In My Distress, I Call Upon You...

In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.--Psalm 138:3

Father,

In my distress, I call upon You....I cry to my God and You hear me!  My cry is heard by Your ears!  You save me out of all my trouble and encamp Your angels all about me.  You deliver me from all my fears...I look to You and am lightened and my face unashamed.  You answer even before I call and when I am still speaking, You hear.  

I will wait on You today, Father.  I will wait on You and You will give me peace.  You will strengthen my heart and give me what I need.  You are the great I AM...the Becoming One...You become for me whatever I need.   You give power to me when I am weak and renew my strength.  I will mount up on wings as eagles; I  will run and not grow weary; I will walk and not faint because You, my God, uphold me. My soul will follow hard after You...Your grace is sufficient  and Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.  I will glory in my infirmities because then Your power will rest upon me, for when I am weak then I am strong!  I will draw near to You, my God, and take shelter under Your wings of love. 

The Heart's Desire of Jesus...

To My Beloved Daughters in Him

Take some time to read John 17...hear the heart's desire of Jesus at the very end of His earthly ministry. Be encouraged!  Jesus' prayer beautifully depicts His communion and submission to His Father in Heaven as well as His intercession on our behalf.

Chapter 17 can be divided into three parts.  Verses 1-5 is Jesus' prayer for Himself.  Verses 6-19 is  His prayer for His disciples, and verses 20-26 contain His prayer for us who would believe.  (That is, NT believers who would form the church.)

Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus lives to make intercession for us and that He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him.  He is our great High Priest...  He knows our weaknesses and sinful frailties.  He understands that by ourselves we are helpless...we do not even know how to pray properly for ourselves or for others, nor do we know how to walk with Him rightly moment by moment.  Beloved, no need to be discouraged because not only does Jesus make intercession for us but  the Spirit also helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us according to the will of God.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.²⁷ Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

What a comfort for me to know that Jesus is my Advocate with the Father!  What a comfort to me today to know that the Spirit also helps in my weakness.  He who called me is faithful and will bring me through this life.

If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.



John 17:1-5

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

John 17: 6-19

“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

John 17:20-26

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

By His Grace....

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:10, NKJV

Among the Corinthians were those who actually preached that Christ did not rise from the dead. Paul refutes this false doctrine vigorously in 1 Corinthians 15, impressing even unbelieving scholars with the credibility of his arguments and evidence. As part of his defense, Paul reminds the Corinthians of the hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw the risen Jesus, including himself and the more eminent apostles. The message preached by Paul and the message preached by the other apostles was the same: Jesus died, was buried, and rose again on the third day, and thereby paid the price for our sins and paved the way for us to be resurrected as well. Paul was the last eyewitness in a chronological sense, Christ having been seen by him "as by one born out of due time." (vs. 8) Paul also calls himself the least of the apostles, "...not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." (vs. 9) Paul laid the credit for his role, and his labor that was more abundant than all the other apostles, all at God's feet. It was by His grace that Paul was who he was, and God's grace had not been given in vain; it worked mightily in Paul, making his weakness his strength (because where we are weak God must therefore be strong, and His strength is better than ours). Paul was rich in labor. He traveled thousands of miles without modern transportation, he was shipwrecked, he was imprisoned, he was beaten, he was stoned, he wrote most of the books of the New Testament, he was constantly praying, preaching, and exhorting - the man never stopped. He labored not because he felt a weight of guilt and condemnation for his former sins; he labored not because he had a debt to pay, or else; he did not actually labor at all. It was all the grace of God working in him and through him. This is God's gift to the believer. All that He would have us do He will empower us to do. In fact, He will go so far as to do it Himself, providing all the energy, wisdom, opportunity, and means that are required. All we have to do is go along for the ride. This is the power and blessing of God's grace - His unmerited favor - which does exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

by Rebecca....

In Israel All the Nations of the World Are Blessed...

“And the arms of his [Joseph's] hands were made strong

By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob

(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel)...” ~ Genesis 49:24, NKJV

Before he died, Jacob blessed his twelve sons. His blessings included elements of prophesy, and there are at least two allusions to the coming Messiah. Verse 24 (part of Joseph's blessing) is one of those allusions. From the Mighty God of Jacob, who had strengthened Joseph's hands when he was in trouble, would come the Shepherd and the Stone of Israel. These two titles of the Messiah are rich with analogies that help us better understand just who this Messiah is. As our Shepherd, He loves, cares, guides, protects, provides, and even lays down His life for us; as our Stone, He is our rock, foundation, anchor, source of certainty, memorial, watchtower, and meeting place. (I think of the times in Jacob's life where a stone became a sign of God watching between him and his enemies; a place where God met with him; and a remembrance of God's promises.) I treasure these Messianic titles because they speak to the needs of the human heart. They answer fears, longings, questions, hurts, uncertainties, and so much more. Jacob was a sinful man. He stumbled many times in his life. Yet through him we see God's grace, because it is through Jacob, through Isaac, through Abraham, that the Lord sent the Messiah - the Shepherd, the Stone - to be our Savior and Redeemer. In Israel all the nations of the world are blessed!

by Rebecca...

Quit You Like Men...

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NKJV

In the King James, the injunction "be brave," is translated, "quit you like men." Here Paul is linking the qualities of power (quit ye like men!) and love (that combination being rather counter-intuitive today). As he closes his epistle to the Corinthians, he urges them towards very soldierly virtues: watchfulness, steadfastness, bravery, and strength. Yet at the same time, he also exhorts them to align everything they do - including watching, being steadfast, being brave, and being strong - with the priorities of love. Our example is, as always, Christ Himself. On the cross He demonstrated both the heart of a warrior (quit ye like men!) and the heart of love. He acquitted Himself as a soldier in that He submitted Himself totally to His Father's will; endured well to the end the ordeal that was laid upon Him; trusted the Lord completely for all that He needed; faced the battles He fought without faintness or cowardliness; He protected those under Him; He completed His mission. He acquitted Himself in love in that His whole reason for going to the cross was His love for His Father, and His great love for us; when He opened His mouth, He was caring for His mother, speaking salvation to the thief next to Him, speaking the truth, or reaching out to those who were abusing Him; He again protected those under Him; He healed one of those who came to take Him into custody; and so much more. Jesus is the perfect example, the epitome of these two verses. To be like Him, we do as He did - depend totally on the Lord and let His Spirit do the work rather than striving to accomplish it ourselves. Our strength is pitiful. It has to be God's if we are to answer Paul's exhortations. Through His Spirit in us, the love and the strength of Jesus (quit ye like men!) are also ours. May we live them both out in the world.

by Rebecca...

