He Did What The Angel Of The Lord Commanded

Matthew 1:24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

“You want me to do what! Are you out of your ever-loving mind!” This could have been my reaction to being told I would be participating in training outside in blowing snow and below zero wind chills last Saturday.  The overriding desire in my decision making process was to obtain a skill and capability I did not yet have.  I was sure of one thing, it would be a lesson not soon forgotten.  Have you been through a difficult learning experience too?

            Lessons learned are done so in context. There is a specific time, place and set of circumstances where all of our learning experiences take place. If you think back to your classroom experiences they probably all blend together. But, those learning experiences that take place in a special environment most likely stand out. Now imagine yourself as Joseph. He is having a dream, probably the most vivid dream of his life, when he is given the word of the Lord. The context stands out to Joseph and is a memorable experience.  The part that I find intriguing is how the message from the Lord to Joseph was delivered in a dream by an angel.  The angel Gabriel visited Mary in person. And Joseph is given his message by an angel in a dream. Different contexts. The gravity of the message is similar in nature. And the results are the same for Joseph and Mary. Each follows with direction given. The faith we see in each case is simply extraordinary. The direction given goes so drastically against what society of that day would consider correct. The world tells Mary and Joseph one thing, the Lord tells them another. Their choice is to follow the Lord. The display of Real Love for God is completely awesome. The trust is profound in nature.

            For you and I in our own world today, where do we stand in following the Lord? Are we in sync with the Lord? Are we in sync with the world. Or are we trying to serve two masters, the world and the Lord? In Matthew 6:24 Jesus reminds us of the peril in living a dual life. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” We each come to a point in our lives where we must ask, in what does our Real Love find rest. Is it in the world or in the Lord? If our heart is with the Lord, we find comfort and rest. If we seek the desires of the world, we find no peace and no purpose. Let us chose wisely.

PRAYER: Father, You come to us in Your word. Help us to discern Your purpose in our lives through Your word. Help us to find Your path through our prayers. You have given us the light of Your Son to follow in our walk through life. Give us the faith to follow that path. This we ask in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.