Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. (Exodus 1:8) Every time I read Exodus 1 I am reminded that Joseph, even though he was one of the greatest leaders in the Bible, was forgotten when his days were over. He died, Pharaoh died, and a new government took over: a government that didn't recognize Joseph or his accomplishments in saving Egypt ... [Continue Reading]
I Know This World It Ain’t My Home (Genesis 47-50)
Then he gave them these instructions: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave... which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place... There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah." (Genesis 49:29-31) The end of Jacob's life should serve as a reminder for ... [Continue Reading]
Uncontrollable Joy (Genesis 43-46)
Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. (Genesis 43:30) Yesterday I wrote about limited vision - how we often can't see the end of a situation when we're in the middle of it. From our perspective, all we know is what we're dealing with in the moment... and it seems like ... [Continue Reading]
Limited Vision (Genesis 41-42)
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” (Genesis 41:39-40) When life gets the best of us, it's easy to think that we'll never get out of the depths ... [Continue Reading]
Guardrails (Genesis 38-40)
And though [Potiphar's wife] spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. (Genesis 39:10) Have you ever been driving on a road and seen a guardrail? You can look at it in two ways: it's a restriction or it's a life-saving device. The purpose of the guardrail is to protect cars from driving off the road and into sudden danger - in ... [Continue Reading]
Dead End (Genesis 35, 37)
All [Jacob's] sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son [Joseph] in the grave.” So his father wept for him. (Genesis 37:35) There comes a point in time when you realize that the decision you made is really just a dead end. It seemed like a good idea in the beginning, but over ... [Continue Reading]
The Power of Forgiveness (Genesis 32-34)
But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. (Genesis 33:4) Forgiveness is a powerful force. It says: debt cancelled - you don't owe me any longer. In the relationship between Jacob and Esau, Jacob had built up a huge debt. First, he monopolized on a situation of weakness and manipulated Esau into ... [Continue Reading]
Your Life Isn’t In Your Hands (Genesis 30-31)
'If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.' (Genesis 31:42) One of the greatest lessons of Genesis is the continued understanding that, though we may think otherwise, our lives truly are not ... [Continue Reading]
God Knows and Cares (Genesis 27-29)
When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. (Genesis 29:31) There are moments in time when God feels conspicuously absent, aren't there? In Leah's case, she was forced into marriage in the place of her sister - the desire of her husband Jacob's heart. Her father, Laban, essentially used her as a bargaining tool ... [Continue Reading]
Little Eyes Are Watching (Genesis 25-26)
When the men of that place asked [Isaac] about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” (Genesis 26:7) Where did Isaac learn to say that his wife was really his sister? He probably learned it from his dad. It's amazing that ... [Continue Reading]
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