Committing Ourselves to Him Who Judges Righteously....

“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.’ So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, ‘Before your father died he commanded, saying, “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.

Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’

Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 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. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.’” ~ Genesis 50:15-21, NKJV

Jacob's death had an extra dimension of fear for many of his sons. Afraid that Joseph's kindness towards them was only for the sake of their father, they thought that Jacob's departure might unleash their younger brother's vengeance. They had, after all, mocked him, betrayed him, imprisoned him, and mercilessly sold him into slavery (as a more profitable alternative to killing him). The human response to such treatment is to return evil for evil. But Joseph had genuinely forgiven his brothers, and their fear of him broke his heart. His words to them in verses 20 and 21 explain how he could have such an extraordinary attitude towards those who had done him so much harm. His words also form the Biblical basis for forgiveness. “Am I in the place of God?” Am I sinless? Do I have God's perfect righteousness, His omniscience, or His absolute authority? Do I have any right to harbor a grudge against someone else when - one way or another - I am just as guilty as they? In and of myself, do I deserve any better than what I have received? The answer to all those questions is no. No one but God stands in the place of God. He alone has the right to be personally offended when someone sins. Despite all that Joseph's brothers had done to him, the only thing Joseph could rightly do was forgive them. As a man who loved God, he did not dare usurp God's authority and judge his brothers to condemn them. Joseph also understand something else: what man intends for evil, God intends for good. Many, many years after Joseph, the apostle Paul writes the same principle to the Roman believers, reminding them, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) God's end in Joseph's suffering was life for Joseph and life for many others. God's end is always life. His end is always good. He is so be trusted, so that when we, as His children, suffer wrong during our time on earth, can commit ourselves to “Him who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 2:23) He will never fail to uphold His promises.

by Rebecca...

For By Faith You Stand...

“Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.” ~ 2 Corinthians 1:24, NKJV

While writing first Corinthians, Paul planned on visiting Corinth in the near future. This plan didn't work out as he originally intended, and the Corinthians were offended. Paul deals with this matter early in his second epistle to these believers, writing in verse 23, “Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.” It was better that Paul's visit had not worked out, since he would have found much that needed to be set right and both he and the Corinthians would have been grieve rather than refreshed by their time together. Paul takes care, however, to add the caveat above. Though he had a certain amount of spiritual authority over the Corinthians (as their spiritual father and pastor, he could lovingly correct them as the Holy Spirit directed), but they and he were nevertheless fellow workers. Joy was their aim as both Paul and the Corinthian believers strove to obey the Lord and walk in His Spirit (since there is much blessing in spiritual maturity). Broken though these believers were, broken though we all are, we stand by faith. The Corinthians were not somehow inferior to Paul or to other, stronger believers; by faith they stood before God with the standing of Christ Himself, righteous, beloved, honored, and accepted. Faith, in a believer, is the acknowledgement of our own inability and an acceptance of God's perfect sufficiency on our behalf. By faith, we say that in and of ourselves we are fallen, unable to stand. By faith, we receive God's free gift of salvation. Thus, by faith, we stand. It's no longer dependent on us, our ability or our performance. It is all Christ. He is able to make us stand.

by Rebecca...

But the Midwives Feared God....

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.” ~ Exodus 1:17, NKJV

After Joseph's death, the children of Israel multiplied and grew strong. When a new king (probably a new dynasty) arose who did not know Joseph, the Egyptians began to enact population control measures against the Hebrews who shared their borders. The new Pharaoh feared the Hebrews' strength. When rigorous labor and harsh taskmasters didn't stop the Hebrews from multiplying, he called in the midwives - Shiphrah and Puah - and commanded them: “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” (vs. 16) These brave women were caught between a choice of two fears, the fear of God and the fear of man. If they chose to fear God over man, and disobey Pharaoh's edict, Shiphrah and Puah risked everything - including their very lives. But if they chose to disobey God out of fear of Pharaoh, they risked not only their lives, but also their souls. Jesus taught His disciples, “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 14:2-5) Who is greater? Man or God? Whose commandment trumps the other's? Shiphrah and Puah chose to fear God rather than man and save the Hebrew boys alive. “Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.” (vs. 20-21) The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, the first step on the road of blessing, and the way that - ironically - brings freedom from any kind of terror. The fear of God is healthy and clean. The fear of God brings life. The fear of man, on the other hand, “brings a snare.” (Pro. 29:25) I love Shiphrah and Puah for their example. They feared God; they put themselves at risk for the sake of the babies they helped bring into world; they defied an evil Pharaoh and served the loving, righteous God instead. The recognizable blessings they received as the result of their conduct go to show us the truth that the fear of God is always blessed. We may pay with our lives when we go against the will of man in order to obey the Lord; but we will reap eternal life, and the fulfillment of all the great and precious promises we have in Christ. The Pharaohs of this world are not be feared - only God is. And when we do fear Him, we find His perfect love casts out all fear.

by Rebecca....

Thanks Be to God Who Always Leads Us in Triumph!!

