Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Feb 6th, 2020 What!… No Lobster?!?… by Cindy Erickson

Today’s Passage –Leviticus 11 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – John 5 – 6; Proverbs 6; Psalms 31 – 35)

Read previous posts from this passage – “Creeping Things,” and “Provision for the Poor.”

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 18:3 & 46

Read the “0206 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. … For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Leviticus 11:1-2, 44)

Did you ever wonder why God gave the Nation of Israel all of these rules regarding what they could and could not eat? I am in complete agreement with God regarding most of the selections that He took off the menu in the Old Testament. For instance, I have no desire to eat a camel, or eat fried eagle. However, some of the items on the “unclean list,” are some of my favorite meals; lobster and shrimp come to mind. But what was the reasoning behind God’s list of what was OK and what was not. It could be that He knew that these animals would not be good for their health. Or it may just be that the eating of these animals would in some way take away from His glory. It may have been to keep Israel separated from the heathen nations. We really do not know the exact reason(s), and it really doesn’t matter. God said, “No,” and that settles it.

What we do know is that there is now no spiritual prohibition against eating any of these things. In the New Testament, Peter got rebuked for calling these “fourfooted beasts,” etc. unclean.

” On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” (Acts 10:9-15)

Whew! Lobster is back on the menu. I bet my husband wishes it wasn’t. He is not a big fan of any kind of seafood.

Jesus said it was not what goes into us that defiles us, but rather what comes out of us (Matthew 15:11). The point is, while we should be somewhat concerned about our health and what we put into our bodies because it is God’s temple (1 Corinthians 6:19), we should be far more concerned about the things that go into and proceed from our hearts. Too many of us are feeding on things (not food) that are not spiritually healthy for our hearts, and as a result, it shows up in what comes out of our lives.

Feb 4th, 2020 Access Through the Advocate by Pastor Gerald Hicks II

Today’s Passage – Leviticus 5 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – John 1 – 2; Proverbs 4; Psalms 21 – 25

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105

Read the “0204 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Ignorant but not Innocent.”

Advocate- (n.) one that pleads the cause of another. Intercessor.

In these next set of chapters of Leviticus we read a good amount from the Law of Moses on the different offerings that were observed. There are about five different offerings discussed in chapter five alone. All these offerings were apart of their normal way of life. There were two verses in chapter five that I just couldn’t get over.

“And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing: And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.” (Leviticus 5:5-6)

After reading those verses, I just could not stop thinking of the free access that we have to God through His Son. Throughout chapter five you will see how specifically detailed each offering and it’s requirements were. It is a humbling thought to think that Jesus loves someone like me so much that He died. Not only did He die and rise again so that I could have the chance to receive Him as Lord and Saviour, not just so I would never see or spend a second in Hell, but He did all that so that I could have access to the Father. 

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews‬ ‭4:14-16‬)

I don’t know what you’re going through or where your walk with the Lord is at today. I want to encourage you to not take for granted that high priest named Jesus Christ, but instead take advantage of the relationship you can have with Him. The One that took our place and interceded for us on Calvary desires for us to know Him intimately. He knows you better than you know you. He knows what you’re going through. 

He wants to hear from you! He never gets tired of your voice and you can talk to Him anytime of the day or night! 

I find more and more as time goes on just how much I need that mercy and grace that is referenced in the verse above. As you have probably gathered by now, life is tough, but I promise you it’s a whole lot easier to go through when the Captain of our salvation is at the helm of our lives. I can hear my dad now whenever he’d talk about life’s trials, “Just keep livin’, you’ll see, just keep on livin.”

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1)

One Last Thought:

Life doesn’t stop at salvation!

James says our life is “but a vapour “.. it’s here now, but with every fleeting breath that God allows us to breath, in all reality we draw closer and closer to being with our Saviour… What are we doing for Christ with the time that we have left?

