Joseph is often called “the forgotten man.” Sometimes, he is simply called the man in the background or the quiet man.

I see something very different in Joseph. I see a man of God, one devoted to God for life.

When I see Joseph, I see the man to whom God would entrust His own Son.

What is it about Joseph that makes us think of him as a man of God – – the one trusted with the Son of God?

First, Joseph was a man devoted to God. He was a man of principle with a tender heart. To be either tenderhearted or a person of principle describes a person of great character, but to have both describes a man like God Himself.

The more I think and study about Joseph, the more I think we underestimate him greatly. This was a man who had great responsibility and who had to make important decisions.

Joseph struggled about what to do with Mary. How should he treat her? What should he do?

God comes to those who draw near to Him and seek Him with all their heart. God came to Joseph telling him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife.

Second, Joseph endangered and inconvenienced himself to care for God’s Son. I don’t know what Joseph had planned about life before his encounter with Mary and the angel, but everything changed at that point.

To be a man of God is not to have your life but God’s life. Joseph carried out the life God planned, caring for Mary and the baby. He took them to Egypt for protection and then returned at the direction of God. He moved to Nazareth and cared for his family.

When I consider Joseph, I don’t see simply a quiet man. I see a man of quiet devotion and obedience toward God. No wonder God chose Joseph.

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