Category: Trust

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Going the Right Direction

This morning I find myself sitting in a log cabin, in the White Mountains in northern Arizona. I visited this area as a small girl. It was my favorite place to come for summer vacations; we camped on the banks of the White River, fished all day in the steam and played games with our new friends in the evenings.

As I sit here this morning in the glow of my computer screen, trying to be quiet so I don’t wake Dave, I am imagining the wonderful times we will have with our grandchildren. The memories we will make and the joy we will share.

And then my thoughts are interrupted.

I hear it…the morning song of the mountain birds. No matter where we are God reminds me of his loving care through the song of the birds. Each morning starts the same way. It starts with a chorus of those winged creatures who lift their voices in song and praise their creator for the countless ways He provides for them.

Our lives have dramatically changed since I came here as a girl. There are been some real rough patches, things I choose not to relive and there have been some great joys. As I look back I can always see the Father’s faithfulness. It’s not something I was quick to recognize in the moment but He was always there, He always provided.

Years ago when we were young in faith and learning to listen to the Lord’s voice we had a cowboy preacher, a dear friend, tell us this; If God says go South, He will provide; If you go North you’ll think you died! Now that’s not scripture but it is scriptural.

“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. 7 Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the LORD and stay aay from evil. 8 If you do this, it will be like a refreshing drink and medicine for your body.” Proverb 3:5-8 ERV

And then this one:
“Turn to the LORD for help in everything you do, and you will be successful. 4 The LORD has a plan for everything.” Proverbs 16:3-4a ERV

God has a plan for each day – it doesn’t really matter what the activities are in the day; He has a plan! Some days His plan is to change our plan but He has a plan.

When we listen, He speaks and when we follow His leading we are blessed! “Today I am giving you a choice. You may choose the blessing or the curse. 27 You will get the blessing if you listen and obey the commands of the LORD your God that I have told you today. 28 But you will get the curse if you refuse to listen and obey the commands of the LORD your God. So don’t stop living the way I command you today, and don’t follow other gods that you don’t know.” Deuteronomy 11:26-28 ERV

We have a choice – it would be silly, even disastrous at times, to think our own plan is better. Following Him is the right way to go and His wisdom is perfect. His way will keep us from being lost and give us something to sing about each morning.

“I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the LORD. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. 12 Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 ERV

Trust the Lord today. He loves us and His desire for us is good! He wants to make wonderful memories with us and He wants us to teach our children and grandchildren about His goodness and provision.

Go South today – He will provide!!!

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I’m Alright!

I woke up this morning with the words to the chorus of a song running through my mind as I prayed and read my Bible. When I’m talking with the Lord and hearing His words come from the page of my Bible I know I’m alright.

I’m all, I’m all, I’m alright
It’s a beautiful day, not a cloud in sight
So I I guess I’m doing alright
I’m all, I’m all, I’m alright
by Jo Dee Messina

Life is messy sometimes. Things get hectic and cluttered, sometimes it seems that our boat is about to sink but the Lord has a message for us all.

“Do not trouble yourself because of sinful men. Do not want to be like those who do wrong. 2 For they will soon dry up like the grass. Like the green plant they will soon die. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good. So you will live in the land and will be fed. 4 Be happy in the Lord. And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Give your way over to the Lord. Trust in Him also. And He will do it. 6 He will make your being right and good show as the light, and your wise actions as the noon day.

7 Rest in the Lord and be willing to wait for Him. Do not trouble yourself when all goes well with the one who carries out his sinful plans. 8 Stop being angry. Turn away from fighting. Do not trouble yourself. It leads only to wrong-doing. 9 For those who do wrong will be cut off. But those who wait for the Lord will be given the earth. ” Psalm 37:1-9 NLV

Trust the Lord. Rest in the Lord. Do Good. Be happy in the Lord.

Yes, the Lord will make all things right. He has the master plan. He wants us to trust regardless of what the circumstances look like. He is the circumstance changer. His is a plan to bring us good and not destruction.

Yesterday I heard a message from the book of Daniel. You know, Daniel in the Lion’s den. Circumstances didn’t look good for Daniel. All of his peers plotted against him; there was no alternative, the king had to punish him for breaking the law. The lion’s den was the death sentence.

