We’ve come to the end of the wonderful book of Genesis. One of my favorite books in all of the Old Testament. All the great themes of love and redemption are found in this book along with many of the great struggles that we would see and do see repeat themselves in the history of humanity.
In this reading today two things really caught my attention:
The reaction of Joseph’s brothers after their father’s death. Joseph had long ago forgiven them, he had already shared with them that he believed God used their wrong to actually save lives, yet they still feared he would hold revenge against them. Their fear and misunderstanding of his character so hurt Joseph the Bible tells us,
“And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.” Genesis 50:17b
Joseph though did not get angry, he told them to not be afraid and “he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (50:21b)
I see in this a type of Christ. How many misunderstand the character of God and through Christ we see in fact the true character of love and forgiveness. Also just as we put Jesus on the cross with our sins, God used this act to save many lives…all that will accept the gift. Joseph is a pre-cursor to just such a truth,
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” -Gen. 50:20
The second thing that stuck-out to me in my reading was what Joseph asked of his family just prior to his death,
“Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” -Gen. 50:25
No matter what success Joseph had in Israel which was just about the most human success a person could have. Joseph never forgot where his true home was. May we no matter our blessings and successes on this earth, never forget where our true home is…not this wicked world!
Tomorrow’s Reading: 1 Samuel 11-15
So the great theme of these two chapters can be summed up in this:
Paul’s life was about one thing…helping people to be saved by Jesus!
That is it!
Do our lives have the same theme?
Why do we still tithe? A very clear answer is in 1 Corinthians 9:14…
“So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.”
And who is to support the work of ministry and those who are working for the cause of God. Again a very clear answer…
“If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?” -1 Cor. 9:11
Every Christian should then ask themselves, are they supporting those materially (tithes & offerings) who are feeding them spiritually?
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 again…
Wow!
A reminder that just because we go to the church every week and maybe even read religious material and hang-out with religious people means we’re more likely to get into heaven than another…
Paul points out all these areas in which the children of Israel were under the blessing of God…”the rock was Christ” but…
“Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.” -1 Corinthians 10:5
Again…WOW!
Let us then heed verse 12!
Tomorrow’s Reading: Genesis 48-50
Some highlights from my reading on Mark 3 & 4:
Some people in the world and even in the church are critical of Christians when they get angry, “you’re a Christian you’re not supposed to get angry.” Mark 3:5 clearly illustrates that Jesus who was perfect had at times anger. Anger is not the problem, there is an acceptable type of anger. To know what anger is acceptable or not two questions must be asked:
I will not speak for you but I know most my anger is self-protective or selfish. What I mean by that is that I get angry to protect myself or in defense of myself this is most often (some instances like abuse of some nature it is acceptable) not a good reason to be angry. Because many times that anger is because of insecurity or because we place our self worth in the hands of our fellow man. Or my anger is because I am selfish. Someone doesn’t do what I want! Those two types of anger are not acceptable. And how one’s anger is manifested is hopefully obvious to most.
I love the succinctness of Mark’s account of the calling of the disciples (3:14). He called twelve to be with Him (Jesus) and then go out and work for Him. That simple! We are first with Jesus we then go out as witnesses/workers for Jesus. Wow! And yet we seem to make it so tough so often.
I never realized before or it never struck me that Jesus gave James and John their nickname, “Sons of Thunder” (3:17)
In the parable of the Sower and the Soils (4:1-12) most sermons I’ve heard on this and that have I have preached focus on the soils as the focus of the illustration. When I read through this parable my eyes this time saw it from another perspective, that of the sower…a lot of churches and organizations talk about where to go for the right climate of ministry. In fact some churches don’t hold evangelistic meetings because they say, “the soil in our area is not right” in other words people won’t come, I noticed as I was reading this, the sower just sows and doesn’t worry about which soil the seed falls on. I also noticed Jesus doesn’t condemn this, in fact in Jesus’ explanation there is a powerful verse,
“The sower sows the word.” -Mark 4:14
That’s it Christians just sow and let the Trinity work out the hearts (the soil).
