Hey guys! We are still up here in Jacksonville! Last night we went to a calling live concert! They are so great! We hung out for an hour after everyone was gone just talking to them. It was so good to see them again!
Well, I hope that you guys remain faithful to your devotions! I am so thankful that we finished the book of Genesis! That means that we have gone through the books of Genesis, John, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and James. Today we will begin Romans.
Romans 1
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,
6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Desire to Visit Rome
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—
12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
The Just Live by Faith
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them
Wow, I believe most of Romans will be simlar to todays chapter in that they are jam packed with many different truths!!!
Here is what stood out to me:
Verse 16: Paul made it very clear that He was not ashamed of the Gospel! But He was proud of it!! Am I proud of the Gospel? To the point that I am willing and excited to share it with everyone around me...
Then we see Gods wrath on Unrighteousness through verses 18-32... Wow! There is a lot of unrighteousness listed here...
Paul condemns everything from Homosexuality, to immorality, to pride, haters of God, and many other things... Did you catch what the last thing was??
Disobedient To Parents!!!!!! God puts that sin in the same category as murderers, haters of God, and homosexuality... maybe before we judge others, we need to make sure that we are not living in unrighteousness ourselves.... Maybe we really should obey our parents... it sounds like God means business!!!
FRIDAY, October 3rd, 2008
Hey Everyone! What happened yesterday?? Wow! We went from like 17 to 5? Ouch! I know how you feel Mallory, I too could cry! LETS BE FAITHFUL PEOPLE!
WE ARE HAVING A GREAT TIME IN JAX. Today we are going to classes, then haveing a babrecue and then going to a Calling Levi Concert tonight!!! Cool Huh!!
We Miss You Guys!!
Genesis 50 [The Last Chapter in the book of Genesis]
1 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him, and kissed him.
2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.
3 Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4 Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,
5 ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’”
6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8 as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen.
9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.
10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father.
11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
12 So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them.
13 For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place.
14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.
Joseph Reassures His Brothers
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.”
16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying,
17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.”’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Death of Joseph
22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.
23 Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph’s knees.
24 And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”
26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
The final chapter of Genesis. The conclusion of the story of Joseph. I think the key verse to the entire story of Joseph is in verse 20...
After Josephs father had died, there go those brothers again: showing their torment and worry because of their sin more than 25 years earlier. The consequences of sin are more than you want to pay! These men, were so scared that Joseph would "pay them back" that they told Joseph that their father said "do not punish them after I am gone"... well we don't know if He really said that or not.
The truth is: Joseph was "in the place of God" He was obeying God living daily in Gods will and therefore He would not take the punishment of his brothers into his own hands... instead he said in 20: what you meant for evil, GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD!!!!!
WOW! What a great attitude, there are many of you that have had tough circumstances in your life especially in the last several years: Well, think about this: Is your attitude like Josephs? Can you understand and believe that GOD IS IN CONTROL, and even though some people were trying to hurt you... YOU KNOW THAT GOD MEANT THAT SITUATION FOR GOOD...
That is hard to understand! Especially depending on how hard you were hurt... but remember God was in control from the beginning, and although he may not have planned out the hurtful things, as he did not plan out for Josephs brothers to betray him...
Gut God is able to work in and through the tough times in your life! Trust Him!
WE ARE HAVING A GREAT TIME IN JAX. Today we are going to classes, then haveing a babrecue and then going to a Calling Levi Concert tonight!!! Cool Huh!!
We Miss You Guys!!
Genesis 50 [The Last Chapter in the book of Genesis]
1 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him, and kissed him.
2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.
3 Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4 Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,
5 ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’”
6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8 as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen.
9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.
10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father.
11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
12 So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them.
13 For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place.
14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.
Joseph Reassures His Brothers
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.”
16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying,
17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.”’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Death of Joseph
22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.
23 Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph’s knees.
