WEDNESDAY, October 1st, 2008

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER! CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS YEAR IS GOING BY SO FAST?!?!?! Wow! I am so excted about life! Aren't you? I just want to tell all of you! Yesterday was a very encouraging day so thank you for doing your part to make it that way. There were several teenagers that went on yesterday and did their devotions, and I am thankful for all of you! Keep it up! Be in church tonight we are going to have a great time in Youth Group!

A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Rachel: I am so proud of you! It is so wise to look at this opportunity in your life as a chance to start over and make new friendships! God will reward that!
Michael: OF COURSE I AM GOING TO COPY THAT AND PASTE IT! Silly guy! You think I am going to type all that jibberish in? Great video! I have seen it before! I like it a lot!
Amy: I am excited about Tomorrow!!!!
Jessica B: I will be here and ready and available to talk! Thanks for all you did yesterday!
MARVIN AND KERVIN: WOW!!! IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU ON EHERE AGAIN! We missed you guys! See you tonight!
Rachel Mace: I love your "whole tree fell into the pond" illustration! :)
Tyler: I sure wish that you were going to Jax. with us!
Mallory:" we have missed you too! Let me know if I can do anything to help!


Genesis 48

1 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your father is sick”; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.
3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,
4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’
5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6 Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
7 But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.” And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.”
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”
12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him.
14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”
20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”

This is a deep passage that gives us a lot of information about the end of Isaacs life and also about the two sons of Joseph. I think the greatest lesson in this passage is the respect that Joseph had for his father.

Joseph, the prince of Egypt, the second man in charge of the richest nation in the world at this time was bowing down to his aged father.

What an incredible example of respect. The Bible tells us to honor our father and mother... yet so many times we are completely disrespectful to them and that means that we are completely disobedient to God.

Teenagers, Honor your father and mother. Joseph had not had any communication with his father since he was a boy. His father was no part of his life during all of the tough times, and during all of the wonderful times until now... yet Joseph still respected him!

Joseph literally bowed down to his father. (generally people were always bowing down to Joseph, but he humbled himself and showed the respect that his father deserved)

Do you respect your parents? God commands it! God rewards it! I guarantee you this: When I was a teenager, there were times when I could not stand my parents... there were times that I thought they had no common sense, there were times I thought they were unfair, But God commanded me to obey them and to honor them!

I appreciate my parents today more than I ever thought I would because I understand that even though they were hard to get along with sometimes... God gave them to me because God knew who the BEST PARENTS in the world would be for me! God also chose your parents and your authority, because they are the best for you! Trust God and obey and honor your parents!