Again something similar caught my eye in the parable of the mustard seed. We often focus on the size of the mustard seed at the beginning and the end and I realized when I read 4:32, none of it would have matter…neither the size at the beginning or the size at the end, if the seed hadn’t been sown! It is really that simple.
SOW SEEDS Brothers and Sisters!
Tomorrow’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 9 & 10
In this reading we close out the wonderful book of Isaiah!
In these last chapters there are several things that to me are ABUNDANTLY clear!
There is a judgment and people will be judged!
But what is also abundantly clear is that our judgment will be because of our choosing not the Lord’s. As it is written,
“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which did not call on My name.
2 “I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts,” Isaiah 65:1 & 2
What is also abundantly clear is that there is a better land coming than the world we currently live in!
Tomorrow’s Reading: Mark 3 & 4
I apologize for being a couple days behind on this. I was no where near a computer two nights ago and did not have internet last night. Hopefully I will be caught-up by the end of today. I pray that even if you don’t see a blog you are still reading. Remember this journey is not about my blog but about all of us spending time DAILY in the Word of God!
Job 23 encouraged me in my walk today. As we all struggle, as we all at times don’t “feel” God’s presence Job understands and shows us what it looks like to really live out the text, “The just shall live by faith.”
“Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
9 When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;
He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.
10 “But He knows the way I take;
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 “My foot has held fast to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12 “I have not departed from the command of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my ]necessary food.” -Job 23:8-12
This is even more amazing in light of his limited picture of God that we see in Job 24 which brings me to my second insight.
How blessed we are to have the picture of Jesus we do in the gospels. I don’t know that we fully realize this! Jesus said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” We don’t have to have the horrible misconceptions of God that Job does…Job in spite of these walks by faith, so how much more should we walk by faith?!
Knowing that Jesus is the representation of God. So merciful, patient, gentle, humble, loving, etc.
Tomorrow’s Reading (Actually yesterday’s that I will write later today 😉 ) –Isaiah 62-66
Highlights from today’s reading:
I’ve been in a lot of churches anyone got to sing or play an instrument NO MATTER how poorly they played. Now I don’t believe everyone has to be an expert, but this view is in fact not Biblical. There are places where it is very clear this position is not a Biblical one and when we come to those portions of scripture I’m sure I’ll point that out again, but we see evidence of this point here quickly in Psalm 33:3,
“Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.”
Play “SKILLFULLY”
I know many of folk that take offense to such a concept and I don’t mean to be offensive, but I wish we could accept that God has gifted us all in different ways and none of us get to say this is my gift and it is so. Just my thought…you agree? Disagree?
I love the first three verses of Psalm 34 it strengthened and encouraged me in my mission this morning…
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will make its boast in the Lord;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together. -Psalm 34:1-3
I also love the verse because it teaches an important truth about worship.
It is:
Individual: “I will bless the Lord at all times…”
&
Corporate: “And let US exalt His name TOGETHER.”
Worship is not either/or, it is both/and!
David a lot times is crying out for destruction of his enemies, but I appreciate what he shares with us in Psalm 35:13-14,
“But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting,
And my prayer kept returning to my bosom.
14 I went about as though it were my friend or brother;
I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother.”
I can testify…maybe I shouldn’t, but I can so I will…that there are certain people pastors wouldn’t mind if they decided to go to another church…but I’ve not known any pastor that if that person that is a thorn in their flesh were sick or going through crisis they would not be on their knees in heartache for them.
David wanting people gone is a reality of life that if God chooses to grant he is not going to mind…but David is also pastoral and so even though he wants that person away from him, as long as the person lives and it is in his power to do so he will cry out to God also on their behalf.
What spoke to you in these three Psalms?
Tomorrow’s Reading: Job 23 & 24