Follow the Lord NOt PUblic Opinion Matthew 1:18-25

Can you imagine if Joseph had checked to see which opinions were trending before obeying the Lord? Everything, anyone would have suggested to Joseph would have been wrong for him and his family. He was told to overlook the fact that his bride to be was with child before they were together. He was told to  move from his historical family home, in Bethlehem, to Egypt. Later, he was told to move back from Egypt, to the place where people had tried to kill his adopted Son. Then he was told to move to the worst place, economically speaking, in Israel. Not one of these decisions would have made sense to his buddies at work or to his parents or to his in-laws or even to the outlaws.
Despite every choice seeming to be without any rhyme or reason, Joseph does not seem to have even flinched when it came to complete obedience to the Lord. Someone pointed out at bible study, Wednesday night, that Joseph had angels appear to him three times! Usually people, in Scripture, had their lives redirected maybe once by an angel if that, but Joseph was like a pinball with all of God’s redirects. How could he possibly explain to someone that his decisions were for the best for his family and not simply a lack of purpose or direction? Unwavering confidence in God's calling is the only option for not losing your mind when you are called to make decisions that do not make sense to anyone but the Lord. You can tell them that an angel told you to do it but what do you think they really believe? You can hear his relatives, "sure Joseph, an angel told you to do it." I can imagine someone telling him to lay off the late night tacos as a remedy for his dreams. But Joseph held firm in his conviction of what God called him to and we can learn from his example. 
Today, everyone has an opinion about what you should be doing and when you should be doing it for yourself and your family. Take a lesson from the life of the man God chose to raise His Son. Follow the Lord’s will and Word for your life and let em talk all they want. You serve Him with confidence this Christmas season. Commit your path to His purpose for your life not theirs. The Lord provides as He guides. The odds were against this little family, but the Lord was with them, guiding Joseph to where He needed to be when He needed to there.
Trust the Lord to guide you and know that He is with you as you go. The child that Joseph raised was more important than anything else in this world, including Joseph’s reputation. Why? Jesus is, “Immanuel,” God with Us! Savior of the World and He with us today as well. And guess what, your child’s relationship with the Lord and your personal relationship with the Lord is more important than your reputation as well.
So by God’s grace, let’s set aside public opinion and follow God’s guiding for our lives this Christmas season.
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