“The other men tried to find something wrong with the way Daniel did his work for the king. But they could not accuse him of anything wrong, because he was honest and faithful and did everything he was supposed to do. 5 Finally, they said to one another, “We will never be able to bring any charge against Daniel, unless it has to do with his religion.” Daniel 6:4-5 CEV

But God…

God intervened and closed the mouth of the lions. Daniel rested in a place meant for his destruction.

“At daybreak the king got up and ran to the pit. 20 He was anxious and shouted, “Daniel, you were faithful and served your God. Was he able to save you from the lions?”

21 Daniel answered, “Your Majesty, I hope you live forever! 22 My God knew that I was innocent, and he sent an angel to keep the lions from eating me. Your Majesty, I have never done anything to hurt you. The king was relieved to hear Daniel’s voice, and he gave orders for him to be taken out of the pit. Daniel’s faith in his God had kept him from being harmed.” Daniel 6:19-23 CEV

If I were writing these verses this morning I would have Daniel singing – I’m all, I’m all, I’m alright.

If God could protect Daniel from the lions he can certainly protect us from the situations and circumstances that we will face today. We need to follow the examples of Daniel and David; stay focused on God’s promises and His power.

“God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ERV

Say it with me – I will trust in the Lord. I’m alright!


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Live What You Preach

Writing yesterday’s blog was a real challenge!

We left home on Friday morning and headed to Yuma. We were going to be there less than 24 hours and then would head to Picacho Peak to meet Kim and Austin for another less than 24 hour stop so I decided there was no need to take the laptop, I could do everything from my phone.

About half way to Yuma I thought I could take advantage of the driving time to put a few ideas in draft form and develop them further for Sunday morning’s blog. You see I had already written Saturday morning’s and had it scheduled to post on time. When I went to log in, my password didn’t do the auto-fill process. I’m not good with remembering my passwords so I tried several times with what I thought was right but no success.

When all else fails request a new password. I did that…several times and the email confirming a password change never came through. By now I’ve been fiddling with this for almost an hour as Dave was driving. Finally, I had success. New password confirmed and I was in.

I wrote for a while but didn’t have enough time to complete the posting so I saved and decided to come back to it later. Now, if truth be told this probably wouldn’t have been a problem for most of you. You have much more computer knowledge than I do but I was reminded of something I learned years ago – the Lord only allows me to teach things that I have already learned to walk out. In this case, it was the lesson of being joyful in every situation, avoiding frustration and trusting the Lord to work everything out.

So the saga continues. Saturday morning after we left the hotel in Yuma and headed out for the campground several hours down the road I decided to get back to it. You guessed it, my password didn’t work. But this time I knew how to reset it quicker and I was ready to edit and include the story about the kind people at the hotel. My texting skills leave a lot to be desired so everything I was writing was the hunt and peck method with many, many stops to make necessary corrections. I am more skilled with my full keyboard.

Just as I got to the last two paragraphs and was looking for a photo to include in the post my phone completely died. I had not been watching the battery level. Double yikes!! I determined I would just wait and finish it in the morning so I enjoyed the evening with Dave and our kids and put it aside. Before bed my daughter brought the coffee maker outside so I could have coffee while I finished my blog. It would be perfect. I made sure my slippers and robe were where I could find them easily in the dark and I was ready for morning.

About 5 am Glory and I got up. We headed outside and I grabbed an extra robe to put over my lap while I enjoyed the early morning quiet of the campground. Glory and I took a short walk, she got her breakfast and I made a cup of coffee and opened my phone to add the finishing touches. Those last two paragraphs were gone. Really!

“Lord, you know this challenge is really beginning to annoy me.”

“Look around Kristi. Do You see me here? Can You sense my presence? I did this for you. I want you to enjoy it. Happy Anniversary.”

“Thank you Father. I love what You’ve done with the place.”

I recreated the last two paragraphs and did a search for an image to use. Found one, copied it and went back to the writing program and couldn’t figure out how to add a picture in the mobile app. No problem. Posted it without an image and then I just sat and took in the beauty the Lord had provided.

It was gorgeous! And the quiet time that the Father and I shared was amazing. It was cold but amazing. If everything had gone smoothly the day before I probably would have slept in – it was my anniversary after all. I would have missed the wonder of the mountain coming alive at sunrise. I would have missed the birds coming out to welcome the day. I would have missed an intimate time between my Father and I.

