Category: Genesis

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Has Life Been Tough?

I was talking to a friend the other day and life in 2018 has been particularly tough for him and his wife. It seems that time after time they have been hit with some pretty devastating circumstances.

As we talked he made mention of these verses and said they were really looking forward to what God was working on for them in 2019.

“Then Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am not God! I have no right to punish you. 20 It is true that you planned to do something bad to me. But really, God was planning good things. God’s plan was to use me to save the lives of many people. And that is what happened. 21 So don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.’ And so Joseph said kind things to his brothers, and this made them feel better.” Genesis 50:19-21 ERV

These were Joseph’s comments to his brothers when they came to Egypt seeking to buy grain because of the great famine that had consumed the land. Some of you know the story but others might not be familiar so let me recap. It all starts in Genesis 37.

Joseph has eleven brothers but he is his father’s favorite. They all know this and they hate Joseph for it. To make matters worse, Joseph has several dreams which he tells to all the family. In these dreams he sees all his brothers and his father bowing down before him and giving him honor. (These dreams were from God.)

One day his brothers find him out in the desert tending sheep and they make a plan to kill him. He has one brother who wants to spare his life but still get rid of him so they sell him to some passing slave traders and Joseph is taken to Egypt. Joseph is 17 at the time. There he is purchased by a wealthy man who makes Joseph his house servant. The master of the home travels and his wife tries to seduce Joseph – he refuses her advances and it makes her mad. When her husband gets home she accuses Joseph of attempted rape and he is sent to prison.

But look at Joseph’s attitude.

“The Lord was with Joseph and continued to show his kindness to him, so the commander of the prison guards began to like Joseph. 22 The commander of the guards put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. Joseph was their leader, but he still did the same work they did. 23 The commander of the guards trusted Joseph with everything that was in the prison. This happened because the Lord was with Joseph. The Lord helped Joseph be successful in everything he did.” Genesis 39:21-23 ERV

While in prison Joseph meets two men who had served in pharaoh’s court, one was the baker and the other was his personal cup bearer. They had dreams that they couldn’t interpret and it worried them. Joseph explained the meaning of the dreams to them; one man would die and the other would be restored to the palace. Joseph asked the cup bearer to tell the pharaoh about him, he promised he would and then completely forget about Joseph. Two years later the pharaoh had a dream and no one could give him the meaning. Then…the servant remembered Joseph and told the king about him.

Joseph, not only, gave the king the meaning of the dreams but he also gave him instruction on how to keep his people from starving during the famine that was coming. God gave Joseph the wisdom and the plan which caused Egypt to prosper.

“Then Pharaoh said to him, “I am Pharaoh, the king over everyone in Egypt, but no one else in Egypt can lift a hand or move a foot unless you say he can.” 45 Then Pharaoh gave Joseph another name, Zaphenath Paneah.] He also gave Joseph a wife named Asenath. She was the daughter of Potiphera, a priest in the city of On. So Joseph became the governor over the whole country of Egypt.

46 Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving the king of Egypt. He traveled throughout the country of Egypt.” Genesis 41:44-46 ERV

As a seventeen year old Joseph was sold into slavery and thirteen years later he was second in command over all of Egypt. Joseph never forget the dreams that God gave him; we never read that he became bitter nor were his motives fueled with hate. We can look at the names Joseph gave his sons and see the attitude of Joseph’s heart.

“Joseph named the first son Manasseh. He was given this name because Joseph said, ‘God made me forget all my hard work and everything back home in my father’s house.’ 52 Joseph named the second son Ephraim. Joseph gave him this name because he said, ‘I had great troubles, but God has made me successful in everything.'” Genesis 41:51-52 ERV

Now this brings us to Joseph meeting his brothers in Egypt. There were seven years of great harvest in Egypt and then started the seven years of famine. People came from many countries to Egypt because they were facing famine too. This is when Joseph’s father sent his brothers to buy grain for their family. Joseph recognized his brothers but they didn’t realize it was him.

