Joy To Your World - Children's Advent DevotionalSample

Mary knew that Joseph needed to learn about the things God had done in her life. We don’t know when and how Joseph heard the news that Mary was pregnant, but we know he didn’t understand her story. Joseph didn’t want to hurt Mary, so he decided to end their betrothal quietly. But, before he could do that, an angel appeared to him in a dream. The angel explained everything to Joseph so he could understand.

The angel said, “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20). The Bible says, “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took Mary as his wife” (Matthew 1:24).

Joseph was a good and godly man. As soon as he knew God’s will, he obeyed it, even though he knew that there were probably some tough days ahead. God would have taken care of Mary, but Joseph chose to obey God and join his life with Mary’s and with the baby she carried. Imagine all the joy Joseph would have missed if he had decided to listen to his own ideas instead of God’s.

God doesn’t want you to miss the joy of this Christmas season. There are still several days of school left. There are tests, papers, practices, and all the regular things of life, even if it’s Christmas. Maybe there are a couple of things you wish you could just skip. Sometimes it can be hard to make everyone happy for Christmas.

Joseph would tell us to be joyful anyway. Joseph’s faith was tested, and ours will be as well. But, great is our reward if we face the difficult moments with faithful choices. Joy isn’t what happens when we don’t have anything tough in our lives. Joy is what happens when we are faithful through those tougher times.

How is God calling you to be faithful today?