24 And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”
26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
The final chapter of Genesis. The conclusion of the story of Joseph. I think the key verse to the entire story of Joseph is in verse 20...
After Josephs father had died, there go those brothers again: showing their torment and worry because of their sin more than 25 years earlier. The consequences of sin are more than you want to pay! These men, were so scared that Joseph would "pay them back" that they told Joseph that their father said "do not punish them after I am gone"... well we don't know if He really said that or not.
The truth is: Joseph was "in the place of God" He was obeying God living daily in Gods will and therefore He would not take the punishment of his brothers into his own hands... instead he said in 20: what you meant for evil, GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD!!!!!
WOW! What a great attitude, there are many of you that have had tough circumstances in your life especially in the last several years: Well, think about this: Is your attitude like Josephs? Can you understand and believe that GOD IS IN CONTROL, and even though some people were trying to hurt you... YOU KNOW THAT GOD MEANT THAT SITUATION FOR GOOD...
That is hard to understand! Especially depending on how hard you were hurt... but remember God was in control from the beginning, and although he may not have planned out the hurtful things, as he did not plan out for Josephs brothers to betray him...
Gut God is able to work in and through the tough times in your life! Trust Him!
THURSDAY, October 2nd, 2008
Hey Everyone I Hope you have a good day! We are on our way to college days! We are going to have such a great time! If you want to find out our schedule click on the logo!
Genesis 49
1 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
2 “ Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.
3 “ Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.
4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it— He went up to my couch.
5 “ Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.
6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.
8 “ Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.
13 “ Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.
14 “ Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens;
15 He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.
16 “Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse’s heels So that its rider shall fall backward.
18 I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!
19 “Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.
20 “Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.
21 “ Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.
22 “ Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.
23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.
24 But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
27 “ Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.
Jacob’s Death and Burial
29 Then he charged them and said to them: “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.
32 The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.”
33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.
I think it would be incredible to have your father come to the end of his life and with his last breath tell you the things listed here... could you imagine being Reuben and being told that you are unstable as water!! Could you imagine being Simeon and Levi and being told you have an anger problem. I mean this is the summary of who you are... Some of you know about my "Frank" conversations... well that is exactly what this is, except it is about to be the last thing that you ever hear your dad say to you... imagine that!!
Well, maybe we should live (once again) like Joseph who recieved the greatest compliments from his father.
Have you ever heard this quote: Live your life so the preacher wont have to lie at your funeral!!
Well, that is pretty much it... which of the brothers do you think got rebuked the hardest? Well, all I know is that I want to live to that people compliment me when they are about to die... not rebuke me!
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!
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!
TUESDAY, September 30th, 2008
Wow! 10,000 Hits on our devotional website! That is so cool! I am so proud of you guys and thankful for each of you!! Keep up the good work, and God will continue to bring peace and joy into your lives!
Genesis 47
1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen.”
2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.
3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?”And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.”
4 And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you.
6 The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”
9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”
10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
11 And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
12 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the number in their families.
Joseph Deals with the Famine
13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.
14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.”
16 Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.”
17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.
18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.
19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.”
20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s.
21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.
22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.
24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.”
25 So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”
26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s.
Joseph’s Vow to Jacob
27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years.
29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt,
30 but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.”
31 Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
This is a really neat story. We see that all of Josephs family is blessed because of his righteousness. EVERYONE! Josephs father, brothers, his brothers families, his family... Everyone that was related to Joseph was being blessed because He was being faithful! Think about the difference you can make in your family! If you will just be Godly.
It is easy to read this and think: Well, that is an old testament story but that doesnt happen today. Well it does: It is amazing to see the way that God has changed the path of my life... As I look around and see where some of my relatives are (Jail, addictions, horrible lives) I am reminded of how God has blessed my life because of the righteousness of the Godly family members that I have. Now, they are not all perfect... But a few of them have really seeked after God with all of their heart! I am thankful for Godly family members that I am able to reap the blessings of the decisions they have made.
