Every Monday I always take the time to write down things that the Lord is teaching me. I find it is easy to reflect on the previous week through the messages on Sunday. Usually whatever it is that I am currently studying or "hung up" on will come full circle on Sundays. This has become a way for me to remember and nail down some lessons or lightbulb moments because the old memory isn't what she used to be!
I have been thinking for a while that I would share them with you so that maybe you could glean a little something from what the Lord is teaching me. Hey, if you can learn from somebody else without having to take the fieldtrip, why not? Some of these things will be simple thoughts that seem random others will be more in depth and follow a pattern. I hope you enjoy and maybe start your own list of "Monday Meditations!"
Meditations for Monday, January 23,2012:
One of the most important things to learn in times of trial is to keep moving forward. So often trials paralyze us or keep us so occupied that we cannot focus on anything else.
What a great tactic of the enemy! God is teaching us perseverance but the enemy wants to keep us paralyzed. (Blog post for sure!)
Jesus is Lamb and Shepherd, Servant and Lord, Judge and Executed...
Nothing proves genuine or valuable unless it is tested...
Stumbling block: any person or thing by which one is drawn into sin or error. Also known as an "idol".
Scripture Meditation: 1 Peter Chapter One
Happy Monday! May you grow in grace this week!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Disappointed: Day Five
I hope that you have enjoyed this study. I pray that it has been as beneficial for you as it has for me. I feel like this has been my life’s story for the past four years, maybe longer. If I’m honest I would say that I probably have felt disappointed with God for the better part of ten years I just wasn’t able to admit it. It’s a miserable place. You are stuck between the knowledge that God is good and BELIEVING that He is in spite of your circumstances. There are many things that we have knowledge about but we can’t get that knowledge from our heads to our hearts. If I’ve learned anything at all, I’ve learned that sometimes you have to make the right choice with your head and allow your heart to catch up! Submitting our will to the will of God is never easy but the rewards are immeasurable. God is always for obedience, you can take that to the spiritual bank!!
We have already seen that Joseph was not short on obedience and that he believed God in spite of his circumstances. There is so much more to the story of Joseph than we have time to get to but I do encourage you to read the rest of the book of Genesis to get the full picture. For our last lesson read Genesis 41: 50-57; 42:1-8; 45:1-15
Why did Jacob send his sons to Egypt?
What was Joseph’s response to his brothers?
Through a series of CIRCUMSTANCES that God orchestrated in an entire nation, Joseph and his brothers were reunited. I cannot even begin to tie all of the strings together that form this thread but I want to focus in on the totality of Joseph’s life. When we met Joseph he was a young man at the vibrant age of 17. When we meet back up with him in chapter 45 he is a middle aged man, humbled and disciplined by years of disappointments, discouragements and despair. By now, Joseph is 39 and has spent the majority of his life in Egypt. He has been in Egypt longer than he was at home. He spent the first 13 years in prison before the Lord providentially moved to set him free. We have seen intimately how he handled all of the plans that the Lord had for him; from the darkest dungeon to the highest honors. I think it is fair to say that he handled all of his circumstances with a humble trust in a sovereign God.
But how would he react coming face to face with his perpetrators? How would he deal with them given the opportunity for revenge? Don’t forget that Joseph was in a position to do whatever he wanted with his brothers. They were on his turf and if he had allowed emotions, bitterness or hatred to motivate his actions then he could have exacted revenge. He certainly had the power to do so. But he CHOSE not to. He CHOSE mercy instead.
Oh girls, what a picture of the God that we serve! Who is a God like ours that changes the hearts of people from bitterness to mercy! Who is a God like ours that has mercy upon our souls in salvation instead of exacting due payment for our sin? God has the power to show mercy or to avenge. He has chosen mercy for today but that will not always be the case. One day He will chose to avenge His great name and He will pour out His wrath on all who will not believe. Today is the day of mercy, today is the day of repentance. Won’t you seek repentance and fall on His mercy before it is too late?
