Hey everyone, I am running out the door to go to Rachels Birthday Party @ Englewood Beach... If you arecoming and you have any questions about where to go, then call me: (941)258-0719
I will post my comments about the devotions later on...
Genesis 44
1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.
2 Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.
4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?
5 Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’”
6 So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.
7 And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing.
8 Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?
9 With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”
10 And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.”
11 Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.
12 So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.
14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.
15 And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”
16 Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”
17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.”
Judah Intercedes for Benjamin
18 Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.
19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’
20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’
21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’
22 And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’
23 But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’
24 “So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord.
25 And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’
26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons;
28 and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since.
29 But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’
30 “Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life,
31 it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
32 For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’
33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.
34 For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”
FRIDAY, September 26th, 2008
Hey Everyone! I need you to press on during these busy times. Especially my leaders! I need you to DO YOUR DEVOTIONS! That are crutial. I heard this yesterday: Ministry should just be an outflowing of your relationship with Christ. Well, if there is not a daily relationship with Christ then there is not alot of outflowing going on...
Think about that.
Genesis 43
1 Now the famine was severe in the land.
2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”
3 But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’
4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.
5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”
6 And Israel said, “Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?”
7 But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”
8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.
9 I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.
10 For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”
11 And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
12 Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.
13 Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man.
14 And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”
15 So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.”
17 Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.
18 Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.”
19 When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house,
20 and said, “O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food;
21 but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand.
22 And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”
23 But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.
25 Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.
27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28 And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.
29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”
30 Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.
31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.”
32 So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.
33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.
34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.
Well, I think it is kind of werid that the brothers went home and stayed there leaving their brother in prison until they ran out of food again. Well, the time had come to go get more food, and when they went they took Benjamin with them.
Joseph was so emotional about the whole situation because Benjamin was his real brother. Benjamin was the son that was born when their mother died.
Well, I think it is wonderful how Joseph is serving his brothers after all that they had done to him. If I were in his shoes, I would have to admit that I would have been waiting for an opportunity like this to get revenge on my brothers! Well, Joseph was not looking for revenge. He simply wanted to be Godly. Joseph forgave his cruel brothers and in fact he served them. When was the last time that you served someone that treated you horribly? Well, we should follow the example of Joseph, and forgive and serve those who hurt us.
Think about that.
Genesis 43
1 Now the famine was severe in the land.
2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”
3 But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’
4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.
5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”
6 And Israel said, “Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?”
7 But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”
8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.
9 I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.
10 For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”
11 And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
12 Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.
13 Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man.
14 And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”
15 So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.”
17 Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.
18 Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.”
19 When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house,
20 and said, “O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food;
21 but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand.
22 And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”
23 But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.
25 Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.
27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28 And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.
29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”
30 Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.
31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.”
32 So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.
33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.
34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.
Well, I think it is kind of werid that the brothers went home and stayed there leaving their brother in prison until they ran out of food again. Well, the time had come to go get more food, and when they went they took Benjamin with them.
Joseph was so emotional about the whole situation because Benjamin was his real brother. Benjamin was the son that was born when their mother died.
Well, I think it is wonderful how Joseph is serving his brothers after all that they had done to him. If I were in his shoes, I would have to admit that I would have been waiting for an opportunity like this to get revenge on my brothers! Well, Joseph was not looking for revenge. He simply wanted to be Godly. Joseph forgave his cruel brothers and in fact he served them. When was the last time that you served someone that treated you horribly? Well, we should follow the example of Joseph, and forgive and serve those who hurt us.
THURSDAY, September 25th, 2008
Hey Everyone! I hope you were able to make it to church last night. If not, let me share something with you that you missed...
In the last 15 days we have had over 60 different teenagers in our church. WOW! That is great, and only a few of them were first tiem visitors. Let me tell you what my point is... on any given Wednesday night we have around 40. So if EVERYONE would just COME TO CHURCH FAITHFULLY then we would easily be running over 50. That is my desire: That is my goal. So, lets do it!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Anonymous: So one of you wise guys/ girls made your personal screen name anonymous... wow!
I am suprised that was not taken already.
Mallory: We missed you in church last night!
Jessica M: We misseed you last night!
EVERYONE: I really really really want you to come to Jacksonville's college Days Trip at Trinity if you are in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. We are leaving one week from today! It will be a great time with lots of fun!!! Have I ever let you down before? I think not!