Also: I love the business wisdom that Joseph shows in this story. Joseph uses the blessing of God to bring the most benefit possible! Joseph is able to get all the money in Egypt, all of the livestock in Egypt and all of the land in Egypt for the Pharaoah. God blessed even the Pharoah on behalf of Joseph!!
Joseph was such an incredible example of faithfulness and constant blessings!!!
Genesis 47
1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen.”
2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.
3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?”And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.”
4 And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you.
6 The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”
9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”
10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
11 And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
12 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the number in their families.
Joseph Deals with the Famine
13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.
14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.”
16 Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.”
17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.
18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.
19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.”
20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s.
21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.
22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.
24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.”
25 So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”
26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s.
Joseph’s Vow to Jacob
27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years.
29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt,
30 but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.”
31 Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
This is a really neat story. We see that all of Josephs family is blessed because of his righteousness. EVERYONE! Josephs father, brothers, his brothers families, his family... Everyone that was related to Joseph was being blessed because He was being faithful! Think about the difference you can make in your family! If you will just be Godly.
It is easy to read this and think: Well, that is an old testament story but that doesnt happen today. Well it does: It is amazing to see the way that God has changed the path of my life... As I look around and see where some of my relatives are (Jail, addictions, horrible lives) I am reminded of how God has blessed my life because of the righteousness of the Godly family members that I have. Now, they are not all perfect... But a few of them have really seeked after God with all of their heart! I am thankful for Godly family members that I am able to reap the blessings of the decisions they have made.
Also: I love the business wisdom that Joseph shows in this story. Joseph uses the blessing of God to bring the most benefit possible! Joseph is able to get all the money in Egypt, all of the livestock in Egypt and all of the land in Egypt for the Pharaoah. God blessed even the Pharoah on behalf of Joseph!!
Joseph was such an incredible example of faithfulness and constant blessings!!!
MONDAY, September 29th, 2008
Hey Everyone! Sorry that this is on so late. Today has been a CRAZY day! I have been at the doctors with Will for a good part of the day and then I was in meetings for like 4 HOURS!!! HOLY MOLEY!!!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
I just want to tell all of you that I am so thankful for each of you! I am so glad that we had so many teenagers at church last night! That is truely how it should be every week! It was such a huge encouragement!! I had a blast at Jason's Deli afterwards! We need to do that more often!!
Genesis 46
1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!”And he said, “Here I am.”
3 So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.
4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”
5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
6 So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.
7 His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.
8 Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn.
9 The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.
18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.
19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.
20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
21 The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.
23 The son of Dan was Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.
26 All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all.
27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.
Jacob Settles in Goshen
28 Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.
29 So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.
30 And Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.”
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
32 And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’
33 So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’
34 that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”
Well, this is the real family reunion. Do you remember way back when the Bible firsts mentions Joseph? Well this all started when His father told him to go and take some lunch to his brothers... Wow! That was the last time that He saw his dad until this moment years later...
I think the greatest lesson in this passage has to be at the very beginnins and also at the ver end... I hope you did not get too bogged down by all the names in the middle. Just read them and move on. The good stuff in this passage is at the beginning where it explains that God went and told Israel what His plan was for his life. God said: this is the path that I want you to take, I will keep you and your family safe if you will just obey me and follow my Will.
Do you ever care to seek gods will for your life? Well, it is a good thing to do. I have been seeking Gods plan for my life a lot this week, I think it is really cool how God makes his plan clear in our life. One day it is not clear, and then He meets with us and makes it absolutely clear what He would have for us.
I love it! I am so thankful for a God who cares about each of us enough to plan out our lives and plan a GREAT LIFE for that matter... All we have to do to live that GREAT LIFE is trust Him and obey Him!
Then we see how the results of our obedience will effect our life... at the end of this passage, Israel basically says: Now I can die a happy man, because I have FINALLY seen my son.
