Matthew 1.18-25: Whatever is excellent speaks to high moral virtue or a high heroism and extreme eminence. In Joseph, we see an example of a man dedicated to pursuing the most excellent, even though it brought potential great cost. As he considered what is excellent, it brought him to follow the higher law – that of faith-filled dedication to God. It raised him to a new level of himself, one that anticipated the gift of what Jesus would be for him and for the world.