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...

Known by Him...

But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.” ~ 1 Corinthians 8:3, NKJV

Paul moves from the subject of marriage to the subject of things offered to idols. The Corinthian believers knew that "an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one." (vs. 4) Because of their knowledge, they could eat things offered to idols (eating an idol's sacrifice was widely considered part of the act of worship) and be neither better nor worse for doing so. What appears to have been troubling the Corinthians was not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of love. "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies," Paul reminds them (vs. 1). Focused on selfish ambition rather than on their relationship with the Lord, stronger believers were causing weaker believers to stumble. By eating meat sacrificed to idols they emboldened their weaker brethren to do the same, contrary to their conscience. Knowledge without love serves only to puff up the individual who has it. In the absence of love, pride swells to the point where it begins choking out the Spirit, producing spiritual barrenness and bringing reproach to Christ. Paul urges the Corinthians to remember the importance and priority of love, reminding them as incentive that the one who loves God is also known by Him. Being known by God is a very precious thing. God loves the whole world, and God the Son came to die for the world while we were all yet sinners; but God can only know (in the sense that we would think of as friendship or fellowship, or something even closer) those who love Him back. Without that reciprocation, there is no relationship and no salvation. God is not the one who pays the price for the absence of such things. We are. If you are not known by God, who is the source of all goodness and the giver of eternal life, then you have nothing worth having. Your existence is empty and purposeless. Your destination is the lake of fire and your portion is wrath. Your lack of love will quite literally kill you. This is the opposite of the result of returning God's love for you, which brings fulfillment, hope, joy, peace, and life - all consequences of a relationship with the glorious, all-powerful, all-loving Creator God who laid down His life for your sake. It's not enough to just know about Him - you have to love Him for His love to do you any good.

by Rebecca...

"LORD! IT IS NOT IN ME!"

“And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.’

So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.’” ~ Genesis 41:15-16, NKJV

Joseph had been unjustly imprisoned for at least two full years, thanks to Potiphar's wife and the chief butler's forgetfulness. When Pharaoh was visited with a troubling pair of dreams and Joseph was recommended to him as an interpreter, Joseph could have seized his chance. He could have glorified himself before Pharaoh in an effort to obtain his freedom. He could have boasted about the correct interpretations he had given to the chief butler and the chief baker. But he didn't. When Pharaoh gave him the perfect opportunity to claim credit for himself, Joseph gave all the glory to God. All the credit for Joseph's successes and gifts, including interpretation of dreams, belonged rightfully to God. Joseph freely admitted this and in so doing gave us a beautiful expression of truth: “‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.’” Everything we have comes ultimately from God. The work that He accomplishes through us is also from Him. He supplies the believer with all the strength, resources, opportunities, and energies he needs to fulfill His will for him. That provision is not in us. It's all of Him. And when our souls are troubled or when we face a matter that has others troubled, it is God who also supplies the answers that put the trouble to rest. Joseph wasn't promising Pharaoh a positive, "peaceful" answer when he said God's answer would be one of peace; he was indicating that God's answer would bring Pharaoh personal peace, in that he would no longer be left in the dark, anxious and unprepared. 

My heart resonates with Joseph's words. When my circumstances or my troubles feel as if they're overwhelming me, they fit my frustrated, desperate cry perfectly: "LORD! IT IS NOT IN ME!" I don't have what it takes to do what's ahead of me; I am not sufficient, I do not have the heart, I do not have the courage, I do not have the energy, and I do not have the hope. It is not in me. None of it. But when I turn to Him, God gives me an answer of peace. He shows me how He is sufficient and how He will provide me with all that I need. No, it's not in me. But it is in Him.

by Rebecca....

Christ Could Come at Any Moment...

“But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.” ~ 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, NKJV

Paul spends chapter seven of his first epistle to the Corinthians responding to certain things of which the Corinthians had written him, mostly concerning marriage. Marriage, as Paul explains, is good. But our fallen human nature means that marriage also brings trouble in the flesh (since each spouse is trying to live with another sinner), and all things being equal, it is easier for someone who is unmarried to serve the Lord without distraction. Paul's point in the passage above is that believers - whatever their state - need to be living for eternity. Since Jesus' ascension, the "time is short," that is, Christ could return for us at any moment. That was true in Paul's day and it remains true today. The constant imminency of His return is by design, so that is easier for us to see God's kingdom as near to us rather than planted somewhere in the vague, distant future. If we know His kingdom is near, we will be more concerned about heavenly priorities rather than being ensnared by the temporary cares of this world. A life lived for heaven is the best kind of life to have on earth. Are you married? Christ could come at any moment. Don't hang on your marriage those hopes and expectations that can only be fulfilled by God. Are you weeping? Christ could come at any moment and wipe all your tears away. Are you rejoicing? Christ could come at any moment. Rejoice, but don't stake your soul on human causes for celebration. Are you buying or investing? Christ could come at any moment. Don't assign those possessions too much value, or let them own you. Do you use this world? Christ could come at any moment. Use the world, but don't misuse it, inverting your priorities to care only about the things of this world and not the things of the world to come. The form of this world is passing away! When it goes, its cares, its sorrows, its cruelties, its valuables, its petty gratifications, and its priorities are all going to go with it. We will get more out of this world and we will be blessed in the next world if we live our lives with the Lord as our highest priority. Not even marriage is more important than He is. For the believer, the fact that this world is passing away brings comfort and hope. We see the evil that flourishes here. We see the pain and the sorrow and the corruption. We see death. But we look further ahead, to Christ's return and all that it will bring - the resurrection of the dead, the new heavens and the new earth, the fulfillment of our salvation, the casting of Satan into the lake of fire forever - and we rejoice with a joy that does not pass away.

by Rebecca...