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” ~ 2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV

Paul writes this verse in the context of sharing the gospel. As he explains, believers are the fragrance of Christ “among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (vs. 15) As homes of the Holy Spirit, believers carry God Himself with them wherever they go. They're Christians - little Christs - who, even in their worst moments, cannot help but be different from the rest of the world (though sometimes that difference is simply that their sin will make them more miserable than unbeliever's sin ultimately would). To the one (those being saved) believers are the fragrance of life leading to life, because the life-giving Holy Spirit can be sensed in us. But to the other (those who are perishing), believers are the aroma of death leading to death, because that same Spirit of truth convicts him of his sin and reminds him of the “bad news” - man deserves death - without that person ever allowing the Spirit time to tell him the good news: Jesus Christ died in man's place so that we could be forgiven and live forever. “And who is sufficient for these things?” Paul asks (vs. 16). What believer is sufficient to be Christ in the world? The answer is none! No one is sufficient! No human can handle a mission that important or that huge! But God can handle it. God is sufficient. And it His sufficiency that works in us, not our own insufficiency. That's why I love the verse 14 (above). Paul gives thanks to the God who always leads us in triumph in Christ! He actually uses the word ”always.” I know I am not always triumphant. In fact, I know I'm more often defeated than I am victorious. I know I fail. I know I fall down (constantly). That's okay. I want the Spirit to win more battles in my life, but as the Lord accomplishes that in me, I also rest in the knowledge that the war is won. Christ won it on the cross two thousand years ago. His victory is my triumph, because He fought on my behalf. Am I sufficient? Am I triumphant? Certainly not! - as Paul would say. But Jesus is both, and Jesus is in me. Thanks be to God indeed.

by Rebecca...

The Power of a Cry...

“Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.” ~ Exodus 2:23-25, NKJV

Though the children of Israel spent years in bondage, this is the first record of their crying out to God because of their affliction. The Lord had His perfect purposes for their suffering, as He always does; but what I love most about this passage is His response to them in the midst of their suffering. As soon as Israel cried out, God answered. He was ready with deliverance. He had even been preparing His answer - Moses - for years, long before Israel went to Him for help! He heard their groaning, He remembered His promises to their fathers (not that He had ever forgotten); He looked upon His children; and He acknowledged them. These were His children, His care, His responsibility, His cause, and His beloved. He called them by His own name and, through the Exodus, declared this adoption to the whole world. God always hears those called by His name. He never fails to fulfill His promises to His children. And He is never ashamed to acknowledge us. There is power in crying out to God, whether the cause is distress, affliction, or simply thankfulness. He hears. He answers. And He acts!

by Rebecca....

Spirit over Letter...

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, NKJV

Under the influence of false teachers, the Corinthians had been questioning Paul's authority and his message. Paul counters these attacks, but takes care not to curb any suggestions that his accomplishments are of him rather than of God. Paul and his fellow workers never considered themselves sufficient for their callings. Anything good that they did they accredited totally to the Lord, who “made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant.” (vs. 6) This new covenant - our salvation in Christ - is not of the letter, but of the Spirit. The letter (the regulations and rituals contained in the law) killed, because no sinful human being can ever hope to keep the law in its entirety. Though the old covenant was good, though the law was in and of itself good, and though the ministry of the old covenant had glory, it was still to us a ministry of condemnation and death. (Vs. 7, 9) We can't keep the law. We can only work judgment for ourselves. The Spirit, on the other hand - the ministry of righteousness (vs. 9) - gives life! The Spirit comes to us through Christ, who fulfilled the law and then took our judgment upon Himself. Christ was sufficient. The ministry of the Spirit, who indwells each believer, is to supply God's children with His Son's sufficiency. We reap the benefits of His sacrifice and find life for ourselves through His incredible grace. In Christ, I don't have to struggle to bear up under the letter anymore. The law has been replaced by the Spirit, who gives me a new nature of righteousness that is energized by God Himself! My insufficiency is no longer relevant. I have God's overflowing sufficiency, and He fills me with life and peace.

by Rebecca...

There is No God Like Jehovah!

“And the Lord said [to Moses]: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.’” ~ Exodus 3:7-8, NKJV

Long before Israel cried out to the Lord because of their bondage, the Lord had been preparing their deliverer. When they did cry out, however, He visited Moses in the wilderness as a fire burning in the midst of bush that was not consumed. Exodus 3:2 specifically states that it was “the Angel of the Lord,” who appeared and spoke. The Angel of the Lord is always Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity. He is clearly distinct from angels (lowercase L) as He receives worship and honor due only to God, and as Scripture continuously identifies His words as God's words (even calling Him God). So here we have Jesus Himself coming down from heaven to answer the cry of His people. Israel was so important to Him that when He heard their sorrows, He was unwilling to entrust their deliverance to anyone other than Himself. He came to deliver them. He sent Moses. He brought the plagues. He was the Angel of death. He was the cloud that guided and protected the Israelites after they fled Egypt. He was the pillar of fire that also guided them and warmed them. He was with His people throughout the exodus and through all the years in the wilderness, even when they rebelled against Him. The fact that God Himself came down speaks to at least two things. First, it demonstrates the power of prayer - Israel cried out, and the Maker and Sovereign of the universe acted in response. Secondly, it speaks to the extent of the love of God. As He would later do on the cross, Jesus humbled Himself and came down to meet His people. He is the Great I AM WHO I AM, the Becoming One, who becomes the answer to our every need. Paul writes, “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?"' (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, '"Who will descend into the abyss?"' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we preach)..." (Romans 10:6-8) We didn't have to go to great lengths or climb to great heights to meet our Savior. He came to meet us, where we were, in our hour of need, as He did for the Israelites in Egypt, and He continues this practice to this day. (Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, as it says in Hebrews 13:8.) He is near to all those who call upon Him! He is our I AM, the one who supplies all our needs, who sees our sorrows, who hears us when we call, and who always acts on our behalf. There is no God like Jehovah!

by Rebecca...

We Do Not Lose Heart....

