A
Single Piece of Information
For the last two thousand years,
God’s people have embraced the cast of characters surrounding the
Christmas story. Central among them is the Trinity—God the Father
sending his Son, God the Son taking up residence in a human body and
God the Holy Spirit, the One responsible for his supernatural
conception in the virgin Mary’s womb.
The one individual who receives
perhaps the least attention is Joseph, a “just man” (Matthew 1:19) who
was engaged to Mary at the time the conception of Jesus took place. If
we juxtapose two statements about Joseph from Matthew 1, we can learn
an important spiritual truth. The first: “Joseph…was MINDED TO PUT HER
AWAY privily” (1:19). And the second: Joseph…TOOK UNTO HIM his wife”
(1:24).
Between these two action book ends is
a single piece of information that changed Joseph’s life. We don’t mean
changed as to CHARACTER, for God had already determined his character
was worthy of entrustment of his Son. We mean changed as to DIRECTION,
for the man who was ‘minded’ to cancel his engagement to Mary ‘took’
her to be his wife.
The single piece of information that
changed the direction of his life is found in 1:20: “That which is
conceived in her is OF THE HOLY GHOST.” With that single piece of
information, the angel dispelled his fear and enabled him to set a life
course in compliance with the will of God!
Oftentimes in life a child of God
finds him- or herself at a crossroads of decision where a single piece
of information—a truth nugget—can mean the difference between a wrong
decision made in FEAR and the right decision made in FAITH. I
can recount several instances personally where God gave me a single
piece of information at a critical time that steered me on the proper
course.
As we approach 2020 and all the
decisions that lie ahead, could it be that God has a single piece of
information he wants to disclose to you, a profound truth packaged
within the pages of scripture, that will change the course of your
life? If so, asking God to make it known to you is certainly a worthy
request!
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