December 23 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

We must be stewards of whatever God entrusts to us. To some people God says, "Here is a million dollars." These people will have to account to God for what they did with all that money. Or God may say to some couple: "Here is a child for you to raise." These people must also give account to God. We are responsible for whatever God entrusts to us.

There was one man to whom God entrusted his own Son. That man was Joseph.

He was a "righteous man." That means that he was a God-fearing, law-abiding Israelite. He was a simple and honest man, the kind of person to whom God will entrust big things.

When he learned that his future wife was pregnant, he must have been heartbroken. He could have gone to the judge and had Mary punished for what he thought was her unfaithfulness (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). But he loved his fiancee, so he decided to "divorce her quietly"—which does not mean that he wanted to sneak away. Instead he would leave her without making an official report, as he would normally be expected to do.

Then God spoke to him. God addressed him as "son of David," a title that was almost an embarrassment for the carpenter. God told the awe­struck Joseph that Mary was bearing a child who came from God. Joseph believed God. He responded in the direct and simple way by which believers are recognized: "He did as the angel of the Lord commanded him." He simply obeyed. In this case he obeyed by marrying Mary.

On two more occasions God spoke to Joseph in a dream (Matthew 2:19-20, 22). Both times Joseph immediately did as he was told. This man simply did what God said without buts or ifs.

It appears that Joseph died before Jesus began his public ministry. When he had fulfilled his task, God called his steward home.

God laid his biggest gift in Joseph's calloused hands. And Joseph was faithful.

REFLECTIONS

What has God entrusted to you? What does "being faithful" with these responsibilities mean to you?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.