{"id":1955,"date":"2009-03-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-03-03T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/contentfeeds\/2009\/03\/seven-days-of-316day-3-10.html"},"modified":"2009-03-03T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-03-03T00:00:00","slug":"seven-days-of-316day-3-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/contentfeeds\/2009\/03\/seven-days-of-316day-3-10.html","title":{"rendered":"Seven Days of 3:16–Day 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beliefnet is pleased to present the first 7 days of devotionals from Max Lucado’s “3:16: The Numbers of Hope” (Thomas Nelson, 2007). This is Day 3 of the week-long devotional. If you missed the previous days, stay subscribed to this feed to start over at the end of the week.<\/em>
\nDAY 3–JOSEPH, CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE
\n“When Joseph woke up, he did what the
\nangel of the Lord had commanded him
\nand took Mary home as his wife. But he had no
\nunion with her until she gave birth to a son.
\nAnd he gave him the name Jesus.”
\n–Matthew 1:24-25
\nMatthew describes Jesus’s earthly father as a craftsman (Matt. 13:55). A small-town carpenter, he lives in Nazareth: a single-camel map dot on the edge of boredom. Is he the right choice? Doesn’t God have better options? An eloquent priest from Jerusalem or a scholar from the Pharisees? Why Joseph? A major part of the answer lies in his reputation: he gives it up for Jesus. “Then Joseph [Mary’s] husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly” (Matt. 1:19 NKJV).
\nWith the phrase “a just man,” Matthew recognizes the status of Joseph. Nazareth viewed him as we might view an elder, deacon, or Bible class teacher. Joseph likely took pride in his standing, but Mary’s announcement jeopardized it. I’m pregnant.
\nNow what? His fianc\u00e9e is blemished, tainted . . . he is righteous, godly. On one hand, he has the law. On the other, he has his love. The law says, stone her. Love says, forgive her. Joseph is caught in the middle.
\nThen comes the angel. Mary’s growing belly gives no cause for concern, but reason to rejoice. “She carries the Son of God in her womb,” the angel announces. But who would believe it?
\nA bead of sweat forms beneath Joseph’s beard. He faces a dilemma. Make up a lie and preserve his place in the community, or tell the truth and kiss his reputation goodbye. He makes his decision. “Joseph . . . took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son” (Matt. 1:24-25 NKJV).
\nJoseph swapped his Torah studies for a pregnant fianc\u00e9e and an illegitimate son and made the big decision of discipleship. He placed God’s plan ahead of his own.
\nFrom 3:16: The Numbers of Hope, by Max Lucado (2007). Used with permission of Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beliefnet is pleased to present the first 7 days of devotionals from Max Lucado’s “3:16: The Numbers of Hope” (Thomas Nelson, 2007). This is Day 3 of the week-long devotional. If you missed the previous days, stay subscribed to this feed to start over at the end of the week. DAY 3–JOSEPH, CAUGHT IN THE…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":235,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-max-lucado"],"yoast_head":"\nSeven Days of 3:16-Day 3 - Content Feeds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/contentfeeds\/2009\/03\/seven-days-of-316day-3-10.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seven Days of 3:16-Day 3 - Content Feeds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beliefnet is pleased to present the first 7 days of devotionals from Max Lucado’s “3:16: The Numbers of Hope” (Thomas Nelson, 2007). 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