You know, there is so much to see here but I want to bring this all home in four points:
1) We all have a choice to make. We either choose to believe God is good or that He isn’t. Regardless, we are choosing. I want to challenge you with something though; if you say God isn’t good but claim Him as Savior then you have some searching to do. God didn’t send His Son to save you for all eternity and then make you miserable every day until you get there. He doesn’t work like that and there is no scriptural basis for that kind of thought process. The other thing I want you to consider is why would you proclaim, promote and serve a God that you ultimately do not believe is good? You see, when we really start to THINK about what we believe and why we believe it, there are so many contradictions! Let’s address the spiritual contradictions in our lives. Test your beliefs against the pages of scripture and then CHOOSE truth! It is only when our truth is overcome by THE truth that we find freedom!!
2)Scripture says that, “God remembers our frame He knows that we are dust.” In our human frailty we have no scope! Actually, we probably have less than no scope! Our perspective is limited to the past. We have no knowledge of the future aside from what scripture proclaims. Our perspective is limited to our own experience. Although we might have some knowledge about what is going on in the lives of other people we can never fully know what is going on in their hearts. But God, who has “all of the intents of our hearts laid bare before Him” is intimately aware and He is doing “heart work” in the lives of all people! For some it is a hardening but for His children it is surgery through our circumstances that cleans, strengthens and sanctifies. You will never know all of what God is up to and you will never be able to figure it out! God was working in the life of Joseph and his brothers and at the right time he moved to reunite them. The result was complete forgiveness, restoration and preservation of God’s chosen people through the famine! What a mighty God we serve!
3)God expects us to exercise faith in all of our circumstances. Scripture says over and over, “The just shall live by faith” and “without faith it is impossible to please God.” If we had all the details from beginning to end there would be no need for faith. Besides, I think if we knew everything from beginning to end we wouldn’t be able to handle it! Faith fuels the Christian walk. It is the energy that propels us into deeper waters and greater riches in the person of Jesus Christ. God wants nothing more than for us to find Him more satisfying, more delightful and more enjoyable than anything or anyone else. He will go after the things that keep us from getting to this point and do whatever it takes to loosen our grip…for our good!
4)Finally, hardship prepares us to leave this world. Trials wear us down and wear us out! Sin, temptation, testing and doing battle with the enemy of our souls is exhausting. The world has so much to offer that doesn’t offer much! If we become comfortable here we will never long for the glorious eternity that awaits us. We will settle as C.S. Lewis said, “for making mudpies instead of a holiday by the sea!” God is not content to let us settle! He does want the very best for us because He gives us the very best…Himself!
Beloved, don’t spend your years believing the lie that God is disappointing! It is so very far from the truth! If this is your present reality then hang on until the blessing comes!
Joseph did this very thing. He continued to believe God even when he couldn’t make sense of His circumstances. Through all of the seeming misfortune, God brought Joseph, his brothers and his father Jacob to live in Egypt. He preserved His chosen people through the sin and deception of Joseph’s brothers, the dream of a pagan king and the blight of a severe drought. Sin, pagans and natural disaster could not thwart God’s overarching purpose! God’s plans cannot be thwarted and no weapon formed against you shall prosper! However, it was Joseph, in the end, as he reflected on all that had happened to him that summed it up best: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good!” Indeed He did, yes, He did!
We have already seen that Joseph was not short on obedience and that he believed God in spite of his circumstances. There is so much more to the story of Joseph than we have time to get to but I do encourage you to read the rest of the book of Genesis to get the full picture. For our last lesson read Genesis 41: 50-57; 42:1-8; 45:1-15
Why did Jacob send his sons to Egypt?
What was Joseph’s response to his brothers?
Through a series of CIRCUMSTANCES that God orchestrated in an entire nation, Joseph and his brothers were reunited. I cannot even begin to tie all of the strings together that form this thread but I want to focus in on the totality of Joseph’s life. When we met Joseph he was a young man at the vibrant age of 17. When we meet back up with him in chapter 45 he is a middle aged man, humbled and disciplined by years of disappointments, discouragements and despair. By now, Joseph is 39 and has spent the majority of his life in Egypt. He has been in Egypt longer than he was at home. He spent the first 13 years in prison before the Lord providentially moved to set him free. We have seen intimately how he handled all of the plans that the Lord had for him; from the darkest dungeon to the highest honors. I think it is fair to say that he handled all of his circumstances with a humble trust in a sovereign God.