Genesis 42
1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”
2 And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.”
3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.
4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.”
5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
6 Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.
7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”
8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
10 And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.
11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”
12 But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”
13 And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.”
14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’
15 In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!”
17 So he put them all together in prison three days.
18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God:
19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses.
20 And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.
21 Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”
22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.”
23 But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.
24 And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
The Brothers Return to Canaan
25 Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them.
26 So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there.
27 But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack.
28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29 Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying:
30 “The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.
32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’
33 Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone.
34 And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’”
35 Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.”
37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”
38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”
My, how the tables have turned... This is my favorite part of the entire story of Joseph. Joseph is hanging out one day by the store houses in Egypt, when he looks down and sees all of his brothers bowing down to him. He MUST have remembered that dream that he had long ago, where this same thing happened to him. That was the dream that made his brothers so angry, yet now they were on their knees before their brother, Joseph. That a great story.
I do not think I would have been as kind as Joseph was to his brothers. He wanted to test them to find out if they had changed their heart from the days when they sold him into slavery. They had. He saw their repentance and regret for the decision they had made many years before and that brought Joseph to tears.
What is so interesting to me, is that this scenario is many many years after they sold Joseph into slavery, yet clearly it was something that was still on their minds daily. Wow! Think about how long it had been, yet they were still troubled over their decision.
That is what sin does... you commit one sin, and it will destroy you for years until you get forgiveness for it.
Well, Joseph trusted God through thick and thin and now he finds himself on top, I am excited to see what happens in tomorrows chapter.
In the last 15 days we have had over 60 different teenagers in our church. WOW! That is great, and only a few of them were first tiem visitors. Let me tell you what my point is... on any given Wednesday night we have around 40. So if EVERYONE would just COME TO CHURCH FAITHFULLY then we would easily be running over 50. That is my desire: That is my goal. So, lets do it!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Anonymous: So one of you wise guys/ girls made your personal screen name anonymous... wow!
I am suprised that was not taken already.
Mallory: We missed you in church last night!
Jessica M: We misseed you last night!
EVERYONE: I really really really want you to come to Jacksonville's college Days Trip at Trinity if you are in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. We are leaving one week from today! It will be a great time with lots of fun!!! Have I ever let you down before? I think not!
Genesis 42
1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”
2 And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.”
3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.
4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.”
5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
6 Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.
7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”
8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
10 And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.
11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”
12 But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”
13 And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.”
14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’
15 In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!”
17 So he put them all together in prison three days.
18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God:
19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses.
20 And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.
21 Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”
22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.”
23 But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.
24 And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
The Brothers Return to Canaan
25 Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them.
26 So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there.
27 But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack.
28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29 Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying:
30 “The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.
32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’
33 Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone.
34 And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’”
35 Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.”
37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”
38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”
My, how the tables have turned... This is my favorite part of the entire story of Joseph. Joseph is hanging out one day by the store houses in Egypt, when he looks down and sees all of his brothers bowing down to him. He MUST have remembered that dream that he had long ago, where this same thing happened to him. That was the dream that made his brothers so angry, yet now they were on their knees before their brother, Joseph. That a great story.
I do not think I would have been as kind as Joseph was to his brothers. He wanted to test them to find out if they had changed their heart from the days when they sold him into slavery. They had. He saw their repentance and regret for the decision they had made many years before and that brought Joseph to tears.
What is so interesting to me, is that this scenario is many many years after they sold Joseph into slavery, yet clearly it was something that was still on their minds daily. Wow! Think about how long it had been, yet they were still troubled over their decision.
That is what sin does... you commit one sin, and it will destroy you for years until you get forgiveness for it.
Well, Joseph trusted God through thick and thin and now he finds himself on top, I am excited to see what happens in tomorrows chapter.
WEDNESDAY, September 24th, 2008
Well Aloha Everyone!
Today is Wednesday and another day, another opportunity to bring your friends to church tonight!! It will be a great evening! I am so excited and thrilled about how many teens we had last week, and I look forward to DOUBLING that number tonight!! (That would be right around 82 Teenagers!! LETS DO IT!!! (all that means is everyone should bring one visitor)
Actually I think I am going to plan a Wednesday Night coming up pretty soon where we call it BRING ONE PERSON NIGHT... If you have any ideas then let me know...