Feb 1st, 2020 Don’t Spare Me The Details – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Exodus 36 – 38 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 19 – 20; Proverbs 1; Psalms 6 – 10

Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.” (Exodus 36:1)

Good morning! It always amazes me the amount of people that say they dread reading this portion of Exodus: the building of the Tabernacle, and the items therein. Too many details, they say. But our God is a perfect God, and as the only perfect God, He is concerned about the details. For instance, when Israel complained to Moses that there was no water to drink, God told Moses to smote a rock, and water would come out. Moses did, and life giving water flowed freely from the rock that he smote. God painted a great picture of how Jesus would be smitten, and His blood would flow freely, giving life to all who would drink from this Most Holy Fountain. The next time, the details were marred. God told Moses to only speak to the rock, and water would flow. But Moses didn’t. In his anger at Israel, he hit the rock as he spoke, and once again water flowed. Moses had smudged the painting God was making: the details were ruined. God was painting a picture of Romans 10:13…

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

As a result of him messing up the details, Moses was not allowed to enter into the promised land. God is concerned about the details.

We should be glad that God is concerned about the details too. He knows me and you better than we know ourselves. Just think, a perfect God, who supplied the perfect salvation, is building me the perfect mansion in the perfect place. My mansion is just for me, and it will be the perfect place for me: don’t spare me the details!

According to our verse, God gave wisdom and understanding to those building so they would know the details, and create the items exactly how God wanted them. What were they building?

1) They were building a witness for the Lord.

There was a TV commercial years ago that stated how amazing the human eye is. It can see the flickering light of a candle that is 10 miles away. How much more the fire of the Lord by night and the cloud of the Lord by day covering the Tabernacle? Exodus 40:38 tells us that it was in the sight of all Israel. If your eye can see a candle flickering 10 miles away, the surrounding nations may have saw also that God was with Israel.

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)

2) They were building up riches in Heaven.

Jesus said…

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

They gave out of the abundance that the Lord had given them when they spoiled the Egyptians. They gave so much that Moses had to tell them to stop giving (Exodus 36:4-7). I ain’t never heard that one happening in any of today’s churches. God can stretch your 90% more than you can stretch your 100%.

3) They were building a legacy for their families.

The Tabernacle would be the place to worship God, and offer Him sacrifices, for 480 years when Solomon would build the first Temple. That’s five, or so, generations that would meet with the Lord here.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

What have you built lately? Don’t spare the details.

Peace.

Jan 30th, 2020 How Quickly We Forget…To Pray by Dawn Foster

Today’s Passage – Exodus 30 – 32 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 15 – 16; Proverbs 30; Psalms 146 – 150

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 55:17

Read previous posts from this passage – “Who Is On The Lord’s Side?” and “Called of God…“

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:7-8)

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” (Luke 18:1)

The book of Exodus can be described in many ways.  It is predominantly a story of how we as humans so quickly forget what the Lord has done for us.  Time, and time again throughout the book we see how the children of Israel cried, complained, murmured, and just plain forgot.  Exodus 5:21, 14:11, 15:24, 16:2-3, 17:2-3, 32:1 are just a few examples of this.  As saved individuals we should never forget the things the Lord our God has done for us. 

In Exodus 30:1-9 Moses tells us God’s instructions on how to build the Altar, and the use of incense on the Altar.  More specifically in Exodus 30:7-9 the verses describe what is to be done with the incense.  “And Aa’-ron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.  And when Aa’-ron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.  Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.”  In these three verses incense is a picture of our prayers.  We only pray to one God, the only God.  We do not pray to saints, golden idols, or anything else.

Exodus 32 discusses Israel’s Golden Calf.  They wanted “gods” to worship, and pray to.  How quickly they forgot they already had the one, and only God who delivered them out of Egypt.  I have pondered the idea throughout reading this book…  If every time another “problem” came up for Israel, instead of murmuring, and complaining, they took all of that exertion and just went to their knees in prayer… would they have so quickly forgotten all that the Lord had done, and was doing?  I do not think they would have.

We do the same thing in this day and age.  Something goes wrong, and the first thing we do is complain.  We say something we should not have.  We pass blame.  Instead, what would happen if we went to God in that same second something went wrong? Would it change our minds?  Our hearts?  Everyone has heard of the phrase, “Prayer changes things.”  It changes our whole way of thinking.  It is our connection to the Lord.  It teaches us to be grateful, faithful, and trusting.  If the children of Israel had went to their knees there would have been a lot less complaining, and a lot more remembering.  How quickly we forget the blessings we receive, God’s faithfulness, His provisions, the simple fact that we are still breathing on this earth.  How quickly we forget to pray.