But how would he react coming face to face with his perpetrators? How would he deal with them given the opportunity for revenge? Don’t forget that Joseph was in a position to do whatever he wanted with his brothers. They were on his turf and if he had allowed emotions, bitterness or hatred to motivate his actions then he could have exacted revenge. He certainly had the power to do so. But he CHOSE not to. He CHOSE mercy instead.
Oh girls, what a picture of the God that we serve! Who is a God like ours that changes the hearts of people from bitterness to mercy! Who is a God like ours that has mercy upon our souls in salvation instead of exacting due payment for our sin? God has the power to show mercy or to avenge. He has chosen mercy for today but that will not always be the case. One day He will chose to avenge His great name and He will pour out His wrath on all who will not believe. Today is the day of mercy, today is the day of repentance. Won’t you seek repentance and fall on His mercy before it is too late?
You know, there is so much to see here but I want to bring this all home in four points:
1) We all have a choice to make. We either choose to believe God is good or that He isn’t. Regardless, we are choosing. I want to challenge you with something though; if you say God isn’t good but claim Him as Savior then you have some searching to do. God didn’t send His Son to save you for all eternity and then make you miserable every day until you get there. He doesn’t work like that and there is no scriptural basis for that kind of thought process. The other thing I want you to consider is why would you proclaim, promote and serve a God that you ultimately do not believe is good? You see, when we really start to THINK about what we believe and why we believe it, there are so many contradictions! Let’s address the spiritual contradictions in our lives. Test your beliefs against the pages of scripture and then CHOOSE truth! It is only when our truth is overcome by THE truth that we find freedom!!
2)Scripture says that, “God remembers our frame He knows that we are dust.” In our human frailty we have no scope! Actually, we probably have less than no scope! Our perspective is limited to the past. We have no knowledge of the future aside from what scripture proclaims. Our perspective is limited to our own experience. Although we might have some knowledge about what is going on in the lives of other people we can never fully know what is going on in their hearts. But God, who has “all of the intents of our hearts laid bare before Him” is intimately aware and He is doing “heart work” in the lives of all people! For some it is a hardening but for His children it is surgery through our circumstances that cleans, strengthens and sanctifies. You will never know all of what God is up to and you will never be able to figure it out! God was working in the life of Joseph and his brothers and at the right time he moved to reunite them. The result was complete forgiveness, restoration and preservation of God’s chosen people through the famine! What a mighty God we serve!
3)God expects us to exercise faith in all of our circumstances. Scripture says over and over, “The just shall live by faith” and “without faith it is impossible to please God.” If we had all the details from beginning to end there would be no need for faith. Besides, I think if we knew everything from beginning to end we wouldn’t be able to handle it! Faith fuels the Christian walk. It is the energy that propels us into deeper waters and greater riches in the person of Jesus Christ. God wants nothing more than for us to find Him more satisfying, more delightful and more enjoyable than anything or anyone else. He will go after the things that keep us from getting to this point and do whatever it takes to loosen our grip…for our good!
4)Finally, hardship prepares us to leave this world. Trials wear us down and wear us out! Sin, temptation, testing and doing battle with the enemy of our souls is exhausting. The world has so much to offer that doesn’t offer much! If we become comfortable here we will never long for the glorious eternity that awaits us. We will settle as C.S. Lewis said, “for making mudpies instead of a holiday by the sea!” God is not content to let us settle! He does want the very best for us because He gives us the very best…Himself!
Beloved, don’t spend your years believing the lie that God is disappointing! It is so very far from the truth! If this is your present reality then hang on until the blessing comes!