I really hope you will take time to read the whole story from Genesis, chapter 37 to chapter 50. There are so many details that I have to skip over to get to the end of the story. Anyway, Joseph sends his brothers home with food but tells them if they want more they have to bring their youngest brother with them…They run out of food again and go back with the brother. That’s when Joseph reveals his true identity.

The brothers are frightened, thinking that Joseph will exact his revenge and either have them killed or send them away to starve. This is when Joseph tells them this:

“Yes, I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. 5 Don’t worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives.

6 There has already been a famine for two years, and for five more years no one will plow fields or harvest grain. 7 But God sent me on ahead of you to keep your families alive and to save you in this wonderful way. 8 After all, you weren’t really the ones who sent me here—it was God. He made me the highest official in the king’s court and placed me over all Egypt.” Genesis 45:4-8 CEV

Joseph was appointed second in the kingdom when he was 30 years old; there were seven good years of harvest and several years of famine before he was reunited with his brothers. He is now more than 40. He has spent half his life as a slave and yet his heart remains pure before God.

Joseph never quit trusting in God’s plan.

Again, let me ask you. Has 2018 been a difficult year filled with disappointment and hardship? I need you to consider the promises that God has made and trust Him to bring you through. What others have done to try and destroy you, God will use for good and bring you through victoriously.

“We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan.” Romans 8:28 NLV

Move forward with confidence in God’s provision!

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Thankful for Choice

As you begin to think about tomorrow’s feast is your mouth already watering?

Which to choose? Turkey, ham, yams, mashed potatoes, pumpkin or pecan pie, I know, you want a little bit of everything don’t you?

The freedom to choose or as some phrase it, free will, is something that we can all be grateful for. Imagine how boring life would be if there was no variety. What if every vehicle was a Ford and each dress was blue? All houses were Cape Cod style and the only college degree to attain was one in Physics. All flowers were red and all dogs were beagles.

No choice, no choice at all.

If that isn’t an appealing idea then you should be thanking God right about now. He is the one that established free will. In the Garden of Eden He created a large variety of fruit bearing trees and God told Adam he could pick from any tree he wanted but one.

“The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to work the soil and take care of the garden. 16 The Lord God gave him this command: “You may eat from any tree in the garden. 17 But you must not eat from the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil. If you eat fruit from that tree, on that day you will certainly die!” Genesis 2:15-17 ERV

Now some may think that God was unfair to restrict Adam from the tree that would give him knowledge of good and evil. Far from it. God’s desire was that Adam would only know good; God didn’t want him knowing about evil. God also knew that choice would separate them because God can’t have relationship with evil; man’s relationship with God would die, it would be spiritual death.

We do a similar thing with our children. We tell them “play with all these toys but don’t touch the stove, it’s hot and you’ll get burned”. So many good and wonderful things to do and play with, just choose the good.

Adam made a choice and God didn’t usurp his will. God’s desire is that we love Him and obey His word by our free will. He wants a relationship with us not a robotic obedience.  So, God gave another instruction on choice.

“ I call heaven and earth to speak against you today. I have put in front of you life and death, the good and the curse. So choose life so you and your children after you may live. 20 Love the Lord your God and obey His voice. Hold on to Him. For He is your life, and by Him your days will be long. You will be allowed to live in the land the Lord promised to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NLV

Freedom to choose life or death, blessing or curse and then God seemed to say, in case you’re not sure which one to choose, let me give you a hint – choose life.

God has also made a choice. He has chosen us to be His sons and daughters. He doesn’t want  anyone to miss out on His goodness. His love extends to everyone.

“Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people. 5 God was kind and decided that Christ would choose us to be God’s own adopted children. 6 God was very kind to us because of the Son he dearly loves, and so we should praise God.

7-8 Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us. God has great wisdom and understanding, 9 and by what Christ has done, God has shown us his own mysterious ways.” Ephesians 1:4-9 CEV

“My dear children, I write this letter to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone sins, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He always did what was right, so he is able to defend us before God the Father. 2 Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too.” I John 2:1-2 ERV

God has made His choice; He has chosen us. Now we have the freedom to choose. He wants to be our choice but He won’t force His will on us.

