The following is from a blog post by John Greco.  It is so good that I want to read it verbatim.  Here is the blog post:

“According to Matthew’s Gospel, Joseph’s full name is Joseph, son of Jacob (1:16), and the similarities between his story and the story of another biblical Joseph, son of Jacob, are undeniable. Back in Genesis, the first Joseph is a dreamer. He has dreams about what God will do through him in the future (37:5–11). The Joseph of the Christmas story receives dreams from God as well (Matthew 1:20–23; 2:12, 19–20). And just as the first Joseph resists temptation and remains chaste with Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:10), so the second resists temptation and remains pure with Mary, his pregnant wife, until she gives birth to Jesus (Matthew 1:25). Finally, the patriarch Joseph calls for the holy family of God—his father Jacob’s household—to come down to Egypt and join him, to save them from coming disaster (Genesis 45–46). In the book of Matthew, the other Joseph does the same for another holy family, taking Mary and the child Jesus down to Egypt (2:14–15).

At the end of the book of Genesis, the first Joseph looks back on his life and sees why God had allowed him such a crooked and sometimes painful path: “to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (50:20). But at the beginning of the gospel of Matthew, the second Joseph looks ahead and can see—even if through a glass dimly—why God was asking such a strange, difficult thing of him. The angel had told him, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (1:21). When we consider the lives of both men, a common theme emerges: Both Josephs submit themselves to the Lord, despite the cost, for the good of other people and for the glory of God.

In the nativity story, Joseph discovers that his beloved Mary is pregnant. A woman caught in adultery could be stoned to death according to the law of Moses (see Deuteronomy 22:23–24). But Joseph has it in his heart to treat Mary mercifully. Since they are betrothed, he decides to divorce her privately so she won’t be put to shame. It’s another option available to him (Deuteronomy 24:1). Even though he believes Mary has betrayed him, Joseph’s will is bent toward kindness. The inclination of his heart is apparent. But when a messenger from God appears to him in a dream, he puts his own plans—his plans to divorce Mary privately —aside. Like his Old Testament namesake, who endured injustice and imprisonment without exacting revenge, Joseph shows himself to be a man strong enough to trust the Lord, even when doing so might prove costly. He believes God’s messenger and responds with obedience—the kind of obedience that sees past the letter of the law and into the heart of God.

Joseph seems too good to be true—a man who obeys the Lord without question and thinks of others before himself. But his character was carved out over time. What we see in the birth accounts in Matthew and Luke is the fruit of seeds planted long before his angel-dreams began or he found out Mary was expecting a child.

What’s also striking to me is that Matthew records nothing Joseph said. In fact, not a single word from Joseph is mentioned in all of Scripture. Everything we know about Joseph comes as a result of what he does, not what he says. Joseph’s actions point to his heart, and his heart is kindled with love for God. Is it any wonder this is the man God chose to be an earthly father for His Son?”

Wow!  John Greco’s article is so convicting to me.  And it is so helpful to me to be reminded that Joseph did not instantly become a man of such obedience and character.  God was cultivating in him this character, throughout the years leading up to these events.  And God is similarly cultivating in every believer the character needed to carry out His plans and calling on their lives:

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God will even use our trials and times of suffering to cultivate the character we need to fulfill His calling on our lives:

Romans 5:3-5 NIV  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  (4)  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  (5)  And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Would you join me in praying that God will cultivate character in me, such that I will be a man like Joseph, whose heart is known by my actions, and not merely by my words?

Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”