“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.”
Matthew 1:18-25 NLT
God will stretch you beyond your limits. Joseph obeyed, even when it hurt. When Joseph thought Mary had betrayed him and slept with another man, he did everything he could to protect her reputation. Even in his pain, he did not seek to hurt. When the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream, he must have been relieved to know that Mary had not betrayed him. Yet the Lord told Joseph to stay engaged to Mary—which would have cost him his reputation. Joseph had a choice: loyalty to God or reputation?
Joseph chose obedience even though it hurt. Jesus was raised by a man who obediently loved the Lord, even in the pain. Jesus would follow the example of His earthly father; He suffered and remained obedient to the will of the heavenly Father. The Lord will stretch you beyond your limits so that you understand—with Him, you are capable of far more than you can imagine. The stretching will force you to truly depend upon God instead of relying upon your personal strengths and abilities. Even when it hurts, God’s way is the best way.
How is the Lord stretching you? How can you discern the difference between an artificial limit (which God wants to grow) and healthy boundaries (which God wants you to keep)?
