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Joseph & Mary
by Janelle Goodwin Joseph & Mary our need for purification, the key to our body Bible Story One day God decided it was time to send his son, Jesus, to the world. God needed to find a very special lady to bring baby Jesus into the world. God searched and searched to find that very special lady. God found Mary. He knew what a wonderful lady Mary was. God knew Mary would be the best person to carry baby Jesus. God sent His angel, Gabriel, to tell Mary the good news about baby Jesus. When the Gabriel told Mary that she would bring baby Jesus into the world she was worried at first. Mary was not married to Joseph yet. Mary had only promised Joseph she would marry him. But the angel began to explain to Mary that Joseph was not going to be baby Jesus' father. God was the father of baby Jesus. God would be sending the Holy Spirit down to fill Mary with baby Jesus. Mary was still concerned. She knew that God had picked her out of all the other ladies. Mary knew that God thought she must be someone special to do such an important job as be the mother to the Son of God. So the angel left Mary comforted with the news of the arrival of her new baby. Gabriel then went on to tell Joseph the news about Mary. Joseph did not accept the news as well as Mary did. Joseph was very afraid people would talk bad about them having a baby before He and Mary were married. Joseph was afraid he would have to hide Mary so that no one would talk about her. The angel explained to Joseph what a special baby Mary was carrying. The angel said Mary would be giving birth to the wonderful Son of God. This is a special task God gave to Mary becuase she was such a special lady. The angel told Joseph he should be very proud of Mary. God has chosen Mary as a very special lady to be the mother of God's child. After the angel talked to Joseph for awhile he began to realize what a special blessing this was going to be. Joseph was happy about everything. Joseph and Mary needed to go into Bethlehem to pay their taxes. It was almost time for Mary to give birth to baby Jesus. Mary rode the long ride into Bethlehem on a donkey while Joseph led the donkey. It was not an easy ride for Mary, but she made it. During tax season everyone goes into Bethlehem to pay their taxes. That night as Joseph and Mary were looking for a room to sleep all of the Inns were full. There was no where for Mary and Joseph to sleep. Mary was about to give birth to baby Jesus. As Joseph came to the last Inn, the innkeeper stated that he did not have any rooms left. Joseph told the Innkeeper how Mary was about to give birth to the baby. The Innkeeper offered the stables out back with the animals for Mary and Joseph to sleep in. At least they would be warm and they could lay down on the hay. During that night Mary gave birth to baby Jesus. They wrapped baby Jesus up in a blanket. Joseph made a bed for baby Jesus by putting hay in the manger where the animals ate. Mary and Joseph were so proud of their baby. But not as proud as God was. God wanted everyone to know about baby Jesus. God wanted everyone to come visit Mary and Joseph and see the new baby. So, God put a bright shining star in the sky. It was so bright that it distracted some shepherds who were out tending their sheep. The shepherds were all looking up at the star in amazement when suddenly beautiful angels filled the sky around the star. The angels began telling the shepherds the good news about Jesus being born. The angels told the shepherds, "Don't be afraid, for this is a time to rejoice. We are here to bring good news and great tidings. For tonight, in Bethlehem, a savior has been born. He is Christ the Lord. Go to him. Visit with him. Witness the miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ. God has put this star in the sky to show you the way. Follow the star and you will find a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger." The angels rejoiced once more and then they were gone. The shepherds were left standing, looking up at the star. They began looking and talking to each other. The shepherds decided to do what the angels said and follow the star to find Jesus. As the shepherds came to the stable the star shone brightly above. The shepherds found Jesus just as the angels said. Baby Jesus was wrapped in a blanket, lying in the manger. The shepherds fell on their knees and began praying. The shepherds knew they were seeing a miracle. They knew Jesus was a special baby. Lesson God knew what a special baby Jesus was. God also knew what a special lady Mary was. God has a special job for everyone to do. But God will only allow you to do your special job if you will bring honor and glory to Him. God wants you to do your special job. He wants you to do what it saysto do in the Bible. God wants you to show others that Jesus lives in your heart. God wants you to show others that He can live in their hearts too. Just as God put the bright shining star in the sky to show the shepherds the way to baby Jesus, God wants you to shine bright to your friends and tell them the way to have Jesus in their hearts. God used Mary to bring Jesus into the world. He wants to use you to show others the way to Jesus. Life Application So how do we shine to show others the way to Jesus? Matthew tells us to let our lights so shine before men, that we might bring honor and glory to God in Heaven. What does that mean? That means that we must use our bodies to show our friends how much God loves them. Just as the star led the way to Jesus, we must do the same lead others to Jesus. People watch us everyday. Even when we do not know they are watching. How we act and behave is very important. Our actions might show our friends about Jesus. What we say, how we look and how we live are all very important ways to let your light shine to your friends and to show them the way to Jesus. Lady of Virtue Ministries started as Janelle Goodwin attended Bible College in upstate NY. Janelle became burdened to see souls saved from eternal condemnation. Upon returning home from Bible College, she also became burdened to see women of the world develop characteristics of a Proverbs 31 Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |