For every living thing, growth is an inevitable process. The growth process make us become and emerge. Things that were innate begin to emerge; areas that were possibly redundant begin to flourish; understanding grows; knowledge increases; expansion and enlargement of the cells, tissues and organs begin to take place; connections grow, influence increases; relationships expand; relevance increases as the case may be.
The Bible says “When goods increase, so is the mouth that feed on them” Eccl 5:11 (paraphrased). Increase brings about a lot of challenges, so does growth! A child is totally dependent on his/her parents until growth gets him/her to a point of self-reliance and personal responsibility.
Growth makes one become!!
However, a question (Who/What are you Becoming?) kept ringing in my heart of recent as I went through the book of Matthew again and I meditated on the story of Joseph betrothed to Mary (or is it the other way round?)
In life, circumstances and situations make us become.. We become either having a more positive or negative disposition to life or people; we become more relational or withrawn; we become more pleasant to relate with or irritable; we become wiser or foolish; we become richer: full of ideas and resources or become impoverished; we become drawn to God through Christ or further away.
However, as believers, we are to get drawn more and more nearer unto God; we are to keep becoming more and more like Christ as we behold His face; we are to become more Christ-natured than flesh-natured. We are to become more disposed to how or what Jesus Christ would do than to how our nature/flesh or the world would do given any circumstance. When we have been with Jesus, there are some becoming that should be evident in our lives. We never fully become until we are called out of this body. Hence we keep becoming, but there’s a need to watch and guard who we are becoming. There’s a need to take heed to ourselves as much as we take heed to the responsibilities that we individually have in the body of Christ. The work/ministry must become acceptable to God, but not at the expense of us becoming more Christ-natured; hence Apostle Paul admonished us to take heed to ourselves..Acts 20:28; 1Tim 4:16;
Back to my theme story, Joseph demonstrated a character that ministered so much to me in this passage.
Matthew 1:18-20
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”
Joseph was reported to be a just man. In the old dispensation before Christ came, no one was referred to as a disciple or Christian. A God-fearing person was best referred to as “A Just Man” or a person who “walked with God”. That was Joseph! He knew and feared God. His relationship with God had rubbed on his personality/ mindset and temperament. This is what is expected of us as believers. Our relationship with God should keep making us become as it rubs on every area of our lives.
Whom Joseph had become affected his response to the situation Mary found herself: a single lady he was engaged to, yet had become pregnant! That was unheard of; a disgrace in the land and the natural thing was to bring her case to the public and report to those who will pass instant judgement of stoning Mary to death. It was a legal thing to do according to the law of Moses …(Deut 22:23-24) but Joseph had become a person whom the character of God had rubbed on (he was sincerely loving, not quick to condemn; not judgemental); he wasn’t going to become something else or someone else, he wasn’t going to become cruel or wicked and insensitive on account of Mary’s experience; he wanted to walk away quietly, yet not wanting to disgrace or bring her to public shame! Wow! That’s an ‘out of this world’ reaction!
Not becoming something else made it easy for him to hear when the angel spoke to him that Mary’s experience was divine. If Joseph had taken a fleshly disposition and response; if he had reacted in the flesh; if he had shouted and dragged her out and brought her to open shame and disgrace, it might have been difficult for him to (possibly) hear what God had to say about his betrothed Mary. The destiny of Mary needed to be preserved against all odds; and Joseph was found and nominated by God to do so. A man like him was needed to be the earthly father of Jesus but first, Mary must be protected and cared for. Joseph (a just man) refused to allow the situation make him become whom he was not! His reaction stemmed basically from whom he was and had become, not as much as whom the other person was. (This is deep!)
What/Who are you becoming on account of your job; or business; or profession; or marriage; or ministry; or social life; or opportunities or connections or relationships? As a believer, what are you allowing events, or situations or circumstances or people make you become?
There are a lot of things, people and situations that will be used to test the stuff we are made of and to even make us become further moulded in the purpose of God. There are a lot of tests that we would pass through on account of people, circumstances and situations. Rather than allow those to make us become whom God did not design us to be, we should take heed to ourselves that we remain in Christ and press further into Him; becoming more like him as we advance in life: in circumstances; in situations; in relationships.
Moses became an angry Man on account of the stubbornness of the Israelites and he sinned against God as such; he didnt get to the promised land. Don’t let people, situations and circumstances make you become who/what you shouldn’t become. Dont become a bitter person; nor an unforgiving person; or judgemental; or an accuser or callous; or hateful, boastful, arrogant; insensitive; uncaring; irritable etc.
Receive the grace needed to weather through and become more and more like Christ.
May grace be multiplied unto us and may we maximize grace to become more Christ-natured in all aspects of life. Amen!
© Funmi Adebayo