Did you take time to Pray today?

Jan 28th, 2020 God Is in the Details by Wayne Z. Foster

Today’s Passage – Exodus 25 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 11 – 12; Proverbs 28; Psalms 136 – 140

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2

Read the “0128 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Pattern What You Preach“

“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.” (Exodus 25:8-9)

In a broad overview, Exodus 25-27 speaks of the order of God. The God that created the universe. The God that created you and me. He is a God of detail. He does things with great care, and everything is by design. As believers we should try to emulate our Lord. A true statement and one we should live by is: “preparation is the key to success.” We should prepare and plan so that we can excel in the details like our Savior (1 Corinthians 14:40).

Exodus 25:2 discusses our offerings. Our offerings are an opportunity to worship our God. Worship should be done with a willing and cheerful attitude. We should be glad and willing to give him our time, abilities, and finances. Be willing to give of yourself (Roman 12:1)

The Old Testament is a beautiful recording of history. Every word is breathed from the mouth of God.  It is a very intricate puzzle. When completed, it shows Jesus as our Lord and Savior, who died on the cross, and rose from the grave.

The Ark it is a picture of Christ. Made of wood, it spoke of Christ’s humanity.  The Ark was overlaid in Gold. This speaks of His deity, the hypostatic union.  The mercy seat pointed to Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary in which He shed his blood to blot out our sins forever. The Ten commandments in the ark shows Christ as the Truth (John 1:17). He was the only person who walked in truth, and fulfilled the law. Due to this He was able to give grace. The manna shows us Christ as our sustainer. He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Aaron’s rod that budded pointed to His resurrection, and the work that he does in the believer.  “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;” (Ephesians 2:1).

In Chapter 26 of Exodus the tabernacle pointed to the Holiness of God.  There is a process that had to be completed. To approach God because he is holy, we should remember as Christians that one of the defining attributes of God is His holiness.  The Seraphims do not say Love, Love, Love.  They fly in the presence of God saying “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8).

Exodus 27 is all about the Altar. The altar in our lives is a place to live, not visit.  We need to die daily to self to be affective Christians (1 Corinthians 15:31).  It is hard to sacrifice what you love. We as human beings love ourselves. We constantly put ourselves first in our decisions, not God.  Through life we must fight to demote the flesh, and put Christ and others first before ourselves.

Jan 25th, 2020 The Wilderness Of Sin – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Exodus 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 5 – 6; Proverbs 25; Psalms 121 – 125

Read the “0125 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 16:1)

Good morning. Did you know Sin was a real place? It’s located between Elim and Sinai. Sin is a real place: we wander around in it all the time. It’s not a fun place to be. It’s an easy place to get to, but sometimes a very hard place to get out of. And Israel was faced with the wilderness of Sin right in front of them. And they stepped into Sin.

“And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:2-3)

As soon as they entered the wilderness of Sin, the sin started. The children of Israel murmured about those in charge. You blame them or others for your troubles, but it was your walk into Sin. So, number 1, Sin brings Sedition.

Number 2, Sin does not bring Satisfaction. When all of Israel were in Sin they were hungry. Sin does not satisfy, and that added to their sedition.

1) Sin brings Sedition

2) Sin does not bring Satisfaction

And thirdly, Sin brings Sacrilege…

“And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.” (Exodus 16:8)

Israel did not have to murmur. Israel did not have to walk around hungry. Israel did not have to blaspheme God. But they did. And God loved them enough that He took care of their needs by giving them quail, and manna to eat. They didn’t have to do all those things. All they had to do was ask God and He would have fulfilled their needs.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Just ask…

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

The next time you decide that you want to take a walk in the wilderness of Sin: DON’T! Just remember…

1) Sin brings Sedition

2) Sin does not bring Satisfaction

3) Sin brings Sacrilege

Peace.

Jan 23rd, 2020 That You May Know by Katelyn Erickson

Today’s Passage – Exodus 10 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 1 – 2; Proverbs 23; Psalms 111 – 115)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Isaiah 40:31

Read the “0123 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from today’s passage in Exodus – “You’re Free To Go,” “Now Do I Have Your Attention,” and “What Can Wash Away My Sin?“

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the Lord.” (Exodus 10:1 – 2)

From these first two verses of chapter 10, We can see the importance God places on sharing Him and His wondrous works with the next generations.

