"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."

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Joseph wasn't aware that God had chosen Mary to be the Mother of His only begotten Son. So God told him in a dream that Mary was still a virgin and that he could take her as his wife, seeing the baby conceived in her was not by man but by the Holy Ghost.

The Message Bible says: "While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: 'Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant.'"

Jesus was born of Mary and therefore He was 100 percent human like the rest of us. The difference was because the Holy Spirit conceived Him He was also 100 percent God.

So He didn't inherit the sinful nature of man, which the rest of humankind gets at birth. The result was a sinless man who was going to save all mankind from their sinful nature.

Today's Thought to Take With You:

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He's a God man.

• Reading Plan A: Revelation 12
• Reading Plan B: Revelation 14
• Reading Plan C: Micah 6-7; Revelation 12

Source: A Verse A Day
by Tim Davidson
Excerpt permission granted by
Word of Faith Church & Outreach Center