An Ordinary Life

"But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." ~ Matthew 1:20

"From the Holy Spirit" = "Of God"

Don't know how much they talked about the Holy Spirit back then, but I'm sure the words meant something to Joseph.  They must have.  Walk with me for moment. . .here he is,  a young man doing all he is supposed to do to prepare for bringing his bride to his/their home.  It's the same preparation young Jewish grooms had been doing for centuries.  And I'm thinking he was like any other man who's about to bring his bride home, he's looking forward to his wedding night!  In other words, he's an ordinary man doing ordinary life when this ordinary life he's been living intersects with the power,  presence, and sovereignty of God. 

We don't know how long Joseph thought about, prayed about, or how many people he consulted before he acted.  All we're told is that when he woke up he did what the angel of Lord instructed him to do.  An ordinary man, doing ordinary life until it meets with the the extraordinary Spirit of God.

Life changed for Joseph that night.  His ordinary life would never be the same. . .EVER!  He risked his family's name, his reputation, cultural and religious status because his ordinary life met with the life changing presence of God.  He laid it ALL on the line for God.  In doing so he became the earthly father of God's own & only Son.  Had to be an incredible moment for him, don't you think?  Challenging?  You bet.  Scary?  Thinking so.  Unnerving?  Probably.  Life changing?  Absolutely!

Bet if you were to ask Joseph - this ordinary man living an ordinary life that was changed forever by the life-changing power of God - was it worth it, he would say, with all confidence, "YES!"

I've never thought what would have happened if Joseph would have ran, said "No", or chose not to take Mary as his wife.  I think God chose Joseph because He knew Joseph was the kind of man that wouldn't let him down. While he was an ordinary man living an ordinary life he came from extraordinary lineage.  The angel even makes note of it. He refers to Joseph as "Joseph son of David."  How cool is that.  God reminds this ordinary man that he comes from extraordinary stock.  Pretty sweet, huh?

Honestly, I don't want to miss life-changing opportunities for God.  I don't want to hide behind fear, cultural expectations, or religious tradition.  I'm just an ordinary man living an ordinary life who's hoping to be part of extraordinary, life-changing stuff for God.

What about you?

Mike