The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 5 January 2026 – Christian Courtship
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TOPIC: Christian Courtship
READ: Matthew 1:18-25 (NKJV)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being [a]a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is [b]conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name [c]Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and [d]did not know her till she had brought forth her[e] firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
THE MESSAGE:
Mary was the fiancée of Joseph, but she became pregnant of the Holy Spirit before their wedding. While Joseph thought of how to handle the situation, he had a dream in which he was encouraged to accept Mary as his intended wife, since her condition was divinely arranged. He was told that Mary would give birth to a Son who should be called Jesus the Saviour.
The time frame between the day a brother and a sister agree regarding God’s leading for marriage to each other and the day of wedding is the period of courtship. Before Joseph and Mary came together, that is, during their period of courtship, Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost. This conception was to define what direction their preparation for marriage would take. One important aspect of God’s purpose for Christian marriage is to get godly offspring (Malachi 2:15). Whereas courtship is intended to prepare the intending couple for the realization of God’s purpose, many waste this period in lust, and wedding preparation. Learn from Joseph and Mary to keep your relationship pure. Perhaps this is coming late for the married, but you can ask God to recover His purpose in your marriage by His mercy. Christian courtship should be based on purity and God’s word.
PRAYER: Father, please help me to please You during my period of courtship.
