It is expected of every Christian to embrace the lessons from Christmas: lessons from Jesus’s birth, miracles surrounding it and instructions from God. When these lessons are obeyed, it makes our Christian lives better.

The first lesson is the submission to the Divine will. From the account of Luke 1:38, the Bible made us understand how Mary reacted to Angel of God. She said: “Be it unto me according to your word”. Mary submitted to the Divine will.

Mary had received message from the Angel that she would be pregnant, though being a virgin. She accepted as the angel told her not to fear, that it was the will of God for Jesus to be born through her.

Mary released herself despite not having the full knowledge how the whole plan would work out. Ephesians 5:17 says: “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

There is need to know and do the will of God. There is also connection between doing God’s will and fulfilling your purpose in life.

Note that God’s will will never lead you out of your life’s purpose but will rather bring it to pass.

But we have many people today who are pursing their personal will at the expense of God’s. Some people also will not take a step until they understand fully God’s plan. But this is contrary to God’s way of operation desiring us of working with our Faith. The just shall live by Faith (Hebrews 10: 38).

Another important point is that God’s will is to be accepted even if it is not convenient. But when pursued, it becomes convenient.

It wasn’t convenient for Joseph to accept Mary as his wife when she was found with pregnancy which is not his. But the angel of God told him in the dream to accept her as his wife, that the pregnancy is from Holy Ghost and that the child to be born would be Jesus to save the world from sin. Joseph did not argue but accepted the God’s plan and God made it convenient for him to work with the plan afterwards.

It is important to note that anyone that revolt against the will of the Divine is simply distorting his destiny. The extent to which anyone will fit into the will of the Divine, to that extent the person will fulfil purpose in life.

The second lesson to be learnt from Christmas is the obedience to Divine instruction.

When Joseph woke from sleep, he simply key into the instruction. He obeyed! He obeyed in spite of the difficulty of the instruction.

Many people today only select God’s instructions to obey. They engage in selective obedience. But every instructions from God is to be obeyed. Every spoken word of God is meant and intended. Obedience must be total for it to be acceptable. Partial obedience is total disobedience.

Remember, Joseph did as he was instructed by the angel, and today we speak of him as the channel through which our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to fulfil God’s purpose.

Disobedient people are rebellious people and rebellious people can not please God.

*Culled from Christmas sermon by Reverend Dr. Taiye Adeola, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Ilorin, Kwara State.