So when you read these morning blogs and think I don’t experience the same things you do, you’re wrong. The Lord never lets me teach/share something that I haven’t first had to live. It’s never just words on a page; it’s life experience.

“Be patient and trust the Lord.  Don’t let it bother you when all goes well for those who do sinful things. 8 Don’t be angry or furious.  Anger can lead to sin. 9 All sinners will disappear, but if you trust the Lord, the land will be yours.” Psalm 37:7-9 CEV

“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

Look for the beauty that the Father is wanting to share with you today.

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Told You So

Don’t you just hate hearing those words! They generally come when you’ve made a mistake and the person saying them tried to warn you about the outcome but you didn’t listen.

A few days ago I was reading about the Apostle Paul and some words of advice or warning that he gave to a ship’s captain. He told the captain not to set sail but his words of advice were ignored.

“Men, I can see that there will be a lot of trouble on this trip. The ship, everything in it, and even our lives may be lost!” 11 But the captain and the owner of the ship did not agree with Paul. So the army officer accepted what they said instead of believing Paul.” Acts 27:10-11 ERV

So they sailed on. Paul had no choice, he was a prisoner and was being escorted to Rome. Shortly after they set sail they ran into a terrible storm. The storm was so severe that the crew began to throw things overboard. They went days without seeing the sun or the stars. There was no way to navigate. They had lost their bearings but worse than that, they had lost all hope!

Hopeless!

“For many days we could not see the sun or the stars. The storm was very bad. We lost all hope of staying alive—we thought we would die.” Acts 27:20 ERV

And that’s when Paul stood up and said “I told you so”.

“The men did not eat for a long time. Then one day Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, I told you not to leave Crete. You should have listened to me. Then you would not have all this trouble and loss. 22 But now I tell you to be happy. None of you will die, but the ship will be lost. 23 Last night an angel came to me from God—the God I worship and belong to. 24 The angel said, ‘Paul, don’t be afraid! You must stand before Caesar. And God has given you this promise: He will save the lives of all those sailing with you.’ 25 So men, there is nothing to worry about. I trust God, and I am sure everything will happen just as his angel told me. 26 But we will crash on an island.” Acts 27:21-26 ERV

Kind of a good news/bad news situation. We will be saved but we will crash. Wouldn’t you love to have Paul as your traveling companion? (I say that tongue in cheek)

But here is the good news. Paul got a message from the Lord for all on the ship. Don’t be afraid – there’s nothing to worry about. I trust God and everything will be alright!

You may be in a storm right now. It seems like it has been going on forever. You’ve lost your bearing and all hope is gone. You are sure you will crash on the shore and all will be lost.

But God…has a different outcome!

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:6-7 ERV

“Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. 11 Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil’s tricks. 12 We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. 13 So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm.” Ephesians 6:10-13 CEV

If we trust God’s word, keep it as our primary focus, we will still be standing when the storm is over. Let God’s word be your final authority! He will save us from the storm.

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Proper Focus

About two weeks ago I ordered new glasses. I didn’t think much about it because the optometrist told me my prescription hadn’t really changed. Only a slight difference, he said. I got the new specs on Thursday and I am still adjusting to the clarity I have now. It has certainly been surprising what a small change can do.

A small change in our spiritual sight can bring about big changes too. God’s word has a way of helping us bring things into proper focus.

O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good!! End of sentence, end of paragraph, end of story! To keep our peace and our joy we MUST keep our focus – God is good.

“Never stop praying. 18 Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus. 19 Don’t stop the work of the Holy Spirit.” I Thessalonians 5:17- 19 ERV

Let’s focus on the verses above. It took me a while to understand them. Growing up I would hear verses like this and they would be followed with a comment like “we just never know what God’s going to do so we have to be thankful for whatever it comes our way”.

No!

No, I don’t have to be thankful for the things that our enemy, Satan, sends to destroy me. I don’t have to be thankful for murder, devastation, corruption, health crises or relationships that implode.

But… I do need to be thankful that no matter what comes, I have Jesus in my life and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I can be thankful because this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. I can and will be thankful because Jesus said, in this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Focus Kristi, focus.

When my life is in Christ Jesus, it doesn’t matter what comes my way, I can give thanks knowing that I won’t be going through it alone. God has sent the Holy Spirit to guide me through victoriously. Yes! I can be thankful and I can be at peace because my mind is stayed or focused on Him and on the truth that He is good!