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16, NKJV

Paul faced many hardships in his life. As he explains in verse eight, he and his fellow workers were hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down, as their difficulties constantly forced to confront their innate human weakness and mortality. But because of the hope that he had been given in Christ, and because of the mercy he had received from the same, Paul did not lose heart. He labored in his God-given ministry knowing that he did not labor in vain. He dealt with a perishing body knowing that He who raised Christ from the dead would also resurrect him, and present him, and all those for whom he labored, faultless together before God's throne. Paul went through life with heavenly eyes that saw the world in the light of the truth God gives us in His word. Even when hard-pressed, he was not crushed; when perplexed, he did not despair; when persecuted, he knew he was not forsaken; when he was struck down, he was not destroyed. (Vs. 8) How much could you do, despite a broken and dying (albeit slowly dying) body, if your heart wasn't also carrying a heavy load of fear, doubt, sorrow, despair, anger, bitterness, envy, hatred, selfishness, or anxiety? What if those burdens were gone, leaving your spirit light and your heart full of energy and hope? Paul certainly battled his flesh on a daily basis. But as a mature believer, he knew the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. He could endure the perishing of his outward man, and even genuinely call it a “light affliction,” because God renewed his inward man day by day. Believers don't have to carry those heavy loads on their hearts. They don't have to bear up under despair. They have the great and precious promises of God, which bring life, comfort, peace, hope, joy, strength, and so much more. We don't have to lose heart because in Christ there is no reason to lose heart. Instead, there is every reason to rejoice. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (vs. 17-18)

by Rebecca....

Making a Spectacle....

“[The Lord's instructions to Moses]: ‘Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.’”’” ~ Exodus 4:22-23, NKJV

Had He so chosen, the Lord could have delivered Israel from the Egyptians in a minute. He didn’t need to deal with Pharaoh. He certainly didn’t need Pharaoh’s consent. But the Lord’s plan in the exodus was not just to deliver His people, but also to judge Egypt (for all the years they practiced slavery, abuse, and mass infanticide); to glorify His name (so that the world know that He is God, and have a chance to believe in Him and be saved); to foreshadow Messiah (through the Lord’s Passover); to work in His people’s hearts (as a father might labor to teach his children those things that will benefit their character); and to demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, His love for His people Israel. The way in which He delivered Israel was perhaps as importance as their deliverance itself. God calls Israel His firstborn. He went to great lengths to ensure that not only Egypt, but also the world would know how much His firstborn meant to Him. He warned a hard-hearted Pharaoh that for His firstborn He was willing to kill Pharaoh’s and Egypt’s firstborn. When Pharaoh remained obstinate and that final, devastating plague struck Egypt, did it leave any room to doubt God’s word? There was not a household without one dead! The Lord reduced Egypt - a world power - to chaos and destruction, all for the sake of its slaves! What message did that send to anyone who heard about Egypt’s plagues? What did it say about how much God cared about Israel? A great deal. Much more than mere words could ever say. Egypt became a spectacle, as a Man on a Roman cross would also become a spectacle, thousands of years later. For Israel, His firstborn, God sacrificed all the firstborn of Egypt. For mankind - including Israel - He sacrificed His only begotten Son, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) The Exodus, and the death of the firstborn, was a graphic demonstration of God’s love for His children. He fights for His children; He defends them; He protects them; He delivers them; He avenges them. Jesus’ death was another, even more graphic, demonstration of God’s love. When believers lose sight of who they are in Christ - when they forget or struggle to believe that they are God’s sons and daughters, precious and beloved - they can look to the cross. There, also, God left no room for doubt.

by Rebecca....

This Tent....

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:1, NKJV

In the previous chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul explained how he and his fellow workers could - even in the midst of tremendous hardship - “not lose heart.” (2 Cor. 4:16) Paul's hope was not invested in this world. He didn't look to find satisfaction or perfection here. Instead, he looked to the world to come, and the new life given to him in Christ, knowing that as believers “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” (2 Cor. 5:17-18) Paul's outward man was perishing but his inward man was being renewed day by day. Why? Because he knew that his outward man - his physical body - wasn't supposed to be his permanent home. His apt metaphor for the believer's present body is that of a tent. Why should Paul invest all his emotional, physical, and intellectual energy into preserving a pole-and-canvas construction that (a) couldn't be preserved and (b) wouldn't be needed for much longer? Paul took care of himself, certainly. But protecting and bettering his own body or human experience didn't weigh on him as if this life is all there is. He knew that his Savior and God was preparing a permanent dwelling - a resurrected body - for him, eternal in the heavens. Paul had eternal life coming. Paul had a perfect body waiting for him. Paul had a home in heaven. Paul had citizenship in the new heavens and the new earth that are to come. Paul had what all believers have in Christ: redemption. Mankind, in its forefather Adam, squandered its inheritance. We brought death on ourselves and on the universe we were given to govern and enjoy. We lost perfection. Our bodies are walking (or sometimes not) proof of our losses, as they go back to the dust from which they were created. We can spend our short lives denying the truth and desperately trying to patch up the damaged goods we were born with; or we can trust the same God whom Paul trusted. He conquered death for us. He won back what we lost. He raises the dead. He gives us new bodies. My outward man is perishing, like Paul's, but my inward man can be renewed day by day, because my Savior loved me.

by Rebecca...

A Fearful Thing...

So Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.’” ~ Exodus 5:22-23, NKJV

Pharaoh did not respond well to his and Moses' first encounter. He denied the Lord's authority, he refused to let the people go, and he enacted measures to make the children of Israel's lives miserable. Whereas previously the Egyptians had provided the Israelite slaves with the straw required for brick making, Pharaoh now ordered that the Israelites obtain straw for themselves. The people had to scatter over the land to gather stubble instead of straw. When they failed to meet their daily quota of bricks - which had not been reduced - the officers of the children of Israel were beaten, and their appeal to Pharaoh was summarily dismissed. Pharaoh deliberately set the people to an impossible task and then punished them harshly for not accomplishing it. It was a cruel and brilliant strategy, designed to make the Israelites hate Moses and focus on surviving rather than escaping, and it worked. The officers of the children of Israel told Moses, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” (vs. 21) That's when Moses when to the Lord. Why had He brought trouble on His people? Why had He sent Moses if it was only going to make matters worse? Why had He let Pharaoh do evil to His people? Why hadn't He brought deliverance? Israel's bondage had only become more severe! The Lord answers in the next chapter: “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” (6:1) Pharaoh had his chance to freely obey. He spit on it. His cruel, rebellious heart was being manifested in his deeds towards Israel. Had Pharaoh beaten the children of Israel? Had he done them evil? The Lord would work it together for good for them. But Pharaoh would become an example not only to Egypt, but also to the whole world - even to this day - as God judged him. The Lord loves His people. Be they physical or spiritual descendants of Abraham, He is jealous for their good and well-being. He protects them. He preserves them. He blesses them. And He avenges them. Israel, as we know, did not come out the loser in their battle with Pharaoh. Pharaoh did. God's people can afford to love their enemies and those who hate them. We don't have to worry about what these Pharaohs will do to us! We know their end if they do not repent, and it makes sense for us to show them as much grace as we possibly can. It brings us, and God, far more joy to see them repent and be saved rather than remain in their sin and receive the inevitable penalty for their deeds. Because God cares for us, we can care for those who do not. After all, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

By Rebecca

Jacob Describes His Lord...

“[Jacob blessing Joseph's sons]: ‘God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
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.’” ~ Genesis 48:15-16, NKJV

Jacob bestowed the double portion of the firstborn on his son Joseph. By blessing Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and taking them as his own, Jacob caused Joseph to inherit twice as much as each of his brothers (since a portion of inheritance would come to both Ephraim and Manasseh). I love how Jacob first describes the God who will secure his grandsons' blessing before actually giving them the blessing. The Lord is the God of Abraham and Isaac, who did such great things for them; the Lord is the God who provided for Jacob and blessed him all his life; the Lord is the Angel of the LORD, Christ Himself, who redeemed Jacob from all evil. Jacob was a sinner who lived in a fallen world. Yet as his life came to a close he could look back and say, with certainty, that the Lord had paid the price to get him out of the evil that tried to claim him. Jesus did the same for us on the cross, when He paid - once and for all - the price required to buy us back after we sold ourselves into the slavery of sin and death. A believer need never fear evil. Yes, he may endure trials; he may encounter troubles, tribulation, bodily harm, and whatever else the world has to throw at us. But to him, none of those things will be evil. They may be unpleasant. They may be painful. They may bring sorrow. But thanks to the redemption of God, these things and every thing are being worked together for our good. (Romans 8:28) After all, "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:31-39)

by Rebecca....

Desiring the Best Gifts...

“But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” ~ 1 Corinthians 12:31, NKJV

Paul spends much of 1 Corinthians 12 discussing spiritual gifts. He emphasizes that these gifts, while diverse, are all from one God and one Spirit. Individual believers are members of the body of Christ (the church), and their unique assortment of spiritual gifts supports the function of the body just as the members of our physical bodies supports their functions. Paul urges the Corinthians to desire the best gifts (for the role God had for each one), but he also says, “And yet I show you a more excellent way.” This "more excellent way" is love, discussed at length in chapter 13. Without love we have nothing. Paul says himself in chapter 13, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." Even the best spiritual gifts are worth nothing without love. The selfishly ambitious, prideful, and divided Corinthians were primed to misuse and abuse even the best spiritual gifts due to the fact that love was not foremost in their hearts. Love rises above spiritual gifts and even faith. Our God IS love. If love for Him (which becomes possible for us after we receive His love for us) is not the overarching, dominating factor of our lives, we have nothing and we are nothing worthwhile. It will all burn. It will all be futile, empty, vain. We will have nothing to show for ourselves or our labor, because we were invested in things impermanent and unimportant. Earnestly desire the best gifts, yes, Paul is saying - but there is something better. The way of love is more excellent than all the other ways one can take. And it leads to joy and everlasting life.

by Rebecca

Love Never Fails..

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:8, NKJV

Paul promised to show the Corinthians a "more excellent way." (1 Cor. 12:31) Love, famously described in verses 4-8 of this chapter, is that more excellent way - a way of living that rises above all others and, indeed, gives life meaning. One of love's defining characteristics is its unfailing nature. If you can stop "loving," someone, you never really loved them in the first place. Love can't stop loving. In importance, it ranks greater than faith, hope, prophecy, knowledge, or tongues (as in speaking in tongues). The Corinthians were all about spiritual superiority. They exalted prophecy, tongues, and knowledge because these were qualities or gifts that they could use to one-up each other. Someone could say they had more knowledge, or more prophecy, or more speaking in tongues than someone else. Paul exposes the Corinthians' disordered hierarchy by pointing out that prophecy fails (we won't need it when it is fulfilled), knowledge vanishes (the partial knowledge we have now will pass away when we come face-to-face with God, because then we shall know just as we are known), and tongues cease (we won't need the gift of tongues in the kingdom of God). Like baby teeth, these things - though good and desirable - are all temporary, imperfect, partial. "...when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away." (vs. 10) So while they have their place in the Christian life, it is a mistake to give them a higher place than they deserve. They will pass away; love will not. Love never fails. The love we have now we will carry with us into eternity, where the only change will be the increasing of our capacity for love. Love is what matters; love is what lasts; love is what should be given the highest priority in our lives. That's why Paul explains the end of chapter 13, "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." Right now, the believer abides in faith, hope, and love. But when Christ comes for us, faith will become sight, and hope will be fulfilled. Those two will pass away like knowledge, tongues, and prophecy. But not love! It abides forever. Not superiority. Not pride. Not power. Not pleasure. Not personal glory. Not control. Not possessions. Not any of those things. Love. It's the fruit of the Spirit from which joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control derive. If you have love, you have everything; if you do not have love, you have nothing. The more excellent way makes it easy to decide we are best invested.

by Rebecca

Home is Still Up Ahead...

“Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, ‘How old are you?’

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.’” ~ Genesis 47:7-9, NKJV

Jacob died at the age of 147. Today, this would be an example of unprecedented longevity. Maybe it was a remarkable even in Jacob's day (hence Pharaoh's question). But Jacob calls his days "few and evil," with good reason. Though blessed by the Lord, he was a fallen man who lived in a broken world. He spent his youth fleeing his home, laboring for his uncle, being cheated and deceived by the same uncle, and finally fleeing his new home; later, he lived in fear of his brother; he lost his beloved wife in childbirth; his sons sold his other son into slavery and lied to him about it; and he watched his grown sons make tragic mistakes (Simeon and Levi slaughtered all the men in a city to avenge their sister; Judah married a Canaanite woman; Reuben slept with his father's concubine). As for longevity, Jacob did not even attain to the days of his father and grandfather, Abraham and Isaac (Abraham died at 175; Isaac at 180). Neither Jacob nor any of his nearer ancestors came close to attaining the years of their pre-Flood forefathers (even Noah made it to 950). So when Pharaoh asks Jacob about his age, Jacob answers honestly. His days have been few and evil. He has seen the brokenness of the world and of himself. He understands that creation groans under the subjection of futility (Romans 8:20). He sees death working in everything thanks to man's rebellion against God. Yet for Jacob, this life is not the end. He says specifically, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage..." (vs. 9) Pilgrimage. Paul writes concerning the patriarchs, "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Hebrews 11:8-10) Jacob, like all those who Abraham's children by faith, was a pilgrim. His true citizenship was in heaven, and his time on this earth was merely the road home. Jacob's hope was not in this world. He looked for "a better, that is, a heavenly country." (Hebrews 11:16) Because of His children's faith, Paul declares, "Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." (Heb. 11:16) The believer acknowledges that his days are few and evil. True, he has plenty of room for thankfulness (indeed, he may overflow with it), and he knows the Lord works all things together for good for him. (Romans 8:28) But when he feels the darkness of this world weighing on him, he takes comfort in the knowledge that this world is not his home. Home is still up ahead. The best is yet to come. This earth is not all there is. We look for a new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13), where death has no power, and where God Himself walks with us.

May our Lord come quickly!

by Rebecca

The Author of Peace...

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” ~ 1 Corinthians 14:33, NKJV

The Corinthians neglected order when exercising their spiritual gifts. Their focus on self-glorifcation led to chaotic, unprofitable meetings that were all about them and not all about the Lord. Paul gently calls the Corinthian believers on their error, and gives them instructions on how their meetings should be conducted, saying in verse 26, "Let all things be done for edification." The selfishly ambitious madness that characterized the Corinthian church gatherings was not of God; for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. This is a principle that holds true for all the churches of the saints. It also holds true in the lives of these saints (that is, all believers). The world today is confused. It denies truth. Its wisdom is convoluted, temporal, fallacious, and even deadly. It has no foundation on which to stand, or to which to cling in the storms and tempests of existence. It does not know how to answer the difficult questions, like evil, suffering, death, meaning, or human value. It lacks self-control. It is a roiling mass of unguided emotion and directionless groupthink snowballing into chaos and destruction. The world is not the place to go if you want peace. God is. He sacrificed Himself in order to make peace between us and Him, breaking down the barrier of sin that separated man from the righteous God. His Son takes away our sin, makes us new creations, sets us before His Father as beloved sons and daughters, gives us eternal life, and gives us His own Spirit and His own mind (one of order and truth!). He takes our troubled souls and soothes them with His peace that surpasses all understanding, peace that can come because the sovereign Creator God is at peace with us, loves us, cares for us, empowers us, works all things together for good for us, and has prepared a place for us in His kingdom. That peace we have with God and within ourselves then enables us to have peace with one another, because we are no longer controlled by sin, or driven to pursue an endless, futile quest to satisfy our own inner longings, fears, and insufficiencies. In Christ, we have the power to say "No," to the sins of selfishness, pride, anger, envy, and unforgiveness. In Christ we are also filled to the overflowing with all that we need and so much more. We have the room and the resources to extend God's love to others rather than pushing them down in an attempt to put ourselves forward! We can live at peace with God, at peace within ourselves, and at peace with others. Our God is not the author of confusion. He is the author of peace. Peace is His freely-given gift to all those who ask it of Him. Jesus Himself cries out to the troubled soul: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

by Rebecca

The More Excellent Way...

“But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” ~ 1 Corinthians 12:31, NKJV

Paul spends much of 1 Corinthians 12 discussing spiritual gifts. He emphasizes that these gifts, while diverse, are all from one God and one Spirit. Individual believers are members of the body of Christ (the church), and their unique assortment of spiritual gifts supports the function of the body just as the members of our physical bodies supports their functions. Paul urges the Corinthians to desire the best gifts (for the role God had for each one), but he also says, “And yet I show you a more excellent way.” This "more excellent way" is love, discussed at length in chapter 13. Without love we have nothing. Paul says himself in chapter 13, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." Even the best spiritual gifts are worth nothing without love. The selfishly ambitious, prideful, and divided Corinthians were primed to misuse and abuse even the best spiritual gifts due to the fact that love was not foremost in their hearts. Love rises above spiritual gifts and even faith. Our God IS love. If love for Him (which becomes possible for us after we receive His love for us) is not the overarching, dominating factor of our lives, we have nothing and we are nothing worthwhile. It will all burn. It will all be futile, empty, vain. We will have nothing to show for ourselves or our labor, because we were invested in things impermanent and unimportant. Earnestly desire the best gifts, yes, Paul is saying - but there is something better. The way of love is more excellent than all the other ways one can take. And it leads to joy and everlasting life.

by Rebecca...

It is Enough! We Believe...

