Knowing God Devotional is an online daily devotional written by Andrews Baah Kwafo, the president of The Bible Daily Network.
After the angel of the Lord had instructed Joseph to take Mary home as his wife, the turmoil in his life didn’t end. In Matthew 1:25, the Bible says he didn’t consummate their marriage until Mary gave birth to Jesus. In other words, he didn’t have sex with pregnant Mary until she gave birth. That probably means Joseph waited for about nine months or more before having his first sex with his wife. Today, how many men can be that patient?
The Bible clearly says in Matthew 1:24 that Joseph woke up from sleep and took Mary home as his wife. Period! Nobody knows whether or not a public marriage ceremony was held. One interference from God pushed his marriage plans earlier than expected. God can do that to you too.
Imagine if Joseph had rushed with his decision to divorce. Mary could have been stoned to death because, in those days, fornication was punishable by death through stoning. Dear one, don’t make major decisions so fast. Build your intimacy with God so you can hear what He says about your life anytime you approach Him with a case to handle.
Jesus is the light of the world. When He became the Word incarnate, He appeared as the light that shines in the darkness. Why? Because the world is dark without Him? Have you ever wondered why sin is continually increasing in the world? It’s because Jesus is not expressed in that area of life. But these things ought to change. And who can lead that change? It is the believers in Christ—you and me.
Jesus is the light of the world. When He became the Word incarnate, He appeared as the light that shines in the darkness. Why? Because the world is dark without Him? Have you ever wondered why sin is continually increasing in the world? It’s because Jesus is not expressed in that area of life. But these things ought to change. And who can lead that change? It is the believers in Christ—you and me.
Dear one, don’t dilute God’s vision for your life because of laziness. Don’t keep listing many excuses in your mind to explain why you cannot do this or that. No! It’ll just make you abandon that work, and you will say that things don’t work. God doesn’t want you to be a failure, so don’t make yourself one.
If you discover in your life that whenever you get something, you want to give to others, it’s a sign that you have giving as your divine gift. So, if that is true for you, then give generously. Don’t complain when you do so because it’ll not help you get the utmost blessing embedded in utilising that gift of yours.
You can live in harmony with others because God’s Spirit in you doesn’t foster interpersonal relationship problems. You can relate well with all manner of people because God has given you both wisdom and tenacity to handle people. But you need to humble yourself under God’s mighty hand to live as you ought to in the Lord, even as you put the sinful flesh under subjection.
Romans 12:2 says that as God’s child, don’t be conformed to this (evil) world but be transformed by renewing your mind so that you can prove God’s good, acceptable and perfect will. That means you can discern God’s will well by renewing your mind with God’s Word.
God’s love is so strong that it has the power to constrain every believer to live right with Him. It is not entirely dependent on us because God is the One who first loved us (see 1 John 4:19). And because of that reality, whether we love Him back or not doesn’t diminish His love for us in any way.
In Romans 8:28, the Bible says that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose. So, if you are born again today and love God genuinely in your heart, then I’m glad to tell you that God has got you covered.
In Romans 8:19, the Bible says creation awaits the manifestation of the sons of God. In other words, the world awaits the full unveiling of the children of God in diverse areas of life. Why? Because creation has been subjected to bondage because of sin (see Romans 8:20), and it shall be liberated from that bondage when the children of God awaken to take charge of affairs within it.