“You will keep the man in perfect peace whose mind is kept on You, because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the Lord forever. For the Lord God is a Rock that lasts forever.” Isaiah 26:3-4 NLV

It’s Monday morning – choose to give thanks and keep your heart focused on God and His goodness.

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Custom Built

The neighborhood Dave and I live in has quite of bit of building going on. In the last two years there have been approximately twelve new homes built. For those in more populated areas that doesn’t sound like much but up here on our mesa we had less than seventy houses when we moved in five years ago. Most are being built as small custom or semi-custom homes.

Solid built custom homes!

Have you ever read those on-line real estate listings? They focus on the upgrades and the custom features. Pictures are taken of the special features; the upgraded cabinets and counters, water features, outdoor living space and landscaping.

But without a solid foundation the “extras” don’t have much value. If the foundation cracks or shifts then the custom window treatment and high end wood casings around the doors will shift with it. Things will have to be torn out and redone to maintain the integrity of the home.

The same is true in life. We need to be built on a firm foundation – one that will never shift or give way.

“The people who come to me, who listen to my teachings and obey them—I will show you what they are like: 48 They are like a man building a house. He digs deep and builds his house on rock. The floods come, and the water crashes against the house. But the flood cannot move the house, because it was built well.” Luke 6:47-48 ERV

Building our lives on God’s word, listening and obeying, will keep us strong when the storms come. We won’t be moved by the circumstances because we are well built.

Loving the Lord and then loving others is the bedrock or the base for everything else that needs to be constructed in our lives.

“Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” 40 All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40 CEV

Each one of us is a custom built home. After all, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we are born again He comes to live within us. We are His home. No two are alike but we all have the same foundation.

Some of us are tall skyscrapers, while others of us may be a single story rancher but we all come from the same design firm. Hebrews tells us that we are to look at Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 KJV

If He is the author, the one who wrote the plan, that makes him the architect, the designer, the developer. He’s also the contractor since He is the finisher as well as the author. He gave his all, his life, in the process. That’s how important we are to Him.

So, take a look at your home, your life. If there are things that don’t seem quite right or things that don’t looked finished it’s ok. He’s still working in you. Let Him finish. I guarantee you’ll like the finished project.

“God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 CEV

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This Shouldn’t Be

For the last week I have been reading about the way the Lord delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. The miracles that God did are amazing. Each time I read this account I am absolutely confounded by the hard-hearted stubbornness of the Pharaoh. He was more willing to see his entire nation suffer than release the Israelites.

The Lord sent ten disastrous events before Pharaoh agreed to their departure and then after they had been gone a couple days, he went after them with soldiers and chariots. The Lord placed a protective cloud between the Israelites and Egyptians. Moses was able to lead them to safety and the Egyptians drown.

It didn’t take more than a few days for the Israelites to start complaining. They had just experienced a miraculous deliverance and now they were disgruntled by the conditions they encountered in the desert and were very vocal about it. Are you kidding me? God just moved heaven and earth to take them out of bondage and all they could do was complain. I think what they meant to say was “thank you”.

“Humans have control over every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have controlled all these things. 8 But no one can control the tongue. It is wild and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness. 10 These praises and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen.” James 3:7-10 ERV

We would never do anything like this right? They complained about the water; they griped about being in the desert; they murmured because there was no bread or meat. Each time they complained Moses would pray, God would provide but they were never really grateful. At the least little inconvenience they would complain again.

“The people had complained and tested the Lord by asking, “Is the Lord really with us?” So Moses named that place Massah, which means “testing” and Meribah, which means “complaining.” Exodus 17:7 CEV

Ok. So let’s get personal. We can criticize the Israelites for their complaining but what about us? “Grocery prices are too high; Washington is all messed up; it’s too hot/too cold; if one thing breaks, watch out cuz there’ll be two or three more before its over.” As a friend of mine says some people will complain because their ice cream is cold! True enough.

We get so caught up in what’s happening in this very second that we forget the blessings and provisions of the Lord from yesterday or last week. Maybe we don’t use these words but our attitude can be very similar to the Israelites when they said, “Is the Lord really with us?”.

