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Life doesn't always deliver what we expect or want. Life delivers things sometimes that we can't or don't want to deal with. But within that circumstance lies a blessing that most of us miss because we give up. We need to learn how to deal with the unexpected things that come into our lives so that we can reach our God given potential and receive all the blessings he has for us.
The Christmas Story
Matthew 1:18 - This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Mary and Joseph had plans to get married, they had a plan to start a life together - then they found themselves in an unexpected circumstance. They had their own plans, but God had a different plan - one that seemed to be a disaster, but one that God intended for good.
We all have our own plans for our lives and the things that happen in our lives, we have hopes and dreams. Sometimes the unexpected happens and ruines our plans. I can seem hopeless.
There are many ways to handle the unexpected:
DON'T - Become Angry
James 1:19-20 - My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
When we get angry we miss the blessing.
DON'T - Quit
Matthew 1:19 - Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Joseph was going to just quit, he was going to break off the engagement.
Some people are so discouraged by unexpected circumstances that they just give up, they decide that life isn't giving them what they want and what they think they need and they just decide to stop trying. When we just quit we will never receive the blessings he has for us, God knows what we are going through, he loves us and he has great plans for our lives. To fulfill his plans sometimes we have to deal with unexpected circumstances.
DO - Stop
Matthew 1:20 - But after he had considered this, 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.
Joseph stopped and thought about how to handle, he didn't make a snap decision. Instead of reacting he slept on it and woke up with a different perspective.
Many times we don't see Gods plan because we don't stop and think. God sees the big picture, we can only see what is happening at that moment and we don't realize that momentary inconvenience is a small price to pay for eternal blessing and if we react on our impulses we can miss out on those blessings.
DO - Listen
Matthew 1:20-21 - But after he had considered this, 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. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
Joseph stopped and listened to the angel, he almost missed being the earthly father of the savior of the world. Because he listened to the word of God he didn't miss out on the greatest blessing he could receive.
The unexpected circumstances are the launching pad to get you from where you are to where you need to be, but you have to listen to Him. We have to read Gods word, because that is how he speaks to us.
DO - Trust
Matthew 1:24-25 - When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Joseph trusted Gods plan for his life. He had faith and he got to be a part of the biggest blessing the world had ever seen.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. We can stop and listen to what God says, but if we don't trust him and do what he wants us to do we can't move forward in his plan.
DO - Watch
Matthew 1:25b - And he gave him the name Jesus.
Joseph stopped, listened and trusted God and he got to witness the miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ.
If we stop, listen and trust God we get to watch him pour out blessings and miracles into our lives.
Sometimes our lives get to the point where we just can't handle it anymore, we don't understand why these things are happening and what we did to deserve so much pain. We get to the place where we don't want to go on, that is the time when we need to turn to God and pray for him to help us. God has an amazing plan for our lives, but we need to turn to him and just watch him bless our lives.
Here's the video of the testimony of Mychael Lynch. Talk about trusting God through unexpected circumstances.
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