OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what do I learn about Mary, the mother of Jesus?
1. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph.
2. But before they [Joseph and Mary] came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what do I learn about Joseph?
1. Joseph was the husband of Mary.
2. Joseph was a righteous man.
3. Joseph did not want to expose her to public disgrace.
4. Joseph had in mind to divorce her quietly!

INTERPRETATIONS:
I asked myself what do I think was going on in Joseph's mind?
Joseph was thinking that he did not make Mary pregnant because he did not have sex with her but since she got pregnant, Mary was unfaithful to him.

INTERPRETATIONS:
I I asked myself how did Joseph want to respond and the significance of that response?
The significance of knowing how Joseph wanted to respond reveals to me why Joseph was seen as a righteous man. Even though he felt that Mary got pregnant and he definitely was not the father, he did not want to expose her to public disgrace so he had in mind to divorce her quietly without anyone knowing about it. This reveals to us Joseph's love for Mary amidst how he felt Mary had wronged him even though Mary did not wrong him but he did not know that yet. Joseph shows true love towards Mary in a world of false hope by wanting to protect her publicly and privately. Publicly Joseph wanted to protect her by not exposing her to public disgrace and privately Joseph wanted to protect her by divorcing her quietly.

It is  especially loving what Joseph did because according to Jewish law what Joseph thought he knew could have given him reason to stone Mary but love for Mary overruled what should have been done when he thought Mary was guilty. Also, it is Joseph's relationship with God that revealed his true love towards Mary in a world of false hope because his ultimate true hope is in God in a world of false love too.

IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?
The implications for my own life are profound when I study the actions of Joseph. Joseph's actions show that true love is never self-righteous but always is kind and thinks about the best welfare of the other person. So, the purpose of today's study was for me to understand that true love in a world of false hope can influence lives with true hope in a world of false hope. True hope exists because of God's true love for us to give us true hope moving us to love truly.

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING L.O.V.E:

I learned in the course of my own marriage about the power of true love. No matter how many times I have messed up in different areas with my dearest wife Chandraleela, she always loves me more and more. She exemplifies for me what 1 Corinthians 13 is especially about 'love does not demand it's own way' and 'love does not keep record of no wrongs.' I am very grateful to be learning about how true love lived out looks like in the confines of our own marriage of 5 years this year. It is her love for the Lord Jesus Christ that shows in our marriage. I want to show that kind of love to my precious wife too.

It is true love that changes people and brings them back for more whether it is hearing about Jesus, living in community, etc. Sometimes it just takes that one person to make a difference which is multiplied.  This happened with me with the help of Pastor Hugo especially in 2009.

God's Truth expressed in love will look like how Jesus approached the Samaritan Women at the Well in John 4.  For most of my own life, it has been experienced through how the Lord Jesus has used my mommy while growing up and currently uses my sweetest wife Chandra.

Truth expressed in Christ's love is what is biblical. We never shy away from expressing the Truth of God's Word because we do not want to offend anyone. But, we ask the Spirit of the Living God to help us reveal His Truth in love. It can be done because I have seen it happen in my own life.

I ask you now dear friend how has your L.O.V.E influenced others in life?
Dear friend, I learned how love influenced Joseph’s life towards Mary in a positive way. Joseph could have humiliated Mary with the intention to destroy her for what he perceived happened to him and what he believed. But, instead his love shows his righteousness.

What about you?

If you feel wronged by your spouse, do you expose him/her to public disgrace by sharing with people you know how your spouse has wronged you?

Sadly, we live in a society where love can at times just become a four letter word and not have a true meaning. Many times it is only love when things go our way but when things don’t love is shattered. A wrongdoing can easily turn human beings heart to hate which is sad if they are not careful.

When that happens we are not satisfied with our own hurt but want the other person to be hurt too. The best way people do that is trying to publicly disgrace someone for their wrong doing.

One thing I learned from Joseph was how much he loved his wife Mary. Even though he felt Mary did wrong even though she did not, he chose not to publicly disgrace her. It was never his intention to speak badly about his wife to anyone whether it was family or not.

When we got married, my precious wife Chandra and I made a covenant that however we wrong each other in our marriage, we will never share those wrongs with our family members or others to disgrace one another. Instead, we will go on our knees in prayer to the Lord Jesus.

One of the worst things that can happen in a marriage is when a husband or wife decide to lay the baggage of a marraige to their best friend, to their family members, to the public, etc. 

Where is the love in that?

I was so touched when my precious wife told me no matter what happens in the confines of our marriage, I only build you up and speak good about you to my mommy, my sisters, and brother.

Yesterday, while taking a walk she told me, 'You are still my hero' even after 5 years of marriage. Then she told me, 'You are still my family's hero'. Of course, I felt like I should not be their hero or her hero because even after 5 years of marriage, I am not the husband that I need to be exemplified by Ephesians 5. But, I know my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will help me.

