GLORIOUS AUTUMN, GLORIOUS GOD…Amen! Picture by Michael Goldbach
The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.
Emphasis mine Matthew 1: 18-25
The whole story of Jesus’s birth is very compelling. We start with a young woman who is asked to be the Mother of the Son of God. Who knew God had a son at that time?
Mary says, “Yes,” and the story gets more complicated.
I can hear many of you asking why we would say this.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
What is Matthew talking about?
Deuteronomy 22: 20-21
But if this charge is true, and evidence of the young woman’s virginity is not found, they shall bring the young woman to the entrance of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death, because she committed a shameful crime in Israel by prostituting herself in her father’s house. Thus shall you purge the evil from your midst.
Back to Saint Matthew.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Maybe you can start to see the dilemma facing Joseph.
Mary’s Pregnant.
It wasn’t Joseph, and Joseph decided to divorce Mary quietly, so I believe she wouldn’t be stoned.
An angel in a dream explains to Joseph what has happened,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
I, yes, I, hold Mary in high esteem for her “Yes” to be the mother of Jesus, and I also hold Joseph in high esteem for doing as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.
The story doesn’t get any easier.
They must travel to Bethlehem when Mary is nine months pregnant, and there is no room in the inn when they arrive.
Put yourself in their shoes; some of you might be complaining. I’m nine months pregnant, and we have to travel by walking and riding a donkey. To top it all off, there was no room in the inn when we arrived.
After the birth of Jesus, Joseph is told in a dream to pick up NOW and flee to Egypt, about forty miles away. (Google)
If I had been Joseph, I think when the Angel explained how Mary became pregnant and would be the Mother of the Son of God, I might have thought this would be an easy trip. After all, Joseph will be the Foster Father of the Son of God.
From the start, Joseph had DIFFICULTIES.
But,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.
Prayer:
I thank You, Father, for the death of Your Son, the Nails that were driven through His Hands, and the Nail that was driven through His Feet (Once).
(Now you can respond YES to the question IF YOU thank Me)
Next, pray,
Thank You, Father, for the DIFFICULTY of …(name the difficulty)….. That You have ALLOWED in my life, I have Faith You will take care of me.” Say this part of the prayer until you smile. Smiling tells you the Holy Spirit is back in your life. (satan can’t smile)
Sidebar:
I love writing this blog.
Once again, I had no idea where we were going until the last line. He did as the Angel commanded him, and the rest of the blog flashed before me. (The Holy Spirit)
Wow!
We have discussed the DIFFICULTIES God ALLOWS in your life for the past few weeks.
And we started with, “Do you thank me for the death of My Son, the Nails that were driven into His Hands, and the Nail that was driven into His Feet?” But these weren’t the only DIFFICULTIES faced by the Holy Family.
So,
If you think, as I, yes, I, did in my younger years, that the Holy Family walked through life without difficulties, then you would be as wrong as I was.
I saw an interesting movie years ago about how and when Mary and Joseph would tell Jesus he was the Son of God. It was an interesting question that I had never given any thought to.
Difficulty!
The greatest DIFFICULTY faced by Mary was watching the Crucifixion and Death of Her Son. I am sure Jesus prepared Mary for this, but no words adequately describe what Jesus would be subject to.
Difficulty!
When God ALLOWS a difficulty in your life, we pray you will respond by thanking God your Father for the DIFFICULTY and knowing in your heart that this is NOT a punishment but is meant to bring you closer to them, and God will take care of you.
Every time I say this prayer, I smile because it contradicts everything I had learned. I was taught to be mad about the difficulty or ask, “Why me?”
The logic I used for years was, “Why me?”
The above logic doesn’t solve anything, which I know from sixty years of living it.
It wasn’t until I read Prison to Praise by Merlin Corthers that my life changed by saying this powerful prayer. As we have reported, I received God’s healings and the courage to write three books and a weekly blog.
My life is “Fantastic!”
We pray yours is too.
2 Comments from readers:
Good day, Ted; last week, I had a Heart attack, and I was given the option of Stents or a triple bypass. I chose the stents. The doctor explained that it was a very challenging procedure for him and painful for me, and I thanked him for repairing my damaged arteries. Today, I used your Prayers to thank the Lord, too.
It all made sense.
Keep up the good work; the Holy Spirit is working through you.
Emphasis mine Robert
Thank you, Fred! I especially loved what you wrote about judgment—I needed to hear that this week! Emphasis mine Jen
God is working in all two lives – Celebrate!!!!!
Picture:
Dear Fred,
Thanks for your Blogs. I find them enlightening! This is my old stomping grounds in Hinckley, Ohio when I was growing up. I find God and Peace in Nature. I’ll send you a few more. A good caption could be GLORIOUS AUTUMN GLORIOUS GOD…Amen! Picture by Michael Goldbach
Please keep Snapping!
Email me if you want a copy of the prayers we discussed or the three hiking pictures we showed.
fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, please do not include people. We have to get permission from that person to use their photograph.