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Rachel: I am so thankful that you are joining us from college! I wish all of our college students would get on here and stay on!! :) You are an encouragement!
Mallory: Thanks for the little plug for leetomlin.com, it is nothing AMAZING like you made it sound... it's just a way to let mey family know what is going on in my families life :)
Jessica B: Yes it is such a drastic drop from yesterday... sad sad sad... but I am glad that you were on here!!!
Genesis 41
37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly.
48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them.
49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.
50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.”
52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended,
54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.”
56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.
57 So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.
The Prisoners Dreams have come true and in one day he went from Prisoner to Ruler. As we sit in the prison-like situations of our life, one has to wonder how long until God rewards our faithfulness as He rewarded His servant Joseph. Joseph lived for many years in this horrible situation of slavery, deception, a prison. The day before this one, was just another day of the many years that he had sat there in that cell...
How long have you been facing that certain prison? A Week? 8 Weeks? One year?? Well, Joseph was faithful in Trusting his God through and through... And God rewarded him BIG TIME!
I think it is so wonderful that Joseph gave the glory to God as we saw yesterday and then God pours GLORY ALL OVER JOSEPH. I just a short time, Joseph becomes someone who rides in chariots, marries the priests daughter, wears and ring and a gold chain, and has people bowing down at his feet everywhere he goes.
Do you think all that time of TRUSTING GOD UNCONDITIONALLY PAID OFF?? I do!
We too should trust God! Whether your prison is your home, your school, maybe where you work. Whatever your situation is: it would be hard to believe that it could be be more difficult than Josephs! Yes Joseph remained faithful and God blessed him for it!
God wants to bless you for remaining faithful as well... But that is just it! YOU MUST REMAIN FAITHFUL!!!
Today is Wednesday and another day, another opportunity to bring your friends to church tonight!! It will be a great evening! I am so excited and thrilled about how many teens we had last week, and I look forward to DOUBLING that number tonight!! (That would be right around 82 Teenagers!! LETS DO IT!!! (all that means is everyone should bring one visitor)
Actually I think I am going to plan a Wednesday Night coming up pretty soon where we call it BRING ONE PERSON NIGHT... If you have any ideas then let me know...
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Rachel: I am so thankful that you are joining us from college! I wish all of our college students would get on here and stay on!! :) You are an encouragement!
Mallory: Thanks for the little plug for leetomlin.com, it is nothing AMAZING like you made it sound... it's just a way to let mey family know what is going on in my families life :)
Jessica B: Yes it is such a drastic drop from yesterday... sad sad sad... but I am glad that you were on here!!!
Genesis 41
37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly.
48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them.
49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.
50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.”
52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended,
54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.”
56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.
57 So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.
The Prisoners Dreams have come true and in one day he went from Prisoner to Ruler. As we sit in the prison-like situations of our life, one has to wonder how long until God rewards our faithfulness as He rewarded His servant Joseph. Joseph lived for many years in this horrible situation of slavery, deception, a prison. The day before this one, was just another day of the many years that he had sat there in that cell...
How long have you been facing that certain prison? A Week? 8 Weeks? One year?? Well, Joseph was faithful in Trusting his God through and through... And God rewarded him BIG TIME!
I think it is so wonderful that Joseph gave the glory to God as we saw yesterday and then God pours GLORY ALL OVER JOSEPH. I just a short time, Joseph becomes someone who rides in chariots, marries the priests daughter, wears and ring and a gold chain, and has people bowing down at his feet everywhere he goes.
Do you think all that time of TRUSTING GOD UNCONDITIONALLY PAID OFF?? I do!
We too should trust God! Whether your prison is your home, your school, maybe where you work. Whatever your situation is: it would be hard to believe that it could be be more difficult than Josephs! Yes Joseph remained faithful and God blessed him for it!
God wants to bless you for remaining faithful as well... But that is just it! YOU MUST REMAIN FAITHFUL!!!
TUESDAY, September 23rd, 2008
Hey everyone! I am glad so many of you were on yesterday. There were several of our regular faithful attenders who did not get on though. WHAT IS THE DEAL? We go to disney and then you stop doing the devos? :) J/K! Just stay faithful!
