Joseph, Husband of Mary (part III)

By Odon Bulamba (6 December 2002)

Luke 2:1-7 1

Joseph left Nazareth to go to Bethlehem because that’s where he belonged. Once he arrived the Bible says that all the hostels were full. Joseph didn’t worry but continued to look around knocking on doors. Mary was ready to give birth but Joseph didn’t know where to go. Joseph decided to forget about looking for a comfortable room so the Spirit of God helped him to know where the animals lived. By now Mary was exhausted and gave birth. Joseph on the other hand wasn’t ashamed that his wife gave birth around cows not to mention the smell, “that’s the place where God gave us, so let it be”. When you have a problem with your brother do you look for a room or advice elsewhere? Do you help that person by prayer or do you forget completely?

Today the church is living in luxury; they can’t even kneel down and ask for forgiveness to their God, they think that their expensive pants will become dirty. This is a time where God wants to do something in your life, when Joseph was looking around for a room was the time where the pain of childbirth would increase. We must be ready for any situation, and if God gives us a situation that doesn’t please us we must accept it. Don’t doubt because you cannot flee. When God blesses people they only want positive things that are good for the body.

One day God asked a servant if he wanted a blessing, so the man said yes Jesus I’m ready. Jesus said that your blessing is one you’ll cherish because those who are true to Me want it so much, so Jesus said that the man was going to die tonight, that’s the blessing. The man told God it wasn’t a blessing so God asked him if it was a curse. So what is it? God blessed this man by allowing him to enter the kingdom but as for the servant he was expecting something material like money etc. This was a time of decision; do you reject the blessing God offers?

God teaches us a lot of things while we are alive. Last night I thought about the birth of a child. When a child is born nobody pushes him or her out of the womb, instead they know when the time has come to leave the womb. If it’s cold or hot the child will leave, although painfully it will be born. A child decides to see the world. God needs people who can make up their minds so that they will go to His census. Of course the traveling is long and there are many problems or routes along the way, but we have to make up our minds to reach the goal that God loves.


There is a tribe in North Africa that says a man without a decision is a goat without a head because a goat without a head is not a goat but a dying goat. As for us Christians we have to make up our minds, do I belong to God or not? If yes then belong to God from now on. When we make mistakes let’s accept they are mistakes and make them to be transformed. If someone tells you your mistakes know that this person loves you.

So accept your weaknesses and when someone talks about your weaknesses be happy, and this will help you to be transformed. Do not become angry or say that it is finished between you and that person, but be ready to accept other people’s advice. Joseph accepted what God told him through a dream, even though he could have rejected the dream and said it was only a dream he humbled himself for God’s glory. To have people come to you and say that this is your problem is a grace because God sends people that we can actually see and not always in a dream. Don’t we find that we have a better grace than Joseph? Maybe Joseph was confused because it was dream but as for us we see people who talk to us. God loves us with grace. Look after your engagement because sometimes as you know it can be broken. Jesus is always faithful and to be faithful to Jesus is just to make up your mind, a decision.

Pray that everyone will know his or her country of origin and that God will help us to know where we come from, also to be faithful to your engagement and know that God is in other people’s lives.