A Taxing Call

Luke 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

When the Lord tapped Joseph on the shoulder, He asked of him some pretty tough stuff. But, for a man of faith, God's will at any cost is the way to go.

Doing God's will was a very taxing proposition for the surrogate father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It entailed him believing Mary's (and the angel's) story of the conception of the Messiah by the Holy Ghost and acting on it by faith. It meant the arduous travel to Bethlehem with a very pregnant wife and the birth of the baby in a cow's stall. It meant a hurried flight into Egypt, a return to Palestine, and raising the perfect child and his 5 siblings.

There are those times when we are asked to do things that are beyond our comfort zones or perceived limitations. But God never guides where He doesn’t provide, He never leads where He does not feed. He will not ask of us beyond that which we are able. And, God will never be a debtor to any man!

We can only imagine what rewards awaited Joseph when he walked through heaven's gates. If anyone gets a "well done!" I think Joseph got a big one.

The will of God, nothing more

The will of God, nothing less

The will of God, always

The will of God, anywhere, at any cost.