By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross

As cowboys, whether on the ranching or the rodeo side, you aren’t afraid of hard work and you know how to be tough.

When it comes to difficult personal situations, now matter how tough we are, it isn’t always easy to ‘do the hard thing.’

When is the last time you gave a sincere apology when you messed up? When is the last time you admitted you messed up in the first place? I think pride sometimes makes us feel like doing the right thing is a sign of weakness.

It’s actually just the opposite and it’s Joseph in another part of the Bible’s teachings on the birth of Christ, that shows us this. The verses in the second chapter of Luke are often referred to as “The Christmas Story” but in another part of the teachings about Jesus’s birth in Matthew 1, Jospeh shows us what it really means to do the hard thing.

Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Mary’s pregnancy would only be seen as adultery in this culture without them being able to understand God’s plan. The consequences for Mary would be facing being stoned to death. The consequences for Joseph were tremendous shame but again, in that culture, it would be far more devastating than what we can understand today.

But without yet knowing God’s plan, Joseph already sets a standard that is hard to meet: he is willing to end his betrothal quietly to prevent Mary from shame and potential harm. Once he understands God’s plan, he goes ahead and bears the shame their community would place on them by staying with Mary and doing as God commanded through the angel.

This is what it means for a man to do the hard thing.

By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross

Proverbs 12:22 The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

We may not be intentionally lying but often what we are doing is willingly spreading false information because it supports a strong view and opinion we have. It doens’t matter to us if the information is correct, we believe it is because it supports what we already think.

God wants us to be trustworthy.

In fact, we need to be trustworthy if we’re going to be able to tell people about Jesus and having any hope of them believing us.

The most important truth we can share is that of who Jesus is and what it means to have a saving faith in him.

1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

How we behave should line up with what we believe in terms of our faith. That needs to come from a solid understanding of what the Bible teaches and unfortunately, many of us these days know more details about false stories that circulate or false gospels (beliefs that sound Biblical but aren’t).

Here’s just a little bit to help you navigate what is real, particularly on social media. Most of this only takes seconds or minutes before

1.First, look to the original source. If it’s something that sounds Christian, look up the preacher or teacher or church it came from and see if their beliefs are rooted in the gospel and right teaching of scripture. That’s why you HAVE to know more of what’s in the Bible yourself to help you catch these things or ask someone you trust to verify it for you.

If it’s from the realm of politics, news and social issues, look at the original sources. Take the time to follow the post back to where it came from. If you can’t find a source, chances are it’s not true at all or at best, is misleading.