“He gave the right and the power to become children of God to those who received Him. He gave this to those who put their trust in His name. ” John 1:12 NLV

I wholeheartedly recommend choosing God and the wonderful life that He has planned for us.

I’m so thankful for the gift of choice. My choice is to receive God’s gift of life!

 

 

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New Beginnings

It’s Monday! Yes, the weekend passed quickly and it’s time for a new week beginning now.

I must admit I was tempted to head back to bed after I finished my first cup of coffee. But then who would write the blog…

Did you see last night’s moon? I don’t know what it looked like where you are but here it is almost full and the sky was filled with lots of cotton puff clouds. It was that way this morning too.

Each new day reminds me that the Lord is into new beginnings. The sun always rising and setting – the tide always bringing the waves in and out – our God always was, is and always will be. He promises that each morning He will have new ways to show us His love and His mercy.

“We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal!” Lamentations 3:22-23 ERV

Everything on earth has a beginning and an end. There is only One who is eternal. He has no beginning and no end and He is ever present – always there, when we call upon Him and when we ignore Him, He is present. The Bible starts with “In the beginning GOD” and it ends the same way.

“Listen, I am coming soon! I will bring rewards with me. I will repay everyone for what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:12-13 ERV

When we enter through those “pearly” gates we will have life eternal and we will live forever in heaven with Almighty God. Jesus tells us that “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.”

And

“for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Those of us who believe in Christ as Savior have already started living the eternal life. There is so much more to our lives than this physical existence and it is our life in Christ. An abundant life where we draw from God’s love, mercy, grace and goodness each and every day.

Yes, today is Monday and maybe you don’t want to go back to work or school, just remember that the giver of life, abundant life, eternal life, has filled us with that life today and we can be victorious over every work of the enemy.

We can also bring life to those we work with because we take the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Enjoy this day, it’s a new beginning!

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Waiting & Expecting

Do you dread waiting? Do these thoughts lodge in your thinking? Is it ever going to happen; why do I have to wait so long; I might as well give up and do something else, etc.


When we are waiting for God’s provision and His promises to be fulfilled it should fill us with excitement and anticipation, much the same as a pregnant woman waiting to give birth, waiting to hold her child for the first time.  It should be similar to the child waiting to go to the circus or on a special fishing trip with Grandpa.

Each day we are one day closer to the expected goal, our hopes are high!

Waiting for one of God’s promises to be visible starts with hope and grows into faith.

“Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. 2 God was pleased with the people who lived a long time ago because they had faith like this.” Hebrews 11:1-2

Waiting is what Abraham did for 25 years. Waiting for God’s promise to come to pass in the birth of a son, Abraham was excited!

“There was no hope that Abraham would have children, but Abraham believed God and continued to hope. And that is why he became the father of many nations. As God told him, “You will have many descendants.” 19 Abraham was almost a hundred years old, so he was past the age for having children. Also, Sarah could not have children. Abraham was well aware of this, but his faith in God never became weak. 20 He never doubted that God would do what he promised. He never stopped believing. In fact, he grew stronger in his faith and just praised God. 21 Abraham felt sure that God was able to do what he promised.” Romans 4:18-21

Joseph knew  God had made him a promise that he would rule over his brothers and that they would bow before him. He held on to that promise. However, he first experienced being sold into slavery, serving in a foreigner’s house, being falsely accused of rape. He was imprisoned and forgotten.

Eventually he was called before Pharaoh and exalted to second in command in all of Egypt. He experienced all of this with hope and without bitterness. Hope that the promise God made him would be kept.