Joseph did this very thing. He continued to believe God even when he couldn’t make sense of His circumstances. Through all of the seeming misfortune, God brought Joseph, his brothers and his father Jacob to live in Egypt. He preserved His chosen people through the sin and deception of Joseph’s brothers, the dream of a pagan king and the blight of a severe drought. Sin, pagans and natural disaster could not thwart God’s overarching purpose! God’s plans cannot be thwarted and no weapon formed against you shall prosper! However, it was Joseph, in the end, as he reflected on all that had happened to him that summed it up best: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good!” Indeed He did, yes, He did!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Disappointed: Day Four
We mentioned yesterday the importance of God’s timing in orchestrating events in our lives. One of my favorite quotes on the sovereignty and timing of God comes from John Piper. He states, “God is always doing a million things at one time that we cannot know or see.” How true! We are limited in our scope so we have a tendency to think that God is only doing one thing…and that one thing ultimately has to do with us…and He’s taking His own sweet time!
God is never late, He’s rarely ever early but His record for being on time is perfect! Today we will begin to see how the delay in God’s timing in regards to Joseph was the difference between feast or famine, literally! Read Genesis 41: 1-49
How many years had gone by since the cupbearer forgot Joseph?
How long did it take Joseph to be released and made second in command?
Wow! We covered a lot of ground in that chapter. Don’t you wish that our lives progressed that quickly? Especially in times of testing, tribulation and distress? It is so much easier to read about someone else’s experience when we are able to know how it all ends. It isn’t quite as simple when we live it day in and day out! Let’s not rob men and women in scripture of their humanity. It was just as difficult for them. They felt the great swells of emotion that we feel from the depths of despair to the heights of great joy.
Joseph was no less human than you and I. I have no doubt that there were days when he was discouraged but scripture intentionally does not dwell on his misfortune. Possibly because “one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.” God knew that Joseph’s story would not end in the dungeon. His time there was only a brief interlude in God’s plan for his life.
However, as we read verse one in light of the last verse in chapter 40, we are struck afresh with the agony that Joseph must have felt when he realized that relief was delayed, maybe forever. Scripture is descriptive in telling us that “at the END of two FULL years” Pharaoh had a dream. Two years when you are reminiscing seems inconsequential. Two years when you are in the midst of serious circumstances is a very long time!
Well, that cupbearer finally found some gingko and got knocked in the head by the Holy Spirit, praise the Lord! We don’t know for sure what prompted him to speak after holding his peace for this long but at just the right time he got a clue! Look at the wording in verse 14, “then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph and they HURRIEDLY brought him out of the dungeon. Just like that, God had moved and Joseph was free.
It is always fascinating to me in reflecting on the past how one day before the Lord moves we have no idea that deliverance is just a day away. Would we live life so differently if we knew deliverance was coming tomorrow? One day, deliverance IS going to be tomorrow. How do you know if that tomorrow is not on the heels of today? It only takes a moment for weeping to turn into joy.
For Joseph, the weeping turned to joy within a matter of a few hours. He opened his eyes in the dungeon but would close his eyes that night in a palace. I often wonder what would have been his fate had the cupbearer remembered him two years earlier? He may or may not have been granted freedom from his imprisonment but what would have been his future? Another few years as a servant in the house of a government official? Some kind of indentured servitude? Only God could have written this story and only God was able to see it through. That, ladies, is God’s sovereignty.
Do you remember the definition of sovereignty? All things are under God’s rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. God has the right and the power to rule and control everything!
In yesterday’s post I mentioned a portion of a scripture from Isaiah 30:18. I like the way the ESV phrases it best: “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” Sometimes, actually more often than not, the Lord waits to be gracious to us. But, in the next line we get a clue as to why He waits by the word “therefore”. I have learned anytime you see that word you need to ask yourself what is it “there for?” Usually the answer is in the verses proceeding. Something like cause and effect. In this case, the cause: God waiting to be gracious to you; the effect: He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. Conclusion: When God waits to be gracious to you He is exalting Himself in order that He show mercy to you. In other words, when God is exalted then we receive mercy! What an amazing concept!
Scripture tells us that God is able to do all things and He is able to do whatever He wants, whenever He wants. He has the ability to show grace to us at any time or to change our situation instantly, as we have seen with Joseph. However, most of us are intimately aware that there is usually nothing quick about a trial. If God instantly fixed every issue would there be room for display of His mercy and grace?