In yesterday’s teaching I asked you to choose joy. Did you? Were you able to find things to be happy about and grateful for or did you complain? The Israelites ended up wandering around in the desert for forty years because of their complaining. We should learn from them.

“Always be filled with joy in the Lord. I will say it again. Be filled with joy.” Philippians 4:4 ERV

It takes discipline but with the Lord’s help we can tame our tongue. We can control the words that come out of our mouths. When a complaint starts to rise, replace it with words of praise. Be thankful.

“Yes, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases him, and he gives you the power to do it.

14 Do everything without complaining or arguing 15 so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world,” Philippians 2:13-15 ERV

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Always Faithful

I don’t consider myself old however, I am more aged than some. I would rather say that I have experienced life, it’s joys and it’s sorrows. The thing I appreciate most about where I am on the numeric scale of years is my memory; the ability to recall situations, circumstances and events.

My earliest recollections are from a house we lived in on Avenue C in Yuma. It had a large date palm tree in the front yard. We had a small seven inch TV with foil on the rabbit ears to improve the reception. I remember the house always being filled with friends. Somewhere in there I became aware of nuclear threat. Must have been something on the news that invaded the conversation of the adults.

Anyway, I remember going outside and looking up at the sky and saying something like this “Dear Jesus, if the bomb comes I will come to heaven with you. Ok?”

I had such a sense of peace and security because I knew God was big enough to take care of things. All the Bible stories I had heard in Sunday School taught me that God loved me and He would take care of me. I know I didn’t understand the magnitude of God’s faithfulness but it was real to me all the same.

I don’t know why that memory came back to me this morning. I was thinking about God’s faithfulness; remembering times when He provided and protected in the past. I was praying for friends and family who need to see that God is faithfully involved in working out their tough situations.

I was also reading in Exodus where the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians and they cried out to God for deliverance. And then the words of the old hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, began to flood my heart and my mind.

“When your people worshiped, you know I told them, “Our Lord always helps!” 10 When all your people met, I did not keep silent. I said, “Our Lord is kind. He is faithful and caring, and he saves us.” 11 You, Lord, never fail to have pity on me; your love and faithfulness always keep me secure.” Psalm 40:9-11 CEV

Your love and faithfulness always keep me secure!

I have no idea what you or I will face today but I do know that God’s faithfulness will keep us secure!

“It is because of the Lord’s loving-kindness that we are not destroyed for His loving-pity never ends. 23 It is new every morning. He is so very faithful. 24 “The Lord is my share.” says my soul, “so I have hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 NLV

New every morning – we can’t exhaust the faithfulness of God. His loving-kindness never ends. He is always faithful.

“I will sing forever about the Lord’s love.  I will sing about his faithfulness forever and ever! 2 I will say, “Your faithful love will last forever. Your loyalty is like the sky—there is no end to it!” Psalm 89:1-2 ERV

So, join with me in singing this morning; on your way to the breakfast table, in the shower, on your way to work. Let’s sing because our God is always faithful!

“Great Is Thy Faithfulness”

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Thank you Father for your faithfulness!

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Doing the Hard Things

How many times did I/have I complained about the work that was laid out for me to do each day? I’m retired now, but just a few years back I was getting up and heading off to work each day like many of you. Somedays I would go with excitement and anticipation and others would find me complaining and grumbling.

Not a good scenario for someone who said they were a Christian and wanted to honor the Lord.

“In all the work you are given, do the best you can. Work as though you are working for the Lord, not any earthly master.” Colossians 3:23 ERV

A few days ago I gave you a recap on the life of Joseph. This morning’s Bible reading was Genesis 39. It starts out with Joseph being sold to Potiphar. Look what it says:

“The Lord helped Joseph become a successful man. Joseph lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the Egyptian.

3 Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph and that the Lord helped Joseph be successful in everything he did. 4 So Potiphar was very happy with Joseph. He allowed Joseph to work for him and to help him rule the house. Joseph was the ruler over everything Potiphar owned. 5 After Joseph was made the ruler over the house, the Lord blessed the house and everything that Potiphar owned. The Lord also blessed everything that grew in Potiphar’s fields. The Lord did this because of Joseph.” Genesis 39:2-5 ERV

Imagine this, a seventeen year old had been handed over to slave traders by his brothers. Now those traders sold him to the captain of the guard in Egypt. There were many slaves who took care of Potiphar’s possessions but it didn’t take long for him to notice Joseph and promote him to man who ruled Potiphar’s house. Why?