“So Joseph said to his brothers again, “Come here to me. I beg you, come here.” When the brothers went to him, he said to them, “I am your brother Joseph. I am the one you sold as a slave to Egypt. 5 Now don’t be worried. Don’t be angry with yourselves for what you did. It was God’s plan for me to come here. I am here to save people’s lives. 6 This terrible famine has continued for two years now, and there will be five more years without planting or harvest. 7 So God sent me here ahead of you so that I can save your people in this country. 8 It was not your fault that I was sent here. It was God’s plan. God made me like a father to Pharaoh. I am the governor over all his house and over all Egypt.” Genesis 45:4-8

Jesus discounted the pain and anguish of dying on the cross and becoming sin for all mankind by looking past it to see what God had promised – the salvation and restoration of man in relationship to God.

“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying.” Hebrews 12:2-3

Nothing I have ever had to wait for compares with the depth of these examples.

We have the ability to replace dread with expectation; frustration with hope and disappointment with peace. We are one day closer to seeing God’s promise fulfilled.

Be joyful, be excited because God is doing a mighty work and He can be trusted to keep His word!

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Where Do Your Plans Lead

We have been visiting friends in Idaho for the last few weeks. Last night we had a wonderful time catching up with several couples at a bar-b-q. It was great!

 

We talked about our children, grandchildren, music, work, health and the Lord. Everyone there we have known for over 20 years. Our lives have taken us different directions but our friendship remains strong. That is truly a treasured gift.

 

We all make plans. Some of those are just for the day ahead while others cover the next week or through the end of the year. For us, we are planning our trip back to Arizona. Whatever our plans, whatever course we set for ourselves, we need to seek God’s direction and guidance.

“Trust your work to the Lord, and your plans will work out well…People can plan what they want to do, but it is the Lord who guides their steps...People might throw lots to make a decision, but the answer always comes from the Lord.” Proverbs 16:3, 9, 33

Whether we are traveling the highways and negotiating the freeways or navigating through the locks and channels of large corporations, we can trust the Lord to guide our steps and lead the way.

As we travel I can’t help but think of all those who have traveled these roads before. Those who came on horseback, in covered wagons and those whose only means of transportation were their feet. Looking at the terrain, considering the weather, the elements and the dangers they may have faced causes me to pause. But then thinking of the joy they experienced in seeing new land that no one had ever been to before, the beauty, the grandeur, the vastness of creation, brings an unprovoked smile to my face. We check the Atlas and follow the roads, they followed the dreams of their hearts!

I think  about Abram. At a word from the Lord, he set out for a world unknown. God called him to leave his home and go into a far country.

“The LORD said to Abram:
Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you. 4-5 Abram was seventy-five years old when the LORD told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had gotten while in Haran.” Genesis 12:1-5 CEV

His obedience birthed a nation. His obedience open the door for Jesus, the Messiah to come. His obedience brought blessing to his life and those who traveled with him.

What road has the Lord asked you to take today? Are you being obedient and bringing blessing to the lives of those around you?   If God gives you a course correction be willing to take it.

“Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV

There are new horizons to view, new adventures to experience and new victories to celebrate!

 

 

 

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No Crows Here

Several years ago I was sitting outside enjoying the beauty of a Big Sky Montana summer morning. It was a beautiful morning and I was dwarfed by the panoramic views from our yard; 360 degrees of unobstructed, bright blue sky filled with large white puffy clouds.  God’s creation is glorious!

I noticed circling high above my head a dark spec on this brilliant blue background. Getting lower with each circling pattern, it didn’t take long to identify this seeker in the sky as a crow. He finally descended to the ground, having spotted his morning’s meal from such a lofty perch.  I couldn’t see what he was pecking at but no doubt it was the carnage left from a coyote’s kill the night before.

I told our daughter, “Imagine how disgusting it would be to spend your life eating what something else had killed and left to rot in the field.”

By now you must be asking yourself “where is she going with this? I thought she was going to write a message. Oh, but I am. Sometimes it takes a while to get through the introduction to the meat of the message but here it is.

This crow reminded me of the raven on Noah’s ark.

