Tom Holladay
“When Joseph heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his
father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he
withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called
Nazareth.” (Matthew 2:22-23a NIV)
A lot of people think living an
obedient life of faith means putting your mind in neutral and letting God
direct you wherever he wants, as if you are a robot. That’s not it at all.
The Bible says, “Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and
with all your mind” (Luke 10:27a NIV). You’ve got to engage your brain with God
and live out the kind of life he has for you to live.
This is what Joseph did when he
obeyed God’s command to move back to Israel. Joseph heard that Herod’s son was
reigning in Judea, so he was afraid to go there. “Having been warned in a
dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town
called Nazareth” (Matthew 2:23 NIV).