This is not to say when we have struggled in our marriage, we have put on a facade that everything is peachy in our marriage. Far from it, we have shared generally without making the other person look bad. That's not to say, we have not faltered at times. But when we seek the Lord Jesus in our lives, His love for us influences our love for each other in our marriage. Thank you Jesus. 

My daddy was married to my mommy for more than 30 years before going to be with Jesus. Their marriage was not perfect but there was love even in struggles. In all those years, not once did my mommy speak ill of my daddy to others. I know that because my mommy told me. It is Christ's love that has influenced her and continues to influence her.

My daddy loved my mommy so much. I remember one time my daddy telling me, 'Of all the woman in the world, my mommy is the best of them all. There is no one like her' This reminded me of Proverbs 31

But what if you have been at the receiving end of the wrong where you have been publicly disgraced to others by your spouse whether it was a family member or friend?

What do you do?

Let love influence you :)

"Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, TLB)

Wow!

Friend, maybe you have been at the receiving end of a wrong and do not know anymore how love can influence you.  But, I want you to know that whatever has happened to you, Jesus wants to show you what true love is.  No matter what has happened, the Lord Jesus can pick you up and put you on solid ground as you turn to Him this Christmas season! Yes, He can! Even if you have been humiliated, don’t let that rule you but allow Jesus to come and heal you. Love has come into this world and He will encompass you with His love.

Maybe you are at the giving end and have publicly disgraced others. If that happened, you can know there are alternatives to handle a situation. Ask the Lord for forgiveness and see how you can handle a situation from now on allowing love to influence you. That is what Joseph did.

Wherever you are Jesus wants to be there for you. Three years ago,  Pastor Michael and the youth group shared a powerful skit called Ragman, Ragman, Ragman the Christ about how Christ's love influenced Christ to take all our dirty rags and put them on Himself. He took our filth, our pain, our hurts, our diseases and bore them upon Himself so that we can have new life.

All this testimony will be for naught if I do not share with you all where this Truth comes from in love. It is Jesus Christ for me. My love cannot influence anyone's life if that love is not rooted in the love of Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  It is His Way, His Truth, and His life that leads us to true love and true hope. It is found in Him. Jesus loves us so much that if we were the only one living, He would have still died for us and come back to life to save us from all our sin.  It is His love for us that made Him shed His blood on the cross of Calvary to cleanse us from all our sin so that we can be seen as righteous in the eyes of the Lord when we come to Him. Jesus gave us the free gift of His grace to save us and redeem us. Jesus did everything for us so that we will not feel judged but loved by Him. It His love for us that moves us to action.

We are not saved because of the good we think we do but we are saved because of the good that Jesus has done for us. So, no matter how our life is and how much we have messed up, we are never out of His love and never out of His reach. He loves us as we are inspite of our shortcomings. He wants us to come to Him in our soul sickness, so He can work in us and transform us for we cannot ever get rid of sin no matter how much we try. Only Christ can do that for us and will do that for us. But for that to happen, we should turn our lives over to Him and experience His love.

To show that love he places people in our lives and especially His Word to reveal His love to us. You can have that love too because it is only His true love that can give us true hope in a world of false hope and false love. I hope you find that as I have.

Knowing how Jesus loves us and understanding the implications of Joseph's actions, Jesus' actions towards the Samaritan woman in John 4 and Adulterous woman in John 8 should move us to true love in a world of false hope. So, as we look to the Advent season, let us remember Jesus who wants to be our Lord and Savior to give us true love in a world of false hope.

This December no matter where you have been or what you have done, you can experience the love of Christ as you come to read the love Jesus has for you in His Word. Come as you are friend and receive the help you need in Christ for He is our Hope, our Salvation, and our Peace!

May you allow the Lord Jesus Christ’s love to influence you this Christmas season now and forever! Amen!

"Love Others Very Enthusiastically!" (L.O.V.E)/"How has your L.O.V.E influenced others in life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I want to thank you so much for how much you love us. Your love is so pure and unconditional. Lord for all the wrongs we have done if you did not show us love, we would forever continue to be publicly disgraced. But you have not done that Lord instead you had in mind for you to be publicly disgraced taking upon yourself our sin. Thank you so much Jesus for dying for our sin and coming back to life to save us. Help us please to be influenced by your love. I thank you Jesus for being in our life. Forgive us Lord when we allowed a vengeful spirit to decide those we want publicly disgraced. This happens a lot in society. We don’t want to be like society but how you want us to be. Thank you so much again for your love that can rule our lives. I give myself completely to you and ask you to be in control of my life. Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you for bringing us through the years of infancy and caring for us. You have been our help so many times. Please continue to live in us and we will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of our lives. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you that you are our Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you that you have heard our prayers and answered us. In Your 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”)