Joseph

Day 1- 01 THE STORY

In the Old Testament, the greatest king of Israel was David. God made him king and told him that there would be a King who would reign forever in his family. Jesus, who wants to be your Savior, was in the family of King David! David’s son, his grandson, and many of their sons actually go on to be a king in Israel. When the nation of Israel was defeated in war and taken captive by another country, there were no more kings. David’s family tree still lived on, instead of becoming kings, they just were ordinary people. Joseph was David’s great, great, great (plus a lot more greats) grandkid. If Israel still had kings, he would be the king. Instead, he was a simple carpenter. He was engaged to be married to a young girl named Mary. He found out that Mary was pregnant, and he wasn’t the dad. He was probably hurt because he loved her, but God’s messenger shows back up to tell him some crazy news.
Read Matthew 1:18-24
Who was Jesus’ real dad? What was Jesus coming to do?

Day 2- 02 THE WITNESSES

Joseph was not Jesus’ real dad. His real dad was God. God planned for Joseph to take care of Jesus and raise Him. This sounds crazy but, if you think about it, you probably know someone who is adopted.  Jesus lived with His real mom, but His dad was more of an adoptive dad. Like an adoptive dad, Joseph loved Jesus like his own son. God gave Joseph a really important task of taking care of Jesus. Joseph was very obedient to God. He always did what God asked him, and because he did so, he got to do a very special job!
Read Matthew 1:24. Did Joseph obey what God wanted him to do?
Read Matthew 2:13-14. How did Joseph obey God in these verses?
Did he wait to obey or did he do it immediately?
Why was it important that he obeyed fast? Are you quick to obey God? Your parents?

The Bible tells us that Joseph was a carpenter. The Bible also says that Jesus was a carpenter with His dad before He started His ministry. Joseph taught Jesus and helped Him learn. Sometime this week, grab your dad and go build something with him. It can be as simple as a cardboard fort, but spend time with your dad and learn from him. If you don’t have an earthly dad, don’t be discouraged because you have a Heavenly Father who loves you so much. Grab your mom or a grandparent.

Day 3- 03 THE SOURCE

Read John 14:15
How do we show God we love Him? Did Joseph show God he loved Him?
How do you show God you love Him?

Day 4- 04 THE MOTIVE

We may not know why God is asking us to do some things in our life, but God always has a reason for you to obey. He doesn’t just ask you to do something “because He says so.” There is always a reason and that reason, is always for your benefit. Just as Joseph got to take care of Jesus, obeying God will give you a chance to see God do some pretty cool things through you. Obeying God will also help you avoid or cope with things and people in the world who can hurt you.
Read Jeremiah 7:23
Write this verse down and try to memorize it today!
When you have it memorized, tell it to your parents without looking.

Day 5- 05 CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Your parents don’t just let anyone babysit you, they have to trust someone to take care of you while they are gone. God must have really trusted Joseph to leave him with His son for 33 years. Write down three ways that God can trust you this week. Ask your parents for help if you’re having trouble thinking of some examples. Fill in the blank:
God you can trust me to do ___________
God you can trust me to be ___________
God you can trust me with your ___________

Write down on your character sheet what you learned from this part of the story of Joseph.