“Forty days later Noah opened a window to send out a raven, but it kept flying around until the water had dried up. 8 Noah wanted to find out if the water had gone down, and he sent out a dove. 9 Deep water was still everywhere, and the dove could not find a place to land. So it flew back to the boat. Noah held out his hand and helped it back in.

10 Seven days later Noah sent the dove out again. 11 It returned in the evening, holding in its beak a green leaf from an olive tree. Noah knew that the water was finally going down. ” Genesis 8:6-11 CEV

Noah and his family had been on the ark for over 5 months. The rain had stopped and the ark rested on the top of the mountain. No more floating! Noah waited a bit and then he sent out a raven, which the Bible says went to and from until the waters dried up. Noah also sent out a dove “to see if the water had receded but the dove found no resting place” so it returned to the ark.

Why didn’t the raven come back?

The raven had a ready food source. The bodies of the animals and the people who had drown provided him an unlimited food supply. They also provided him with a place to rest. He could sit on their decaying bodies and didn’t need the trees or the ground.

The dove on the other hand needed life – green shoots and seeds to sustain its life so it returned to the ark. Noah waited 7 days and sent the dove out again. It returned that evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf. Noah knew that life was returning to the earth. He waited another 7 days and sent the dove out again. This time the dove didn’t return so Noah knew it had found a place to rest and food to sustain it.

I’m so glad that  Father God used a dove to symbolize the Holy Spirit and not the raven or the crow.

“So Jesus was baptized. As soon as he came up out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw God’s Spirit coming down on him like a dove. 17 A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him.” Matthew 3:16-17

The Scriptures tell us that when John baptized Jesus that the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove. A dove, bringing signs of life – a dove resting on the One who is the giver of life! That really blesses me. The Holy Spirit has been sent to infill and empower each believer as a sign of our new life in Jesus Christ. Jesus said he was the bread of life , living water  and that the Holy Spirit would cause rivers of living water to flow from us.

Christ promises that we will have full and abundant lives when we are following him.  He came to give us life and not just life, but life more abundantly.

“So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in[a] the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me.” Galatians 2:20 ERV

This wonderful life is a free gift from God. The term  “dirty, rotten sinner” is oh so true because a life of sin is death (crow’s food) but our new life is a gift from God – abundant and free!

“ Sin pays off with death. But God’s gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 ERV

Our life is to be filled with fruit, life affirming attributes that the Holy Spirit brings; love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness and patience.

So I encourage you today to make sure there aren’t any ravens circling over your head. Be a vessel of life and let the “dove” descend and fill you with peace!

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:6

Further reading: (John 1:32-34; John 4:10-14; John 6:48; John 7:37-39; Luke 3:21-22; Mark 1:10-11 and Matthew 3:16-17)

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God Provides

We have a friend who is a wonderful silversmith. Several years ago he made me a ring and a pendant. Before he finished the pendant he asked me what my favorite Bible verse was. I told him Numbers 23:19. When I received the pendant and the ring in the mail he had inscribed the back of the pendant with Numbers 23:19. A constant reminder.

This morning I needed to be reminded again of that verse.

“God is not a human who lies or a mortal who changes his mind.
When he says something, he will do it; when he makes a promise, he will fulfill it.” Numbers 23:19 CJB

I needed to remember that! When God makes a promise He always keeps it. He doesn’t lie – He can’t lie!! If God ever lied he would no longer be perfect and so He would no longer be God.

Every page of the Bible is filled with promise. God gave His word so we would know His purpose and plan for us. He wants us to depend on him.

A few weeks back I told you about the friendship that Abraham and God shared. God made him a promise that he would have a son. Then when Isaac was about 12 or 13 the Lord asked Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice.

Abraham got up early in the morning and started his travel to the land of Moriah. It was a three day journey. It was Abraham, Isaac, and his servants. Isaac saw the wood and the fire needed for making the sacrifice but there was no lamb. So Isaac asked his father about it. Here is Abraham’s answer.