When testing becomes “long in the tooth” the deliverance is that much sweeter. What exalts the glory of God to an unbelieving world? A trial that ends quickly with little or no discomfort or a lengthy trial that puts our faith and our God on display? So it was in Joseph’s case. Through his obedience he exalted the faithfulness of his God through unfair and difficult circumstances. Potipher saw it, Potipher’s wife saw it, the jailer, the other prisoners, the cupbearer, the baker, countless others and eventually Pharaoh.
You see, our trials are never just about us and how we deal with those trials are never just about us. God has made us to have relationship and connect with others in order that we be light and salt to an unbelieving world as well as encouragement to other believers. When God calls us to Himself we are relinquishing our rights to our own desires and submitting those to the perfect will of a sovereign God. He has purposed to use us for His glory and His kingdom…we don’t get a say in how that looks!
Being disappointed with God stems from a lot of things: rebellion, pride, unbelief but ultimately it comes down to trust. Do you trust the Lord? I’m not asking do you understand or are you comfortable. I’m asking do you completely trust that God really is good and that He only has good for you? This is a critical question and one that we will dive into tomorrow.
For now, I will leave you with this: Joseph waited on the Lord through much discouragement, disappointment and despair but rose to second in command in a matter of a few hours. He was given all authority in Egypt and there was no one greater than him except Pharaoh. Do you think his circumstances had groomed him for his future? Do you think he would have been ready for this kind of responsibility at 17? It says in 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time.” Joseph had indeed humbled himself but it didn’t come cheap, easy or quickly. “For the Lord is a God of justice! Blessed are all those who WAIT for HIM!”
God is never late, He’s rarely ever early but His record for being on time is perfect! Today we will begin to see how the delay in God’s timing in regards to Joseph was the difference between feast or famine, literally! Read Genesis 41: 1-49
How many years had gone by since the cupbearer forgot Joseph?
How long did it take Joseph to be released and made second in command?
Wow! We covered a lot of ground in that chapter. Don’t you wish that our lives progressed that quickly? Especially in times of testing, tribulation and distress? It is so much easier to read about someone else’s experience when we are able to know how it all ends. It isn’t quite as simple when we live it day in and day out! Let’s not rob men and women in scripture of their humanity. It was just as difficult for them. They felt the great swells of emotion that we feel from the depths of despair to the heights of great joy.
Joseph was no less human than you and I. I have no doubt that there were days when he was discouraged but scripture intentionally does not dwell on his misfortune. Possibly because “one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.” God knew that Joseph’s story would not end in the dungeon. His time there was only a brief interlude in God’s plan for his life.
However, as we read verse one in light of the last verse in chapter 40, we are struck afresh with the agony that Joseph must have felt when he realized that relief was delayed, maybe forever. Scripture is descriptive in telling us that “at the END of two FULL years” Pharaoh had a dream. Two years when you are reminiscing seems inconsequential. Two years when you are in the midst of serious circumstances is a very long time!
Well, that cupbearer finally found some gingko and got knocked in the head by the Holy Spirit, praise the Lord! We don’t know for sure what prompted him to speak after holding his peace for this long but at just the right time he got a clue! Look at the wording in verse 14, “then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph and they HURRIEDLY brought him out of the dungeon. Just like that, God had moved and Joseph was free.
It is always fascinating to me in reflecting on the past how one day before the Lord moves we have no idea that deliverance is just a day away. Would we live life so differently if we knew deliverance was coming tomorrow? One day, deliverance IS going to be tomorrow. How do you know if that tomorrow is not on the heels of today? It only takes a moment for weeping to turn into joy.
For Joseph, the weeping turned to joy within a matter of a few hours. He opened his eyes in the dungeon but would close his eyes that night in a palace. I often wonder what would have been his fate had the cupbearer remembered him two years earlier? He may or may not have been granted freedom from his imprisonment but what would have been his future? Another few years as a servant in the house of a government official? Some kind of indentured servitude? Only God could have written this story and only God was able to see it through. That, ladies, is God’s sovereignty.
Do you remember the definition of sovereignty? All things are under God’s rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. God has the right and the power to rule and control everything!