Genesis 41
1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.
2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.
4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.
5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good.
6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.
7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.
8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day.
10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker,
11 we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.
12 Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.
13 And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.
15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”
16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river.
18 Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
19 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt.
20 And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.
21 When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke.
22 Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good.
23 Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.
24 And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:
26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one.
27 And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.
28 This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29 Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt;
30 but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.
31 So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.
32 And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.
35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
This is such a neat story. I am sure almost all of you are familiar with it, so lets take some time and look for new ideas about it.
First of all I thought: Why did God wait two years, while Joseph was in prison before He gave Pharaoh a dream... I mean, if God would have given Pharaoh the dream right at the beginning, then the story could have stilled worked out fine...
Well, I know that God is in control and I know that God says that "all things work together for good". so if I know both of those tihngs then I must also acknowledge that evewn though Joseph was sitting in prison, God had a plan.
Sometimes we seem to be going through a difficult time, but we too must remember that God has a plan.
Next I saw how Joseph gave all the credit to God for his accomplishments. That is true, God was the one to give Joseph the ability to interpret dreams, but if Joseph were more like many of us He would have started thinking that he can interpret dreams because he is talented, skillfull and special. NOPE! God is the one in charge who gave Joseph the ability to do those things.
God is also the one that gives you the ability to do well in school, to sing, to play an instrument, even the giver of coordination so that you can beat me in video games. All of these things are not because of how great we are... but they are because of how great HE IS!!!!
Thank you God for giving us many blessings, and many abilities! Help us to use those abilities for YOUR GLORY!!! NOT OURS!!
Genesis 41
1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.
2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.
4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.
5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good.
6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.
7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.
8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day.
10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker,
11 we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.
12 Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.
13 And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.
15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”
16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river.
18 Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
19 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt.
20 And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.
21 When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke.
22 Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good.
23 Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.
24 And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:
26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one.
27 And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.
28 This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29 Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt;
30 but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.
31 So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.
32 And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.
35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
This is such a neat story. I am sure almost all of you are familiar with it, so lets take some time and look for new ideas about it.
First of all I thought: Why did God wait two years, while Joseph was in prison before He gave Pharaoh a dream... I mean, if God would have given Pharaoh the dream right at the beginning, then the story could have stilled worked out fine...
Well, I know that God is in control and I know that God says that "all things work together for good". so if I know both of those tihngs then I must also acknowledge that evewn though Joseph was sitting in prison, God had a plan.
Sometimes we seem to be going through a difficult time, but we too must remember that God has a plan.
Next I saw how Joseph gave all the credit to God for his accomplishments. That is true, God was the one to give Joseph the ability to interpret dreams, but if Joseph were more like many of us He would have started thinking that he can interpret dreams because he is talented, skillfull and special. NOPE! God is the one in charge who gave Joseph the ability to do those things.
God is also the one that gives you the ability to do well in school, to sing, to play an instrument, even the giver of coordination so that you can beat me in video games. All of these things are not because of how great we are... but they are because of how great HE IS!!!!
Thank you God for giving us many blessings, and many abilities! Help us to use those abilities for YOUR GLORY!!! NOT OURS!!
MONDAY, September 22nd, 2008
Another week of school and a lot of other stuff!! Today is Rachels Birthday so everyone make sure to sing happy birthday to her if you see her at school! Happy Birthday Rachel!
Genesis 40
1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.
3 So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.
4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.
5 Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation.
6 And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad.
7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”
8 And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”
9 Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me,
10 and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.
11 Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.
13 Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.
14 But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.
15 For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head.
17 In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”
18 So Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days.
19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
20 Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
21 Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.
22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
This is a fairly simple story. Joseph is in prison for something He did not do, yet he trusts God through the trial and that is how He can have such a great attitude even in the situation that he is in. I think it is pretty funny that He walks up to the butler and the baker and says: " You look sad today". Well, I would think they would say: OF COURSE WE ARE SAD TODAY!! WE ARE SITTING IN PRISON!! But Joseph could not comprehend that attitude, because he knew that whatever happened was in Gods control and if Gods plan for his life was to sit in a prison cell, then he would be happy to obey!