“7-8 Isaac said, “Father, we have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”

“My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the lamb.” Genesis 22:7-8 CEV

Abraham had every confidence in the Lord. The Lord had blessed him with a son and so he could trust the Lord with his son’s life.  God doesn’t lie and He keeps his promise.

When they got to the place on the mountain where they were to build the altar Abraham laid the wood and then he placed his son on it. Here is what God said:

“ But the Lord’s angel shouted from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am!” he answered.

12 “Don’t hurt the boy or harm him in any way!” the angel said. “Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. So he took the ram and sacrificed it in place of his son.

14 Abraham named that place “The Lord Will Provide.”                Genesis 22:11-14 CEV

That was an extreme situation but Abraham knew he was serving a God who always provides.

King David said in Psalm 23 that the Lord provides so much that “my cup runs over”.

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4 that God supplies all he needed.

Jesus said in John 10 that He came to give us abundant life, life that is overflowing.

Oh yes, all these promises came flooding in today when I began to focus on that one verse, Numbers 23:19. It is impossible for God to lie and since that is true all the rest of God’s Word is true as well.

Have you began to doubt that God is going to keep a promise He made to you? It seems it has taken so long and you’re getting weary during the wait. Hold on!  God doesn’t lie.

God will provide!

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Jumping to Conclusions

Have you ever done that? Come to a conclusion without knowing the facts? Me neither!

I wish I could say that were true but it’s not. Too many times I have looked at a situation and drawn a wrong conclusion. And then I repent.

The Bible is filled with stories of people who drew the wrong conclusion. Young Joseph was a servant in Potiphar’s house. Potiphar’s wife wanted to make Joseph her newest conquest. I guess we would call her a Mrs. Robinson. When Joseph refused her advances, she framed him and he was thrown in prison.

“Joseph’s master listened to what his wife said, and he became very angry. 20 So Potiphar put Joseph into the prison where the king’s enemies were held, and that is where Joseph remained. 21 The Lord was with Joseph and continued to show his kindness to him, so the commander of the prison guards began to like Joseph.”             Genesis 39:19-21 ERV

But notice, even when he was judged wrongly the Lord continued to bless Joseph with His kindness.

A young David was also the object of wrong conclusions. His brothers thought he was being a braggadocious teenager when he said he would go out and face Goliath.

“ David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him talking with the soldiers. Eliab was angry at him and said, “What are you doing here, anyway? Who’s taking care of that little flock of sheep out in the desert? You spoiled brat! You came here just to watch the fighting, didn’t you?”      I Samuel 17:28 CEV

We all know how that turned out. The Lord used David to kill Goliath and defeat the Philistine army. Even Samuel the priest, a man of God, jumped to the wrong conclusion when he first met David.

The Lord had sent him to David’s father’s house to anoint a new king. Samuel looked over all of David’s older brothers thinking that one of them was God’s chosen. Jesse, David’s father, also came to the wrong conclusion. He didn’t even invite David to the dinner. But the Lord corrected Samuel.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Eliab is tall and handsome, but don’t judge by things like that. God doesn’t look at what people see. People judge by what is on the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart. Eliab is not the right man.” I Samuel 16:7 ERV

There will be times when people jump to the wrong conclusion and make assumptions about who we are or how they think we should act. Our lives won’t be any different than those of Joseph and David.

It is incumbent upon us to follow the leading that the Lord has put in our hearts. Jesus gave this message to his followers early in His ministry.

“Great blessings belong to those who suffer persecution for doing what is right.

    God’s kingdom belongs to them.

11 “People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. 12 Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did these same bad things to the prophets who lived before you.” Matthew 5:10-12 ERV

It’s so hard not to try and explain our actions or motives when we are misjudged much less to be happy about it. Our ultimate goal needs to be one of pleasing God and not man.

“We didn’t have any hidden motives when we won you over, and we didn’t try to fool or trick anyone. 4 God was pleased to trust us with his message. We didn’t speak to please people, but to please God who knows our motives.”  I Thessalonians 2:3-4 CEV

I go to the Psalms time and again because I find so much instruction and comfort there, especially when I am misunderstood. King David’s life was filled with people who maligned him.  Remember just a few weeks back when we talked about David and his relationship with the Lord. God said that David was a man whose heart was toward God.

