APPROACH QUESTION:
What decision did you make hastily and what was the result?

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what does 'But after he had considered this,' refer to?
It refers to Joseph making a decision to not to want to expose Mary to public disgrace but having it in mind to divorce her quietly.

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what 'cause-effect' relationship do I see in vs. 20?
Because Joseph considered to divorce Mary quietly without wanting to expose Mary to public disgrace, the effect is '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.'

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself the significance of the cause-effect relationship in vs. 20?
The significance is enormous considering that Joseph did not act hastily to make a decision but decided to wait without rushing into a decision. The effect was that he was able to sleep on his decision and was revealed a correct decision to make in a dream. This would not have happened if he had acted hastily in a situation that he saw negative.

IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what implications does Joseph's actions have for my own life?
The implications are profound because they reveal to me what can happen when I wait in faith instead of making a decision hastily in a negative conflict. I learned that I need to wait in faith on the Lord so haste does not make waste. The purpose of today's study was for me to understand how important it is to wait in faith without acting in haste which makes waste. If Joseph acted in haste then he would have divorced Mary but he did not act in haste and the Lord intervened in his life through a dream. I know the Lord Jesus can intervene in my own life too through different means when I wait upon Him.

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING W.A.I.T:
Even before I studied this verse, an important verse from Isaiah 40:31 came to my mind that says, "Those that wait upon the Lord will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary; they will walk and not faint" How better it would have been for me if I had waited on the Lord in a negative conflict instead of acting hastily and prematurely. The end result was that I became a quitter few months ago in a particular situation. As I reflect back, I am not proud of quitting in a particular area when  it was an area the Lord Jesus had given to me. If anything, I should have let the Lord use others to relieve me of that position instead of me making a decision hastily. Haste makes waste when we don't wait in faith. I must use that experience and what the Gospel reveals to me regarding how Joseph handled his situation not to commit the same mistake of being hasty in conflict but allowing time to wait in faith even if I want to see a decision happen quickly. I am reminded of the song, "While I Am Waiting". I need to take the words of that song to heart especially in conflict but not limited to conflict.

But for me it starts with the Lord Jesus Christ. When I take Him as my Lord and Personal Savior and walk in His path, He will lead me and guide me to make wise decisions remembering 'a wise man controls his tongue; he knows anger causes mistakes' (Proverbs 14) For that to happen, I need to realize my own shortcomings and failures knowing that is why Jesus came. Jesus came to redeem me from my sin and shortcomings by shedding His precious blood on the Cross of Calvary to save me and give me new life when I accept His free gift of grace poured out upon humanity. Jesus loves me so much that He will do that for me because He is alive and has the power to transform lives as He came back to life on the third day to save and sent His Holy Spirit into the hearts of those who call upon His Name. You too can experience that wanting Almighty's intervention today! That is what I am aiming for.

I ask you now dear friend why wait through conflict in life?
Dear friend, I learned how Joseph's wait in faith eventually gave him what the correct decision should be in a negative conflict as opposed to acting hastily and making a decision that results in waste that not only would have hurt Joseph but others. Hasty decisions can hurt us too badly making waste when we do not wait. When we do wait, our Lord and Savior can help us through the conflict by revealing the correct decision that should be made.  It does not necessarily have to be revealed in a dream but the Lord Jesus can reveal it to you through His Word, or through His Spirit or His community which will not contradict His Word.

Then you will know that you have been influenced positively by the Lord and the decision you make would have been a decision not acted in haste but without waste because you decided to wait in faith.

Friend, I don't know what conflict you are going through right now if any but if you are, don't rush into judgment thinking you have to act right away. No, friend sit back and consider your options. Think about all the pros and cons of a decision but especially what God's Word has to say about the decision you have to make. When you do that you will experience His peace knowing that the result you get is blessed by the Lord. Also, when you take time you may even fall asleep and when you wake up, you could know what to do because you got a dream, got a Word from the Lord, heard something from a community of believers, etc. But remember, it has to be tested with God's Word because whatever decision you need to make will not contradict His Word.

Wait in faith upon the Lord for He promises you that you will mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not faint. In other words, the Lord Jesus will bring you through the conflict you are in. Wait upon Him and do not give up.

May you wait upon the Lord Jesus Christ wanting Almighty's intervention today!

"Wanting Almighty's Intervention Today! (W.A.I.T)"/"Why W.A.I.T through conflict in life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for revealing how Joseph reacted to a situation without acting in haste. He considered his options and did not move into judgment hastily. In the process, an angel of the Lord revealed to him in a dream what correct decision to make. Oh Lord, help us please not to act in haste knowing it makes waste but to wait in faith knowing Almighty's intervention today. For that to happen, we need to constantly be focused on you Oh Lord instead of our problems that we wait upon you. Help me to do that Lord for I struggle in this area. Thanks so much Jesus. Thank you when we wait in faith regarding decisions in conflicts too, you will reveal the answer through your Word, through your Spirit, and through the Community of believers, your body, the Church and we can know it is from you when it does not contradict Your Word. Thanks so much Jesus. I pray for the one right now who is in deep distress because of the circumstances of their lives especially a conflict they are going through. Oh Lord, their flesh is telling them to act hastily and prematurely but I pray Oh Lord that you give them your wisdom to wait in faith upon you to get the correct decision. Thanks so much Jesus. I pray this for me too. Thank you that we can turn to you and talk to you knowing you are there for us loving us so much. Thanks for being our Lord and Personal Savior when we accept you into our heart and ask you to lead us and guide us. Thank you for dying on the cross of Calvary to save us as you shed your precious cleansing blood to purify us and coming back on the third day to give us Eternal Life forever by your grace as we accept your grace. I do Oh Lord. Thank you for being born to save humanity as we reflect on this Christmas season. Help us to wait on thee always. Thank you for hearing my prayers and answering me. In Your precious Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!

If you want to be a soldier in the Lord's army, you can become it right now. Now is the time of Salvation! You do not have to wait but can pray this prayer and give your life to Christ to serve Him daily! There is no draft but coming to Christ is voluntary. He loves you so much and wants you to come to Him! He will take care of you, guiding you and leading you!

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me so much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me. You became the Son of Man and lived here on earth. Then you humbled yourself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. You died on the cross so that I can be covered in your blood and cleansed by your blood as I acknowledge that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being my pathway. So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried to get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank you for all that you have done for me. "The cross is the place, a wonderful place where accused and condemned find mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus, it is at the cross where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us were nailed at the cross. Thank you Jesus, at the cross you died for our sins and at the cross you gave your life for us." I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving me. I love you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something that you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to live for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I can never repay you. I want to live for you and need your help. Help me Jesus please. I thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray precious Jesus! Amen!