Are you like that? Or do you have a conditional love for Christ? Do you love him when things are going well, but blame Him when things are not so well? Maybe it is the other way around, maybe you ignore Him while tings are good, and you turn to Him when things are going bad? Well, neither one of those are the best... We should ALWAYS trust Gods plan for our lives. If we are following God in Holiness then no matter where Gods path takes us, we should be thrilled to be a part of Gods plan.
Well, the rest of the story goes like this: The Chief butler, and chief baker are sent to prison for some reason... When they get in there, they meet Joseph. One day, Joseph notices that they look a little bit more sad than usual. So Joseph asks them what is going on... They tell Joseph, we had some dreams, but we have no one to interpret them.
Joseph sees this as an opportunity to Glorify God! So what does he do? Joseph explains to them that dreams are given by God, so He would tell them what those dreams meant. Well Joseph explains that one of them will go back to work and the other will be hanged.
Joseph made it clear! WHEN YOU GET BACK INTO THE PALACE: DO NOT FORGET ME!!!! Well, They forgot him. But the great part is that Joseph did not get bitter... Joseph got better. He continued to realize that this was Gods plan for his life!
What has God taken you through lately? Is it tough? Well, maybe He is preparing you for something great like He was doing with Joseph. Trust God in everything! If you are far from God, then turn back to Him TODAY!!!!!
He will not let you down!!
Genesis 40
1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.
3 So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.
4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.
5 Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation.
6 And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad.
7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”
8 And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”
9 Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me,
10 and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.
11 Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.
13 Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.
14 But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.
15 For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head.
17 In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”
18 So Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days.
19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
20 Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
21 Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.
22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
This is a fairly simple story. Joseph is in prison for something He did not do, yet he trusts God through the trial and that is how He can have such a great attitude even in the situation that he is in. I think it is pretty funny that He walks up to the butler and the baker and says: " You look sad today". Well, I would think they would say: OF COURSE WE ARE SAD TODAY!! WE ARE SITTING IN PRISON!! But Joseph could not comprehend that attitude, because he knew that whatever happened was in Gods control and if Gods plan for his life was to sit in a prison cell, then he would be happy to obey!
Are you like that? Or do you have a conditional love for Christ? Do you love him when things are going well, but blame Him when things are not so well? Maybe it is the other way around, maybe you ignore Him while tings are good, and you turn to Him when things are going bad? Well, neither one of those are the best... We should ALWAYS trust Gods plan for our lives. If we are following God in Holiness then no matter where Gods path takes us, we should be thrilled to be a part of Gods plan.
Well, the rest of the story goes like this: The Chief butler, and chief baker are sent to prison for some reason... When they get in there, they meet Joseph. One day, Joseph notices that they look a little bit more sad than usual. So Joseph asks them what is going on... They tell Joseph, we had some dreams, but we have no one to interpret them.
Joseph sees this as an opportunity to Glorify God! So what does he do? Joseph explains to them that dreams are given by God, so He would tell them what those dreams meant. Well Joseph explains that one of them will go back to work and the other will be hanged.
Joseph made it clear! WHEN YOU GET BACK INTO THE PALACE: DO NOT FORGET ME!!!! Well, They forgot him. But the great part is that Joseph did not get bitter... Joseph got better. He continued to realize that this was Gods plan for his life!
What has God taken you through lately? Is it tough? Well, maybe He is preparing you for something great like He was doing with Joseph. Trust God in everything! If you are far from God, then turn back to Him TODAY!!!!!
He will not let you down!!
SUNDAY, September 21st, 2008
Yesterday was such a great day! We left the church at about 6:20 and arrived at the park by 8:40am. We spent the entire day at the park and rode every ride that we wanted to, and almost every ride in the whole park. It was such a great day! It was not too busy and so we did not wait more than about 15 -20 minutes in a line all day long!! It was great! I hope that all of you remain faithful so that you will qualify for our next devotional trip! We will be doing one rather soon, so remain faithful!!!!
I will post the devotions after church today!
Genesis 37
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.
5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.
9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside,
12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.
13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,
14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”
16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.
17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me;
18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”
19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused.
20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.
23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority,[a] because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
I will post the devotions after church today!
Genesis 37
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.
5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.
9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside,
12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.
13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,
14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”
16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.
17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me;
18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”
19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused.
20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.
23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority,[a] because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
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