“Then they [Joseph's brothers] went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. 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. 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. Then Israel said, ‘It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’” ~ Genesis 45:25-28, NKJV

My own heart leaps when I read these verses. I can imagine myself in Jacob's shoes, being presented with news so good and so impossible and so dearly longed for, and I do not wonder that his heart stood still in shocked disbelief. But then he saw the proof of the carts and he heard the words of Joseph's message. It was "enough"; now he knew his sons' report was true: his beloved son was alive and well, and governor of all the land of Egypt. I serve a God who is the Giver of great and impossible gifts; who can revive the spirit of those to whom He gives. The God who gave us His only begotten Son will certainly also freely give us all things. (Romans 8:32) His greatest gifts are the ones still promised, that await us in a heavenly land in a place that He has prepared for us - like Joseph prepared for his father. It may seem like what He gives is too much, too good to be true. Not so. The proofs, like the carts, are in our lives for us to touch and examine - His past faithfulness, His present graces, and His proven truth. They are the carts and the words that convince us, "It is enough!" We believe! And we will live in the power that His promises provide.

by Rebecca...

Remembrance...

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” ~ 1 Corinthians 11:26, NKJV

The Corinthian believers had made a practice of sharing communion in an unworthy manner. Factions, lovelessness, and even drunkenness had become the rule when they gathered together. Paul takes them back to what this memorial really means by reminding them, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’” (vs. 23-25) For generations, Passover was the Jewish memorial of their deliverance from Egypt as well as their anticipation of the Messiah (the perfect Passover lamb) who would deliver them from their sins. When Jesus celebrated that last Passover with His disciples, He was showing them how He fulfilled thousands of years of anticipation. Through His broken body and shed blood, He paid the price required to reconcile us to His Father. Communion commemorates His unlimited and unconditional love and is one of the ways believers proclaim His death to the world. It's our Passover, our reminder to the world - a way to declare, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16) until He returns. Communion is not something to be taken lightly. It is a precious memorial, a practice that draws believers together in celebration and gratitude as we remember the love shown us on the cross. I treasure it. The bread itself is nothing; the wine or the grape juice itself is nothing. But Jesus is everything. Truly believers are more than conquerors through Him who loves us! (Romans 8:37)

by Rebecca..

Nothing is Impossible for Him....

[Judah begging to be enslaved in his brother Benjamin's place]: ‘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?’ ” ~ Genesis 44:34, NKJV

Joseph tested his brothers to discover whether or not their hearts had changed since they had sold him into slavery, and he used Benjamin to do so. When he sent his brothers home with as much provision as they could carry, he commanded his steward to set up a situation that vey much resembled the circumstances surrounding their betrayal of him. Joseph's silver cup was secretly placed in Benjamin's sack. When the brothers were a little ways out of the city, Joseph sent by his steward and overtook them with an accusation of theft. The brothers, naturally, denied such an accusation vehemently. They volunteered for a search and declared that they would all be Joseph's slaves if the cup was found among them, and that the one who stolen it would die. The steward searched and found the cup in Benjamin's sack. He would have taken only Benjamin back as a slave and let the others return to their father in peace. Surely the men who sold Joseph into slavery would have seized on this opportunity; but these men did not. They tore their clothes and went back, with Benjamin, to Joseph. It does not appear that they seriously believed the cup had been stolen. Judah lays the situation at God's feet, saying, “God has found out the iniquity of your servants.” (vs. 16) I think it's likely that the brothers considered the whole affair as God's judgment on them for betraying their younger brother. Joseph himself gives everyone except Benjamin the opportunity to return home. But that's when Judah steps up. He was the one who suggested selling Joseph in the first place; now, for his father's sake, he begs this ruler of Egypt, “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. 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?” (vs. 33-34) What a change had come upon Judah! Once he sold his father's beloved son into slavery and gave him the boy's bloody tunic to deceive him into thinking Joseph had been torn apart by a wild animal. Now he is willing to trade himself for Benjamin. How God had been working in this family! He can truly change the human heart. No one is beyond the transforming power of His Spirit, not while there is breath in their lungs. God is in the business of redemption, forgiveness, and restoration. Nothing is impossible for Him. All one has to do is ask.

by Rebecca...

Do All to the Glory of God...

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 10:31, NKJV

In first Corinthians nine, Paul concluded by urging the Corinthian believers to run the race of faith in such a way as to obtain the prize. In chapter ten, as a continuation of this exhortation, he points his readers to the Exodus generation of Israelites. Almost an entire generation died in the wilderness because they rebelled against God and persisted in idolatry, sexual immortality, tempting (that is, trying to push God's envelope), and complaining. It's idolatry that Paul is particularly concerned with, since it is at the back of all the other sins. With reference to the communion of Christ and the sacrifices made to other gods (which are really just demons), Paul reminds the Corinthians, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.” (vs. 1) You can't be hot and cold at the same time; you can't be wet and dry; you can't be Christ's and also be Satan's. The two conditions are mutually exclusive. If the overall direction of your life is one of idolatry, if you choose to serve a god other than Him (anything that takes God's place in a human heart is another god), then you are not of Christ. You can't be. However, the converse also holds true: if you are of Christ, if the overall direction of your life is one of obedience to Him, if when you sin you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit and repent, then it is not possible for you to be a partaker with demons. That's why, as Paul explains, a believer could eat the meat offered to idols (a practice widely considered as part of the worship ritual itself), without issue. The believer thanks God for the food, which, after all, He created, and his eating is thus to the glory of God and not part of a sacrifice to demons. So if the Corinthians wanted to flee idolatry, as their spiritual father so anxiously urged them, “ ...whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

by Rebecca...

A Heart of Love...