In yesterday’s post I mentioned a portion of a scripture from Isaiah 30:18. I like the way the ESV phrases it best: “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” Sometimes, actually more often than not, the Lord waits to be gracious to us. But, in the next line we get a clue as to why He waits by the word “therefore”. I have learned anytime you see that word you need to ask yourself what is it “there for?” Usually the answer is in the verses proceeding. Something like cause and effect. In this case, the cause: God waiting to be gracious to you; the effect: He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. Conclusion: When God waits to be gracious to you He is exalting Himself in order that He show mercy to you. In other words, when God is exalted then we receive mercy! What an amazing concept!
Scripture tells us that God is able to do all things and He is able to do whatever He wants, whenever He wants. He has the ability to show grace to us at any time or to change our situation instantly, as we have seen with Joseph. However, most of us are intimately aware that there is usually nothing quick about a trial. If God instantly fixed every issue would there be room for display of His mercy and grace?
When testing becomes “long in the tooth” the deliverance is that much sweeter. What exalts the glory of God to an unbelieving world? A trial that ends quickly with little or no discomfort or a lengthy trial that puts our faith and our God on display? So it was in Joseph’s case. Through his obedience he exalted the faithfulness of his God through unfair and difficult circumstances. Potipher saw it, Potipher’s wife saw it, the jailer, the other prisoners, the cupbearer, the baker, countless others and eventually Pharaoh.
You see, our trials are never just about us and how we deal with those trials are never just about us. God has made us to have relationship and connect with others in order that we be light and salt to an unbelieving world as well as encouragement to other believers. When God calls us to Himself we are relinquishing our rights to our own desires and submitting those to the perfect will of a sovereign God. He has purposed to use us for His glory and His kingdom…we don’t get a say in how that looks!
Being disappointed with God stems from a lot of things: rebellion, pride, unbelief but ultimately it comes down to trust. Do you trust the Lord? I’m not asking do you understand or are you comfortable. I’m asking do you completely trust that God really is good and that He only has good for you? This is a critical question and one that we will dive into tomorrow.
For now, I will leave you with this: Joseph waited on the Lord through much discouragement, disappointment and despair but rose to second in command in a matter of a few hours. He was given all authority in Egypt and there was no one greater than him except Pharaoh. Do you think his circumstances had groomed him for his future? Do you think he would have been ready for this kind of responsibility at 17? It says in 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time.” Joseph had indeed humbled himself but it didn’t come cheap, easy or quickly. “For the Lord is a God of justice! Blessed are all those who WAIT for HIM!”
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Disappointed: Day Three
I hope that you have been thinking about our lesson yesterday. It is vitally important that we look at the cross instead of our circumstances when determining how God feels about us. Otherwise, we wind up on a circumstantial roller coaster that is driven by our emotions. We cannot base our theology on things that are temporal, material or earthly. We must find our root in the eternal, unchanging character of a holy God as defined on the pages of scripture.
One thing I want to emphasize before we begin today is this: You can never underestimate the power and authority of scripture in your life! It says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness; so that the woman of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” How can the breath of God not change us? It brought life to Adam’s lifeless body! What more can we need in life than teaching, reproof, correction and training? It is all contained in the Bible. You cannot improve on God’s word! Furthermore, it promises to make us complete and equipped for every good work. Jesus knows if there is one thing that I ask for on a regular basis it is to be equipped for all that He has called me to do. But, it doesn’t happen by osmosis! We have to be diligent about searching the scriptures daily, committing verses to memory so that “the word of God is near to you, in your heart and in your mouth, that you may observe it” (Deut. 30:14)
Well, poor Joseph! If it isn’t one thing then it’s another! Sold into slavery unjustly and now accused of sexual assault by his boss’s wife! The world would say he could definitely use a change of luck or fate just isn’t on his side! Joseph, however, didn’t see things according to his circumstances but he kept entrusting himself to Him who judges righteously. Rather than seeking exoneration from men, he continued to trust God for his deliverance. Unfortunately, just when it seemed that things couldn’t get any worse….
Read Genesis 40: 1-23
Who were the two officials now imprisoned with Joseph?
Who was to be released and who was to be hanged?