That may be the reason we see these words repeated over and over in David’s writings.

“Some people trust the power of chariots or horses,
    but we trust you, Lord God.
8 Others will stumble and fall, but we will be strong
    and stand firm.” Psalm 20:6-8 CEV

One closing thought – as much as we hate to have people jump to the wrong conclusions about us, we must be on guard that we don’t fall into the same trap where others are concerned.

Father, my prayer is this. Let my words and my thoughts bring honor and glory to You. I trust You to give me the strength to stand on Your word even when no one seems to understand. Thank you for being trustworthy. Amen!

 

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Giving All

Has God ever asked you to give Him something you love – truly, deeply love? Did you think He was being mean or unreasonable? Did you question God or even argue with Him about it?


I hate to admit this but I have done that very thing – questioned God. I think I know better than to argue, at least out loud, but I haven’t always been quick to obey either.

Remember a week or so back when we were talking about Abraham. I told you he and God had established a covenant where everything Abraham had he willing gave to the Lord and in turn God promised all He is – God All-Powerful and Almighty, to be there for Abraham. They were blood brothers.

Abraham faced this same dilemma we are talking about. He had waited for a son for over 25 years and now that his son was a young man, God asked for him back. He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

Was God really going to be that cruel? In the book of Hebrews it tells us  we are told that Abraham had received his son back as from the dead. Abraham knew Isaac was God’s promise, God had given him a son and if he asked for Isaac’s life then certainly God would raise him from the dead.

This is not a story of a mean and vengeful God. It’s the complete opposite! It’s the story of God’s faithfulness, His provision, His protection.

“God tested Abraham’s faith. God told him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham obeyed because he had faith. He already had the promises from God. And God had already said to him, “It is through Isaac that your descendants will come.”[a] But Abraham was ready to offer his only son. He did this because he had faith. 19 He believed that God could raise people from death. And really, when God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, it was as if he got him back from death” Hebrews 11:17-19 ERV

This story is filled with so much trust. Abraham’s trust in God, the servants trust in Abraham, Isaac’s trust in his father – if anyone of these would have failed to trust, the story would be very different.

“The Lord said, “Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love! Take him to the land of Moriah, and I will show you a mountain where you must sacrifice him to me on the fires of an altar.” 3 So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire. He put a saddle on his donkey and left with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go. 4 Three days later Abraham looked off in the distance and saw the place. 5 He told his servants, “Stay here with the donkey, while my son and I go over there to worship. We will come back.”
6 Abraham put the wood on Isaac’s shoulder, but he carried the hot coals and the knife. As the two of them walked along, 7-8 Isaac said, “Father, we have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”
“My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the lamb.” The two of them walked on, and 9 when they reached the place that God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and placed the wood on it. Next, he tied up his son and put him on the wood. 10 He then took the knife and got ready to kill his son. 11 But the Lord’s angel shouted from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered.
12 “Don’t hurt the boy or harm him in any way!” the angel said. “Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. So he took the ram and sacrificed it in place of his son.
14 Abraham named that place “The Lord Will Provide.” And even now people say, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Genesis 22:2-14

What has God asked you for today? Do you trust Him? If you do things your way, how will you change God’s wonderful plan for your life? Do you see what Abraham said when they first started out – The boy and I will return? Abraham was convinced of God’s provision before he started to climb the mountain. He knew that God would keep His promise and that promise was Isaac.

After Abraham freely offered up his son to God, God then freely offered up his Son for us. God knows what it’s like to give what He loved most for a people who at times would be less than grateful, less than loving and yet He did it anyway. He did it because of His great love for us and not because of our great commitment to Him.

When God asks us to give Him something we hold dear He has something much better in store for us.

So what is it today that God is asking you to give? Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to Trust and Obey!