I’m burdened about the massive amount of children AND adults, who have never been taught the faith of these first believers. Some have been given the traditions of men, but most people today have never known what real faith is like to live out in real life. Moses and the children of Israel had front row seats to the most amazing miraculous works of Jehovah God, but we can rejoice in the fact that that same God has preserved His word down through the ages, and that there have been many men and women who have remained faithful to tell. 

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8

Let’s realize that the holy, sovereign God of Moses is still the very same God that we serve today; and let’s purpose to tell our sons…and daughters, and grandchildren, and friends, and strangers that the Bible is the Living Word of God and that it applies completely and perfectly to each generation.” Today’s passage convicted my heart about making sure that I share these Bible accounts as the Truth, in love, rather than just a “once upon a time..” bedtime story.

“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:5

Jan 21st, 2020 Wait … What!? – Guest Post by Phil Erickson Jr.

Today’s Passage – Exodus 4 – 6 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click hereto view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 13 – 14; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8

Read previous posts from this passage – “Expect Opposition,“ and “What’s Your Excuse?”

Read the “0121 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

I don’t know how many times I have said those words to myself while reading this book. Exodus is fascinating. It is full of unbelievable stories played out by some very interesting characters. If you read the Book of Exodus like a novel that you’re interested in, and not just out of good Christian duty, it really brings the stories and characters to life.

The main character of Exodus is Moses, and the first few chapters really give an insight into God developing him first as a believer, then as a leader. 

In Chapter 3, God tells Moses that He is going to do something big, and that Moses is the man He has chosen to do it through. This came as a shock to Moses. By this time, Moses was already getting up there in years, and was probably pretty set in his ways with a good life. What God was asking him to do now was going to change everything. 

In Chapter 4, God begins to teach Moses some things that I believe we can learn from:

1. If God asks you to do something for Him, He will give you everything you need.

“And he said, Certainly I will be with thee…” (Exodus 3:12a)

“And the LORD said unto him, What is in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent;…” (Exodus 4:2 – 3a)

“Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” (Exodus 4:12)

2.  Sometimes, He will ask you to do something that scares you.

“And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail…” (Exodus 4:3 – 4)

Wait…what!? Moses was my kind of guy! It says that when he saw the snake, he fled! And if you know anything about snakes, you know that you don’t try to catch them by the tail. This was something that scared Moses. But God was teaching him to just trust Him. It might scare you, and it might not make sense, but if God is asking you to do it, trust Him.

3.  Sometimes, He will ask you to do something that might be painful.

“And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.” (Exodus 4:6)

Wait…what!? Leprosy was a horrible, painful disease that would cause people to have to separate from their friends and family. 

Can you imagine being Moses in this moment? Going about, minding your own business, then God shows up and things go crazy. God would continue to have to teach Moses many more lessons on trusting Him. Moses was not yet convinced, and came up with excuse after excuse about why God has chosen the wrong man. But Moses was God’s man, and God would use him in a mighty way. Moses’ life had many ups and downs. Happy times and great victories, and sad times and regrets. But that was Moses life, and that is your life. There will be many times in your Christian life where you scratch your head and say, “wait…what!?” And God is saying, “Just trust Me.” None of us know what all God has in store for our lives, but we can know that He knows, and that He loves us. Sometimes it will scare us, sometimes it will hurt. But He will always give us exactly what we need, when we need it. We just need to trust Him.

Jan 18th, 2020 Forgiveness: It Does A Body Good – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Genesis 45 – 47 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 7 – 8; Proverbs 18; Psalms 86 – 90)

“Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 45:1-8)

Good morning. How many times in your life has someone done you wrong? Now, how many times have you forgiven their wrong? Too many of us hold a grudge against the many wrong-doers in our lives. We fail to realize that it may be part of God’s will: we may need to be hurt, so we will not hurt others. Look at what Joseph said, “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

God had a bigger reason for allowing Joseph to be sold as a slave in Egypt: bigger than satisfying the hatred of his brothers: to preserve life. Joseph was able to see this, and forgave his brothers for what they did to him. Sometimes we are not sure of what God is doing, and should be tolerant of those times we are under attack: look at King David fleeing Jerusalem…

“And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came. And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man. Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so? And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him. It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.” (2Samuel 16:5-12)

Peter asked “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?”, and Jesus told him, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”

Stephen said, before dying from the stones that were thrown at him, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”

Our Example, the Lord Jesus Christ, asked the Father from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

Being angry or upset with someone cannot end in anything good, unless it ends with forgiveness. Let’s strive to be a little more tolerant, and forgive as Jesus did. Jesus died for their sins as well as yours.

