Decisions Decisions

Matthew 1: Put yourself in Jospeh’s shoes. He just learned that his fiancee is pregnant, and he knows it is not from him! Joseph was obviously very distressed as he was a man of integrity. Matthew records these words about him: “a righteous man,..he did not want to disgrace her,” He took these words to heart but did not act unrighteously as that would be against his character. We can learn much from Joseph, just as his namesake in the book of Genesis. Both men reveal that time spent pondering leads to righteous decision-making, and Joseph did just that. Matthew records that he contemplated what to do so as not to disgrace Mary. Do we model our thinking and actions after Joseph? Do we take time to stop and consider the other person, or do we hastily decide? Joseph did the right thing. It was during his time of contemplation that God spoke to him about how to respond righteously and the understanding he should have. It was after that, and only after that, Joseph took Mary as his betrothed to be his wife.

I cannot imagine being in the position of either Mary or Joseph, but this truth is still true: God’s ways are not our ways, so says Isaiah. [Is 55:8-9] Take time today to consider and to contemplate your decisions.