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The Friend of God

In order to build a strong friendship men have to talk to one another; share ideas, understand one another and love each other.

Based on these qualifications it’s interesting to see that God called Abraham his friend.

“ Now you see how Abraham’s faith and deeds worked together. He proved that his faith was real by what he did. 23 This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God was pleased with him.” That’s how Abraham became God’s friend.” James 2:22-23 NLV

Abraham and God developed a bond of trust. It would have been logical to say that Abraham called God his friend. The weaker one making friendship with someone greater but that’s not what Scripture says. It says that Abraham became God’s friend. God picked Abraham and started the relationship.

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make you a great nation. I will bring good to you. I will make your name great, so you will be honored. 3 I will bring good to those who are good to you. And I will curse those who curse you. Good will come to all the families of the earth because of you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NLV

Abram was 75 years old when God promised to bless him with land and children. Abram had neither. Just one chapter later we read that God has made Abram very rich.

“So Abram left Egypt and went to the Negev, with his wife and all that belonged to him. And Lot went with him. 2 Now Abram was very rich in cattle, silver and gold. ” Genesis 13:1-2 NLV

God always came to seek out Abram. No where in the relationship do we find Abram begging God to bless him. No, instead he was just obedient when God asked him to do something.

Abram was not a perfect man. No, much to the contrary. On two different occasions he lied to foreign kings about his wife. He said she was his sister. He was afraid that he would be killed because her beauty was so great that these kings wanted her as part of their harems.

God promised to give Abram and Sarai a son, an heir, but as time passed and Sarai didn’t become pregnant they came up with a way to help God out. (We would never do something like that, would we?) Sarai gave her maid to Abram so that they could have sex and get an heir that way.  Big NO NO!

Have you heard the term blood brothers? It was very prominent with the Native Americans and also with the tribes in Africa. A weaker person or nation would make a pact with a stronger one. Then each one would commit all that had to the other.

God came to Abraham and made a blood covenant with him.

“When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. He said, “I am God All-Powerful. Obey me and live the right way. 2 If you do this, I will prepare an agreement between us. I will promise to make your people a great nation.”

3 Then Abram bowed down before God. God said to him, 4 “This is my part of our agreement: I will make you the father of many nations. 5 I will change your name from Abram to Abraham, because I am making you the father of many nations. 6 I will give you many descendants. New nations and kings will come from you. 7 And I will prepare an agreement between me and you. This agreement will also be for all your descendants. It will continue forever. I will be your God and the God of all your descendants. 8 And I will give this land to you and to all your descendants. I will give you the land you are traveling through—the land of Canaan. I will give you this land forever, and I will be your God.”

9 Then God said to Abraham, “Now, this is your part of the agreement: You and all your descendants will obey my agreement. 10 This is my agreement that all of you must obey. This is the agreement between me and you and all your descendants. Every male must be circumcised. 11 You will cut the skin to show that you follow the agreement between me and you. 12 When the baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. Every boy born among your people and every boy who is a slave of your people must be circumcised.” Genesis 17:1-12 ERV

So Abraham and all that were with him entered into covenant that day with the Lord. All that God had He was giving to Abraham. He only asked that Abraham live to obey Him. What a wonderful relationship.

The covenant that the Lord made with Abraham also applies to us also. How you ask? We’re not Jewish.

“The Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith. 7 And so, you should understand that everyone who has faith is a child of Abraham. 8 Long ago the Scriptures said that God would accept the Gentiles because of their faith. That’s why God told Abraham the good news that all nations would be blessed because of him. 9 This means that everyone who has faith will share in the blessings that were given to Abraham because of his faith… 14 And because of what Jesus Christ has done, the blessing that was promised to Abraham was taken to the Gentiles. This happened so that by faith we would be given the promised Holy Spirit.” Galatians 3:6-14 CEV

When we place our faith in Jesus we inherit the same blessings that God promised His Friend, Abraham!

God All Powerful has invited us into a relationship with Him.

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