Dont you want to live a life that in the end you can die a happy man, a happy woman? Well If you live your life for God then I guarantee you that you will not regret it FOR ETERNITY!!!!!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
I just want to tell all of you that I am so thankful for each of you! I am so glad that we had so many teenagers at church last night! That is truely how it should be every week! It was such a huge encouragement!! I had a blast at Jason's Deli afterwards! We need to do that more often!!
Genesis 46
1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!”And he said, “Here I am.”
3 So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.
4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”
5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
6 So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.
7 His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.
8 Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn.
9 The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.
18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.
19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.
20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
21 The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.
23 The son of Dan was Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.
26 All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all.
27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.
Jacob Settles in Goshen
28 Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.
29 So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.
30 And Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.”
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
32 And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’
33 So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’
34 that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”
Well, this is the real family reunion. Do you remember way back when the Bible firsts mentions Joseph? Well this all started when His father told him to go and take some lunch to his brothers... Wow! That was the last time that He saw his dad until this moment years later...
I think the greatest lesson in this passage has to be at the very beginnins and also at the ver end... I hope you did not get too bogged down by all the names in the middle. Just read them and move on. The good stuff in this passage is at the beginning where it explains that God went and told Israel what His plan was for his life. God said: this is the path that I want you to take, I will keep you and your family safe if you will just obey me and follow my Will.
Do you ever care to seek gods will for your life? Well, it is a good thing to do. I have been seeking Gods plan for my life a lot this week, I think it is really cool how God makes his plan clear in our life. One day it is not clear, and then He meets with us and makes it absolutely clear what He would have for us.
I love it! I am so thankful for a God who cares about each of us enough to plan out our lives and plan a GREAT LIFE for that matter... All we have to do to live that GREAT LIFE is trust Him and obey Him!
Then we see how the results of our obedience will effect our life... at the end of this passage, Israel basically says: Now I can die a happy man, because I have FINALLY seen my son.
Dont you want to live a life that in the end you can die a happy man, a happy woman? Well If you live your life for God then I guarantee you that you will not regret it FOR ETERNITY!!!!!
SUNDAY, September 28th, 2008
Hey Everyone! I enjoyed hanging out with you guys in Sunday School this morning! I am thankful that so many of you were there! Remember: Bring your friends to church and Be Faithful!!!!!
Genesis 45
1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.
3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence.
4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry.
10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.
11 There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.”’
12 “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
13 So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”
14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.
15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.
16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.
17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan.
18 Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.
19 Now you are commanded—do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come.
20 Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.
22 He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.
23 And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.
24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.”
25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.
26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.
27 But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.
28 Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Wow! God is Awesome! When was the last time that someone wronged you and when you had the opportunity to bring justice, instead of being cruel, you simply said: It is ok, God did that for a reason. I can think of many of you who would have a reason, as far as being humanly concerned, to be very upset and even bitter about some things... but You must understand the verse that I said in church this morning:
I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord...
I also think of the verse that says:
All things work together for Good to them that love God and to them who are called according to His purpose!!
Wow! We must remind ourselves of that through the next trial that we face... ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD.
See you in church tonight!!!!!
Genesis 45
1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.
3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence.
4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry.
10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.
11 There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.”’
12 “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
13 So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”
14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.
15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.
16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.
17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan.
18 Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.
19 Now you are commanded—do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come.
20 Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.
22 He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.
23 And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.
24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.”
25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.
26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.
27 But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.
28 Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Wow! God is Awesome! When was the last time that someone wronged you and when you had the opportunity to bring justice, instead of being cruel, you simply said: It is ok, God did that for a reason. I can think of many of you who would have a reason, as far as being humanly concerned, to be very upset and even bitter about some things... but You must understand the verse that I said in church this morning:
I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord...
I also think of the verse that says:
All things work together for Good to them that love God and to them who are called according to His purpose!!
Wow! We must remind ourselves of that through the next trial that we face... ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD.
See you in church tonight!!!!!
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