy in work. I think some people put more energy into coming up with ways not to work than in the labor they are supposed to be doing! Proverbs 14:23 says, “In all labor there is profit; but the talk of lips tendeth only to penury.” In others words, every bit of work is profitable, whether you’re working at home mopping, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning closets or cleaning up the yard. If you go to a job there’s profit in the work you do there. It’s a part of our testimony as a believer to work hard and increase the effectiveness of the business.

The second part of the proverbs says that if we just sit around and talk about work it will lead us to poverty! Do you have work to do today? Can I encourage you to get after it and not just sit and talk about how much you dread it, how much you detest your job, or how anxious you are for the end of the day or the weekend? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the time you have off, but when you’re supposed to be working, ask God to help you enjoy your job and then give it 100%!

Perhaps we should change the saying from TGIF to TGFMJ (thank God for my job!). The Lord gave us the work to do and if it came from His hand then it’s a good thing!

Have you ever watched a sunset at the ocean? At first the sun is high in the sky and is easily seen, and then it begins to slide downward until its rays cast long fingers across the water. As one watches it, the sun gets lower and lower until at last it seems to slip into the oceans depths and disappears.

Last night in prayer meeting one of the ladies in my prayer group prayed this: “Lord, help us not to lose sight of the message of Christmas.” Isn’t it easy when things get so busy in December to miss what we’re supposed to see? Just like the sun that moves so slowly downward until it eventually disappears, we can gradually let Christ disappear from our view when at one time He was in a very prominent place. When the sun sets it’s still there, we just can’t see it. When we get so busy with our plans and activities that we don’t focus on God’s gift to us in the person of His Son, He is still there, we just don’t see Him any longer.

Don’t lose sight of the most important part of the Christmas season – the Lord Jesus.

1. Create family times that remind your children of why Jesus came. You could make little gingerbread boy cookies that represent Jesus and place him in a manger bed, made of some other treat like ramen noodles covered in butterscotch chips. Let them play with an inexpensive nativity set or buy some flannel graph that tells the Christmas story.
2. To keep yourself thinking on the Savior you could do a study on the Scriptures that tell of Christ’s birth. A couple years ago I did Beth Moore’s study Jesus the One and Only and was so blessed by it as it detailed Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection. I would highly recommend it to you.
3. Perhaps you (and your family) could find a way to minister to a need this Christmas. Visit a nursing home and encourage those folks. Provide a meal or Christmas cookies for a family that wouldn’t have any otherwise.
   

Whatever you do, don’t lose sight of the Son. Keep Him high and lifted up in your Christmas activities this year.

This Christmas Eve will mark twenty-eight years since my then boyfriend asked me to marry him. I’ll never forget being in my parents home in Georgetown, KY. We were sitting in front of the fireplace (where else?) when he reached into his pocket and pulled out my engagement ring and place it on my finger and asked my to marry him. It was so romantic, so perfect, and I was so happy with the thought that in six months I would become his wife and belong to him. I loved introducing Dale as “my fiancé”. He was mine! Woo hoo!

I love talking to children, especially three to five-year olds. They talk with such liberty. You don’t have to wonder long how they are or what they’re thinking. If you just wait about three seconds they’ll tell you! Recently we were at the store and a four year-old from one of our church families saw my husband walking away from them. Later when we ended up in the same place in the store the little guy said, “Pastor I saw you walking in the store and I knew it was you. You have a hole in the back of your head!” The “hole” he was referring to is a spot where there’s not a lot of hair on my dear hubby’s head! We didn’t have to wonder what this four year-old was thinking – out it came with no provocation!

I was reminded of that incident this morning when I read Psalm 66:16. David says, “Come and hear, all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.” When wev’e seen God at work (and we should see Him working in our lives every day!) we should be ready to tell anyone that will listen about what has happened. No one should have to sit and wonder if the Lord is working in my life; I should be quick to tell them. It should be a ready testimony on my lips. What keeps us from sharing the testimony of God’s goodness to others?

1. We’re afraid.
Fearful of what they’ll think
Fearful of how to verbalize it
Fearful of being bold
2. We forget!
When God does something for you write it in a praise journal so you’ll remember.
3. We are oblivious to His working in our lives.
We can’t share what we haven’t seen. Sometimes God is at work but we’re so consumed with other things that we don’t even recognize His activity in our lives.

When you run into someone today don’t make them wonder for long what’s going on in your life. Be like our young friend and let them hear what God has done for your soul!