We often think about God choosing Mary to be the mother of the Christ child.
Let’s think about Joseph for a minute:
Joseph is the man God chose to be Daddy to His Son!
What kind of man would you choose for your child?
— patient
— kind
—Firm but gentle
—Slow to anger
—Disciplines not in anger, but with love
— good and just
—A protector - Someone to run to when the child is scared.
—Someone with the courage and power to be that protector
—A provider - not providing every want but providing every need
—Present - Someone who is consistently present in the child’s life
— Unconditional love
— Helps the child learn from mistakes
— What else can you think of? What would be your standards? Whatever they are, God has that same standard or higher.
These are also the characteristics of God. Many don’t have a father in their lives. Did you know the love and protection and provision of a father is an earthly picture of the Heavenly Father? If you don’t have that good daddy you might have a harder time understanding the love of God.
In 1 Timothy 3:1-7, the qualities of a bishop are listed:
He must be
blameless,
the husband of one wife,
temperate,
sober-minded,
of good behavior,
hospitable,
able to teach;
not given to wine,
not violent,
not greedy for money,
but gentle, not quarrelsome,
not covetous;
one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence,
not being puffed up with pride that he does not fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
He must have a good testimony among those who are outside,
lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
In verses 10-13, Paul lists the qualities of a Deacon:
must be reverent,
not double-tongued,
not given to much wine,
not greedy for money,
holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
Let deacons be the husbands of one wife,
ruling their children and their own houses well.
a good standing and great boldness in the faith
These are God’s standards for the men watching over His children. He would have these same standards for the Daddy of His Only Begotten.
And remember God didn’t just see the actions of Joseph, He knew his heart. He didn’t just see Joseph in the present; He saw his past and his future.
Joseph wasn’t just a package deal that came with Mary.
God hand-picked Joseph
just like He
hand-picked Mary.
