Monday, December 17, 2007

Quiet Confidence

SCRIPTURE

Matthew 1: 18-25

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.


PRAYER

Lord, Joseph heard you, believed you, and followed you regardless of the whispers of well-meaning people in the shadows. I pray that you would give ______ the same ear to hear your direction, the same faith to walk your path, and the same quiet confidence to disarm the impact of other’s opinions. Amen.

ENCOURAGEMENT

Don’t live your life based on the popular opinion of others. Is your heart right before God, and your conscience clear? Then walk the path he has put before you. It does not matter how right they think they are. It only matters what God tells your heart.

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