What Mary and Joseph Can Teach Us About Faith and Obedience

“Mary was full of God’s grace simply because God chose to bless her. We have no description of her being holy or pious or deserving. She was a virgin, yes, but not perfect, not without sin. For Jesus to be fully the Son of Man, his mother had to be fully human. What made Mary worthy of her calling was not her virtue; it was God’s virtue. That’s why her story gives every woman a generous measure of hope. God takes us as we are and uses us as he will, for our good and for his glory. Talk about being ‘endued with grace!’”–Liz Curtis Higgs.

“What can we learn about faith from Mary? First, faith does not mean that we don’t have questions or difficulties. Mary asked the angel: “How will this be?”  The angel answered that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1: 35). This did not answer Mary’s question of how a virgin could conceive, but it supplied her with what she needed. God would be at work within her. Mary could be content because she trusted God.”

“At the death of Herod, God told him to return to the land of Israel. Joseph again acted and followed God’s direction. When Joseph learned that Herod’s son Archelaus now reigned in the place of Herod the Great, Joseph moved back to Nazareth to avoid contact with this evil man (Matthew 2:19-23). We hardly know anything else about this godly man. By the time Jesus began His earthly ministry, Joseph appears to have died. But we know this. God entrusted His Son to Joseph, and Joseph was up to the task. He cared for Mary and the child and raised a family. When danger arose and action became necessary, Joseph acted. God wants men to be obedient to Him and faithful in family relationships. He wants men who will love their wives by caring for their needs and taking action when action is called for. Joseph gives us the example of a man who pleases God.”

“But God didn’t choose Mary because she was unique. Mary was unique because God chose her. He knew her tender heart, her trusting nature, her abiding faith, her humble spirit. He who formed Mary in her mother’s womb would soon form his Son in Mary’s womb”–Liz Curtis Higgs.

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3 Responses

  1. This isn’t a spiritual story, but before my husband set up the manger scene in front of our house he had Joseph, Mary and Jesus on our back patio. For some reason I had to go outside for something late that night. When I turned on the light and opened the back door, Joseph was facing me. I screamed. That figure of Joseph almost gave me a heart attack.

  2. When I became a resident at NOBTS I noticed my first Christmas that there was no manger scene on campus. The Spirit within me was troubled. I purposed that there would be one for the remainder of my stay there. Others joined in faith and obedience. I found “Joint Heirs.”

    You may remember the scenes on the chapel porch. A condensed picture story of Faith in those who are the subject here and those who came from afar, in Faith following His Star.

    May we not be hearers only for the sake of our own flesh but know we are our Brother’s keeper. Help us to know, the scales fall from our eyes, that we be not deceived into casting Your Pearls before swine or being scattered in the wind of discord. In Faith Trusting in the sowing, in the watering, and the Harvest. AMEN.

    Blessings

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