Nothing Can Separate Us...

“So he [Joseph] asked Pharaoh’s officers [the chief butler and the chief baker] who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, ‘Why do you look so sad today?’

And they said to him, ‘We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.’

So Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.’” ~ Genesis 40:7-8, NKJV

Egyptians were religious regarding dreams and their interpretations. People could bring their dreams before an expert or specialist, or perhaps a magician, to have them properly interpreted. Pharaoh's chief butler and chief baker, imprisoned in the house of the captain of the guard (Joseph's master, Potiphar), each had dreams but did not have access to an interpreter. Since they were not experts themselves, they had no way of understanding the meaning of their dreams, and this troubled them deeply. Imagine what it must have been like having one's access to something so important be so fragile. Joseph urged Pharaoh's troubled officers to share their dreams with him, saying, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" The Egyptians would have agreed with that statement. But their access to God or gods was restricted, bureaucratic, uncertain, delayed, and in the case of these officers, easily blocked. Joseph's access to his God - the one true God - was otherwise. He needed no interpreters, no temples, no priests, no political or social clout; God was always with him. Conversation with God was never more than a prayer away. God gave Joesph the interpretations to the butler's and the baker's respective dreams, and the interpretations came to pass exactly as Joseph said. Believers do not any special circumstances, places, or intermediaries to access their heavenly Father. They don't need priests. They don't need saints. (They are the saints.) They don't need rituals. They don't need bureaucracy. They don't need experts, or interpreters. Like Joseph, we have God with us always. We go straight to Him, with no delays or relays or formalities. Our connection to Him is unbreakable, immediate, and intimate. He hears our cries; He knows our hearts; He feels our pain; He perceives our thoughts; He walks with us through our lives. He is always ready to respond when we reach out to Him, "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 8:38-39, NKJV)

by Rebecca....

Set Free...

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” ~ 1 Corinthians 6:12, NKJV

Corinth was a church with problems - namely, its members. Though true believers, they often behaved more like fallen human beings rather than as children of the living God who were indwelled by His Spirit. The intense love Paul bears for this community of believers, evident in his letter to them, is representative of the infinitely more intense love God bore them. This love comes as an encouragement to us when we stumble as badly or perhaps even worse than the Corinthians. In Corinthians 6, Paul expresses dismay at the believers' practices of cheating, wronging, and suing one another. He reminds them that, "Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." Of such were some of the Corinthians! (vs. 9-11) But then they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They were washed, they were cleansed, they were sanctified and justified through His sacrifice on their behalf. They received the Spirit of the Living God and now had new life inspired and energized by God Himself. How could the Corinthians go back to their old ways? Paul warns the Corinthians that though, in Christ, all created things in and of themselves are lawful for the believer, not all of those things are helpful. Nor should we engage in those things that bring us under the power of anyone or anything except God. We were already enslaved to sin. We were already under its power. By the grace of God we have been redeemed - so we shouldn't go back! What things bring our minds back into bondage vary from person to person. But the principle remains the same. We have been set free - we have liberty in Christ. We are now able to do those things that are good and righteous. It makes no sense for us to go back to slavery and the harsh taskmasters of sin! Instead, we ought to seek to be like Paul, able to say, "I will not be brought under the power of any." My Master is God, and God alone; may He give me the grace to live accordingly.

by Rebecca...

Because the Lord was With Him...

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.” ~ Genesis 39:2-3, NKJV

Joseph consistently impressed those around him. Potiphar, his Egyptian master, made him overseer over all that he had; in fact, he so trusted Joseph that he left everything in Joseph's hands, and did not himself know what he had except for the food that he ate. Potiphar's goods prospered under Joseph's stewardship, and Joseph never let him down. Joseph was imprisoned only because of the lies of Potiphar's wife, not because of any crime which he committed. But even in prison Joseph found favor with those around him! The keeper of the prison committed all the prisoners to Joseph's hand, "whatever they did there, it was his doing." (vs. 22) The keeper didn't even look in to anything under Joseph's care, "because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper." (vs. 23) Later we see how Joseph so impressed Pharaoh that he was made second-in-command of all Egypt. Now Joseph was likely a diligent, exemplary young man, faithful and honest in all his doings, but Scripture does not lay the credit for his greatness at Joseph's feet. The narrator specifically and repeatedly identifies the Lord as the reason for all the favor shown Joseph. Because the Lord was with him, because people saw the Lord, not Joseph, when they looked at him, Joseph met with such favor. God is desirable to man. God is everything we are not: righteous, loving, sovereign, peaceable, truthful, pure, diligent, faithful, joyous, patient, kind, just, wise, and above all, good. God is so much these things that they can scarcely be ascribed to Him as adjectives - instead He is their source, their definition. For all he is in rebellion against God, man wants what God is. What God is "works." His attributes make the world go round. They bring prosperity and stability. Joseph, the man who had God with him, was so impressive and conspicuous - a metaphorical giant - precisely because God was with him. As believers, God is with us, as well; we have the Spirit of God living in our hearts, and God Himself walks with us throughout our lives. His favor is on us and He is jealous for our well-being. But when people see us, do they see Him? Can they perceive His presence overshadowing our own fallen selves? When they are with us, do they come away feeling as if they had been with Jesus? Oh, that this would be true! I pray that as I study God's word and apply it to my life, I would come more and more under the influence of His Holy Spirit. May He so overshadow me that it's not me people see; it's the Lord.

By Rebecca...