About the joy of Joseph's righteousness�

Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 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. (NIV)

What joy God surely experienced as He looked upon humble Joseph. What joy came into the heart of God as Joseph decided to do God's will rather than Joseph's will. As at every other time of year, each of us has many choices and decisions to make around Christmas. In all the decisions we make, let us see Joseph, the person God chose to be an earthly father for Jesus. In Joseph, we can see an example of doing what God would want us to do when we have conflicts and temptations. We find we are tempted to be selfish, especially when we are living under threats of war and violence. However, we must never give up our love for Christ, and we must never forget no circumstance should ever cause us to turn away from doing the right thing. If Joseph took Mary to be his wife, Joseph faced ridicule and humiliation. Yet the angels implored Joseph to ignore these threats and hold on to what God willed for Joseph's life. In doing God's will, there may be a price to pay in the immediate time but there is always joy in the end.