Tuesday 11/27/12 The Story 6

Dear Heavenly Father, Thanks for another great day, and thanks for watching over us this day.  Please, Lord, forgive me of my sins and help me repent and walk away from sin.  Thanks for the rain/snow today and the water to the ground that it provided.  Thanks for the food that came into the food pantry today.  Help us now to walk with You and talk with You and listen to You and honor You by working for You in Your Fields of Harvest.  Be with all those on our prayer list.  Please watch over Beth as she is to deliver their baby tomorrow, please bless this young family with a happy, healthy child.  Along with this new one, please bless Emily and Curtis and the rest of the family.  Lord, watch over Burt, Patsy, Barbara, Vicki, Dolores, Ruth, Ruby, Matthew, Grant, Wanda, Dick, Nicki, Pam, Donna, Beverly, and also please touch my right knee.  In the name of Jesus, I pray.  Amen.

Good evening, my dear brothers and sisters.  Tomorrow, Wednesday, ABC 27 News is to be doing an article on Santa's House.  I will believe it when they arrive.  Please keep praying for all those on our prayer list.  Please pray for our son Matthew.  Dolores and I went to the hospital to see him on Sunday (he did not want this).  Anyway, he is in really bad shape.  Matthew has a drug addiction problem and really needs the prayers, he is also bipolar, and the two things just do not mix.  There are others on the line with the same type problems, please pray for those who are addicted to drugs and/or booze.

The Story (Day 6)

Matthew 1:18 - 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.  19 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.  20 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.  21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name of Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."  22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  23 The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel which means, "God with us."  24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son.  And he gave him the name Jesus.  (NIV)

Let me talk to you about the angel once again and about Joseph.  I used some of the same scripture again today, but added two new verses that are in dark print.  The scripture talks about how the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and how the Angel told Joseph what to expect, and about Mary who he was soon to marry being with this special child and how it will be the Savior of the World.  The Angel told Joseph to call this Child Immanuel, which means "God with us."  But you will recall that the Angel also told Mary, who we lovingly call the Virgin Mary, that the Child should be called Jesus.  In the past I have written about the different names of our Lord Jesus and here we find out about two of them.

You will recall also how Mary told the Angel of the Lord that she would do as expected as she was a servant of God, and now we find out that Joseph is saying about the same things.  In Luke 1:24 you find Joseph doing what the angel told him to do.  Joseph did what the Angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  Okay, men (well, ladies also), here we have Joseph being married to this young girl, and he took her home as his wife, but the Bible said he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son.  Wow, think of it, this was the honeymoon and Joseph did not have union with Mary for about nine months.  Now I know some of you are thinking, only Pastor Dan would think about that.  No, no, a lot of folks would think about it, I am just talking about it.  God is so good, and this young lady and her husband wanted to do it right according to our Lord God, and they did.  When God the Father lines things up to be done, He picks the right people.  I know of many others who have been called on by our Lord Jesus to preach, teach, and work the fields of Harvest for God and have done a great job, and yes, I know of some who have been called on to work for our Lord Jesus and have slipped and fallen a few times, but folks, I get back up and get back to the Lord.  Remember all of us who are called on by the Lord to work the fields of Harvest are indeed sinners, just saved by that Grace of the Lord ... Amen.

Dear Lord, thanks for trusting me, thanks for trusting us to do Your work, may be work hard to please You in all we do, and may we set our standards high as did Mary and Joseph.  Thanks again for this line, please keep it from getting sick.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Now go forth caring and sharing and loving on each other as you work the call for our Lord Jesus.

Love ya, Pastor Dan.