Day 7: YES! YES GOD! YES!

Scripture Union USA is providing a free online Bible reading guide for Advent called Journey to Bethlehem. Come join me on this Journey and let us prepare for the celebration of Christmas together.

Day 7 of the Journey to Bethlehem is titled By the Holy Spirit.

Read Matthew 1:18–24 | (ESV)

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. 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.

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. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.(Matthew 1:18–24)

I would love to honestly say I would react to this situation with excited joy and a big loud YES! YES GOD! Even better, I would love to react simply as Joseph did with obedience in action.

But I am not sure I am there yet. Maybe it is a lack of faith or maybe I am not understanding where I am at in life, but there have been times when even the simple much smaller things come into my life from God and I have shrunk back. I know I have an aversion to risk.

As I look back, though I do see a progression to taking bigger and bigger God initiated risks and I am so thankful for the Grace God gives.

My prayer for today is to respond when the Holy Spirit leads. Big God initiated risks or little ones I pray LORD that my immediate response is YES! YES God!

P.S. Here is a link to the previous days of my Journey to Bethlehem.