November 20, 2025

Hey guys,

I hope you’re having a great week. I’ve started reading through the book of Matthew, so this week’s Thought comes from Matthew 1:24. “When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded, and he took Mary as his wife.” 

Obviously, this is the beginning stages of the Christmas story and how Mary and Joseph came together. God had conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb. A few verses prior, in verse 19, it says that Joseph was “a righteous man”, and he had decided to divorce her quietly. Yet the angel came to Joseph and said in verse 20, “The child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” Then, verse 24 tells us, “When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded, and he took Mary as his wife.” 

It was the phrase “he did as the angel of the Lord commanded”, that jumped out at me. I thought, What a simple, and yet so very profound lesson? When we hear from the Lord, when we read His instructions in Scripture, when we know what the Lord wants us to do, our response should be just as simple as, “Okay, Lord, I’ll do it.” 

It’s also important to note, Joseph was facing social persecution. He could have been potentially kicked out of his family because he was accepting a woman that was no longer a virgin. The social ridicule, the ostracizing, the sideways glances, Joseph was willing to take it all on, in order to do what the Lord commanded!

I wonder how my life would look different if I just simply did what the Lord commanded? If I didn’t ask why, I didn’t resist, and I didn’t delay…how different would my life look? How different would your life look? I wonder how different the world would look? 

Love you guys. 

John