“But he [Joseph's steward] said [to Joseph's brothers concerning the money they found returned in their grain sacks], ‘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.’” ~ Genesis 43:23, NKJV

When reading the account of Joseph's brothers and their reunion with the brother they sold into slavery, one observes an interesting dichotomy in Joseph's actions. On the one hand, he speaks to his brothers roughly and accuses them of being spies; on the other hand, he returns their money to them, holds only one brother as surety rather than all the brother except one (as he claimed he would), and supplies provision for their journey. Why? Was Joseph's heart one of revenge, or one of love? I am convinced that the latter is true. Who primed Joseph's steward with the explanation he gave regarding the returned grain money? Surely the steward's master. When the man assures them, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid,” I think we are getting a glimpse of Joseph's heart for his brothers. His desire for them was peace and blessing - as shown by the lavishness he heaped upon them when they returned to Egypt with their youngest brother Benjamin. He wanted to take care of his father, provide for his brothers, and comfort his family. Yet he had to deal with the fact that his brothers had also kidnapped him, bound him, sold him into slavery and almost certain death (ignoring his pleas for mercy), and finally deceive their father concerning his fate. Once Joseph's brothers knew who he was and the power he held, Joseph would lose any opportunity to learn the truth about their characters. Had they changed or hadn't they? Could they be trusted? Did they treat Benjamin - Rachel's other son - better than they treated Joseph? Before he revealed himself to his brothers, Joseph set up a test for them using Benjamin. The transformation he would witness is incredible, and it would overcome Joseph to the point where he could no longer bear to hide his identity. With the test over, he would then be free to let his actions further the desires of his heart - to bring peace and freedom from fear and extravagant blessing to his brothers and to his family. In this way, Joseph reminds me of the Lord. He loves us more than Joseph could ever love his siblings. He is richer than Joseph, more powerful than Joseph, more extravagant than Joseph. His desire is to do for us according to the love of His heart. But because He loves us, He cannot bless us or give us peace if our behavior is evil. That would bring harm to us, not good, by rewarding practices that do not deserve to be rewarded and thereby encouraging us to sin. So He might put us in fear, or make our lives difficult, in order to bring us back onto the right path - where He can heap His favor upon us. Joseph's brothers did not enjoy the test he set up for them. I can't imagine Joseph enjoyed it, either. Certainly God doesn't, when He tests or chastens us. But the end He has in mind is always our good, and we are blessed when we trust in and obey Him.

by Rebecca...

Barriers...

“[Paul on winning people to Christ through the message of the gospel]...to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” ~ 1 Corinthians 9:22, NKJV

The Corinthians - influenced, perhaps, by false teachers - had been questioning Paul's qualifications as an apostle. Though the charges were ridiculous, Paul is nonetheless compelled to defend himself - if only for the Corinthians' sake. In so doing he also describes his ministry, and his great burden to preach the gospel. Though Paul was free from all men, he made himself a servant to all, that he might win the more to salvation; to the Jews he became as a Jew; to those under the law, as under the law; to those without law, as without law (though always under law towards Christ); and “to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (vs. 19-22) Paul, when sharing the gospel, met people where they were. He never compromised the truth or his conscience, of course - no good comes from such practices and they are not in view here. But Paul did endeavor to make sure that his message concerning the gospel could be understood by all those to whom he preached it. Human beings already have a barrier up when it comes to receiving God's salvation: our own rebellious pride, which dates back to Adam and Genesis 3. Paul couldn't do anything about that barrier. But he could do his best to make sure that there were no other barriers! So when he reached the weak for Christ, he became as weak, laying aside his own strength for their sake. Christ Himself did the same when He became a man and laid aside His glory in order to save us. We were weak. We couldn't understand God's message of love to us. On his own a man can't even see the face of God and live! So the Lord became a man in order to reach man. He emptied and sacrificed Himself to give us life. He cared too much about us to let any removable barrier stand in the way of winning our redemption. He didn't leave us in our weakness, either. When someone receives God's salvation and believes in Jesus, He receives that person's weakness and turns it into His strength. How wonderful is our God! How amazing is His love! We have refuge in Him, who has compassion on our weakness, and who lays aside His own strength in order reach us.

by Rebecca...

All These Things Are Against Me....

“And Jacob their father said to them [his sons, after they returned from Egypt], ‘You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.’” ~ Genesis 42:36, NKJV

Joseph predicted seven years of plenty followed by seven years of desperate famine. Because of his God-given wisdom and insight, Egypt was able to prepare for the coming lack. They had grain when the rest of the region, including Canaan, felt the bite of the famine. When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons (except Benjamin, Rachel's only remaining child) down to buy food from them. There the brothers encountered Joseph, the brother they had betrayed and sold into slavery, who was now second-in-command of all Egypt. Unsurprisingly, they didn't recognize him - but Joseph recognized them. Though at one point his heart was so overcome that he had to go out of their sight and weep, he kept his identity secret and tested his brothers' character. Were they still liars and bullies? Or had they changed? Joseph could not hope for an honest answer once his brothers knew who he was. To get at the truth, he had to test their actions. He accused his brothers of being spies and questioned them closely about their family and their reason for being in Egypt. He gave them food (and returned their money to them in their sacks) and let them return home, on one condition: that to prove that they were who they said they were (the sons of one father) they should bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, with them on their next trip. Joseph held Simeon in Egypt to ensure that they would, indeed, come back. When the eleven remaining brothers returned to Jacob, the old man was dismayed. Joseph, as far as he knew, was dead and gone. Simeon was a hostage to a seemingly unfriendly ruler. Now his sons also wanted to take Benjamin from him too? Jacob cried out, “All these things are against me.” If he had only known! The love the Lord bears His children is boundless. So is His power. Jacob didn't realize, but the very things he believed were against him were actually be used for him - to not only reunite him with Simeon, but to restore to him the beloved son he had long ago given up for dead. Furthermore, the Lord was preparing - through Joseph - to bless Jacob and his family with abundant protection and provision in Egypt. Jacob believed everything was against him. So do we, quite often. This is not the case! God is working all things together for good to those who love Him, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) We may not see the good He intends right away. We may not even fully understand it this side of eternity. But because He has proved His word to us in so many other ways, we can trust Him to fulfill His promise and do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

by Rebecca...