Peace.

Jan 16th, 2020 Lessons from the Life of Joseph – by Elizabeth Hamilton

Today’s Passage – Genesis 41 – 42 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 3 – 4; Proverbs 16; Psalms 76 – 80

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32

Read the “0116 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “In His Time,” and “Give God the Glory“

Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. (Genesis 41:14 – 16)

Anytime I read about Joseph in the Bible I am always impressed with his attitude and his patience. Joseph had been through more trials and more disappointments then I think most people could handle. He was sold by his own brothers, falsely accused of something he never did, and forgotten in jail for years! He was abandoned, his reputation tainted, and yet his faith in God never wavered. 

I can easily say if I was in his shoes I would be the most bitter and unhappy person you would ever meet. But In chapter 41 and 42 I can see two instances where Joseph never let bitterness get in the way, and because of this God was able to use him in a great way. In chapter 41 we see that Pharaoh had a dream that he doesn’t understand the meaning of. He calls for all his magicians and wise men but no one can explain the meaning of his dream. Then Pharaoh’s butler remembers how Joseph had interpreted his dream back when he was in jail with him and suggests that Pharaoh ask Joseph to tell him the meaning of his dream. Now if Joseph had been sitting in jail dwelling on the all the wrongs that had happened to him up until this point, and if he had let bitterness fester and spread maybe he wouldn’t have been so willing to help Pharaoh. I could see him saying “Why should I help anyone? No one has helped me? I have been sitting in jail for a crime I didn’t commit! And the last person I told the meaning of their dream just up and forgot me in here!” But he didn’t. Joseph got right up, shaved, changed his clothes and went to help Pharaoh. When Pharaoh told Joseph that he heard that He can interpret dreams, Joseph gave all the glory to God, “And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” If Joseph had thrown himself a pity party or became angry and bitter because of the unfairness of his circumstances he would have missed out on a whole lot, including being second in command under Pharaoh.  

Another instance of this is in the next chapter. The famine is in full swing and because of Joseph, Egypt has stored up a lot of food in preparation. People from all over are traveling to Egypt to get food so they don’t starve and among those coming to get food are Joseph’s brothers. The very brothers who threw him in a pit, sold him to be a slave, and told their father he was dead. I think most people, if they were in this situation would be rubbing the hands together wracking their brains for a way to get back at the people who destroyed their life.  But not Joseph.  He had every opportunity to get his revenge, but as we see in later chapters he doesn’t.  Joseph was very merciful towards his brothers. He also realized that if he had not been through the trials he had been through he would have never been in that jail, he would have never been there to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, he would have never told Pharaoh that a famine was coming and that they needed to store food. He understood that his whole family would have most likely died in this famine if he did not go through what he went through. Joseph never let his circumstances cloud his judgment. He never let all the horrible things done make him a bitter person. And because of that God used him in a mighty way!

In the end God had so many amazing things planned for Joseph, so amazing I’m sure Joseph probably couldn’t have even imagined them. But if Joseph didn’t trust God through all of his trials and low points in life, or if he let himself become bitter and angry and prideful, he might have missed out on all of it. We can’t take our eyes off of God and focus on how life is so unfair to us. Don’t let your pride, or your desire for revenge lead you to miss out. If you are currently going through a trial where you feel abandoned or you feel like everything is against you, look to Joseph’s example. He patiently trusted and relied on God. God was with Joseph in the pit, He was with Joseph when he was sold as a slave, He was with him when he was wrongfully put in jail; and God is with you also! So, keep your eyes on Him, be patient, and He will get you through the trial. It’s hard not to focus on all the wrongs done to us, but if we focus all our attention on our unfortunate circumstances and allow it to make us bitter it will cause us to miss out on some great opportunities to be used by God.