The Lord was with Joseph!

Profound comment. However, the Lord is with us too. Why then is it we don’t see the same results that Joseph saw? Could it be our attitudes? We haven’t been sold into slavery but we are under authority in the workplace. We need to honor and respect those who have authority over us. We need to work diligently, not complain or gossip about our bosses. We need to honor the Lord!

So what happens when we do our job right, have a good attitude, go the extra mile and our co-workers lie about us and try to get us in trouble?

“She told her husband the same story. She said, “This Hebrew slave you brought here tried to attack me! 18 But when he came near me, I screamed. He ran away, but he left his coat.”

19 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.” Genesis 39:17-20 ERV

The backbiting and persecution we feel at work really can’t be any worse than this. Joseph was accused of rape by a spiteful woman who was married to Joseph’s boss. He wasn’t fired; he was thrown in prison. How do we keep a good attitude when something that unfair happens? We take our example from Joseph, we trust God and go on.

Even when we are forced to be in a situation that isn’t of our own making we can trust the Lord to bring good things to us.

“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

Joseph served with humility. He definitely didn’t slack off or become offended by his situation. He kept doing all he knew to do to serve the Lord and the Lord showed him kindness and caused him to succeed.

“Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Tie them around your neck. Write them upon your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good understanding in the eyes of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust in your own understanding. 6 Agree with Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:3-6 NLV

It’s easy to trust God when things are going good and all seems right with the world. The real test of our faith comes when things don’t go as planned and things somehow go awry. I’m sure it wasn’t in Joseph’s plan to be sold into slavery. Yet, he continued to honor the Lord with each step.

Honoring the Lord by keeping a right attitude is hard. I know because I often fail. When I do, I ask the Lord to forgive me. Then I get up in His strength and go forward with new determination.

“Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.” Philippians 4:13 ERV

I can do the hard things in life because He gives me the strength!

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God Is In Control

I am really enjoying reading through Genesis and following the events that took place in Abraham’s life. His story is filled with adventure. His faith and trust in God is bold and dynamic.

In my reading this morning the Lord comes to Abraham with a request of paramount portion. Isaac, the son God promised, had been born and was probably about twelve years old at this time.

“Some years later God decided to test Abraham, so he spoke to him.

Abraham answered, “Here I am, Lord.”

2 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.” Genesis 22:1-3 CEV

The thing I find amazing about this record of events is we don’t see Abraham trying to bargain or negotiate with what the Lord is telling him. He is obedient without delay or hesitation. He gets up the next morning, makes preparation and leaves.

Here is a Abraham, a man who is approximately 112 years old. He has a pre-teen son and two servants and is headed to the wilderness. They travel for three days when Abraham sees the mountain where God has instructed him to go.

“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.” Genesis 22:4-5 CEV

There is no worry, no fear in Abraham’s comment to his servants. He is confident in the promise that God had given him many years earlier. God told him he would have a son and his descendants would be many. Abraham isn’t the only one walking by faith in this story. Isaac demonstrates great faith in his father and in God.

“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.” Genesis 22:6-8 CEV

We have to remember these are real people with real emotions and this is a father who has waited for years to have a son. This son is the apple of his eye; the heir to all he possesses. Abraham is obedient to God, fully trusting Him to provide.

They get to the place of sacrifice and Abraham has Isaac help him build the altar, set the wood in place and then Abraham takes the next step and ties the hands of his son.

“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 22:9-14 CEV

The Lord will provide!

Those were the words that Abraham lived by. His first instruction from the Lord was “leave this land and go where I will show you”. Then there came the day that he and Lot separated their herds and went different directions. Lot took the better portion of grazing land but God provided and Abraham flourished. God promised to provide a son and now God provided a lamb.

The Lord provides.

“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.” 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 11:17-18 ERV

Abraham had faith that God was able to bring Isaac back to life. He knew that God would provide. As far as I know, none of us have ever been through such a test of faith. The circumstances in our lives seem small compared to what Abraham experienced. However, each day we have the opportunity to put our faith in God and say like Abraham, God will provide.

“Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.” Hebrews 11:6 ERV

Faith is believing God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. It pleases Him when we trust that He is in control!

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