What did the cupbearer do in v. 23?
I have to take a minute to point out something that struck me as funny while I was reading this chapter. It says in verse 7 that Joseph asked these men “Why are your faces so sad today?” Ha! Nevermind the fact that they were in prison and likely to be hanged at any minute! When you are preparing the Pharaoh’s food and drink you better be above board all the time, if not, that could mean disaster for both you and Pharaoh! Can’t you just picture Joseph as the guy who is the eternal optimist? If you are like me( the opposite of the optimist) you almost hate to see these people coming – especially when you’ve had a bad day! There is a difference between encouragement and you-just-don’t-get-it-do-you? I think Joseph got it; he just made an intentional choice to keep his proverbial chin up!
Oneiromancy (try saying that three times quickly or even once quickly for that matter!) is the science or practice of interpreting dreams. This particular profession flourished in Egypt under their pagan religious practices because dreams were thought to determine the future. Joseph and Daniel were the only two Israelites that were given the ability to interpret dreams. Both were very careful to give credit to the Lord for their ability and accuracy. The Lord used both of them at critical times, serving under pagan monarchs, to interpret dreams.
Joseph, upon giving his favorable interpretation to the cupbearer, quickly took advantage of an opportunity that could lead to his release by petitioning the cupbearer, “only keep me in mind when it goes well with you and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house” (v. 14). You see, Joseph knew that if anyone had the ear of the king it would be the man handing him his cup multiple times a day. It seemed like such a small favor to ask of a man who would see the light of day very soon. But verse 23 is a stark reality for Joseph, “yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.”
My mind races through a myriad of emotions. The despair and discouragement Joseph must have felt are almost palpable. I can imagine that for the first few days after the cupbearer’s release anytime Joseph heard footsteps approaching the dungeon he was flooded with excitement thinking this might be his time. After a few weeks, his anticipation grew dim and gave way to the darkness of the dungeon. Months came and went but freedom was nowhere to be found.
Oh, the disappointment with God! And oh, the anger toward the cupbearer! How could he repay the kindness shown to him with such disregard? Here is a man that had been freed and all that was asked of him was a simple petition to Pharaoh; yet he FORGOT!
Have you ever been in a situation where you were relying so heavily on another person for your happiness, your welfare, your future, your release? How often do we place these expectations on another person? We look to our parents, our friends, our co-workers, our bosses, our husbands, our boyfriends, our children, our pastors, our churches to fix it! I have found myself weeping to my husband over our circumstances and him asking me “What do you want me to do?” To which I have pointedly replied, “I want you to fix it!” Just like a child with a hurt that runs to her mother. Unfortunately, the hurts get bigger as we get older and the quick fixes of a band-aid and a kiss no longer hold the same magic that they use to.
When we find ourselves in situations where we are stuck - and Joseph was stuck – the world has a lot of advice but nothing strong enough to support us in the raging storm. No ballast for our ragged sails. The world would tell us to reach within ourselves and try harder. The world would tell us to get revenge on the cupbearer the next time we had the opportunity. The world would tell us that it never pays to look out for someone else above yourself; it’s a dog-eat-dog world! Lastly, the world would tell us that we have just had some bad luck and our luck will eventually change.
If you have learned anything by now I hope that you have learned that there is no such thing as luck or fate. There is only One who controls our lives, who holds times and seasons in His hands! He says in Daniel 5:23, I am “the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways”. If every breath that I take is dependent upon a sovereign God then how can I believe there is anything left to fate? If the hairs of your head are numbered (Matt. 10:30), your name is inscribed on His palms (Is. 49:16) and He collects your tears in a bottle (Ps. 56:8) then how are your days left to chance? They are not, beloved, they are not!
Everything that happens to you is in His hands and you can rest assured that He makes no mistakes but timing is everything. Scripture talks repeatedly of waiting on the Lord. “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Scripture also says that the Lord “waits to be gracious to us” (Isaiah 30:18ESV). Joseph’s situation was not the result of an inept cupbearer but a providential God.
When you hear that, what is your initial reaction? Are you comforted or anxious? Do you realize that the good and the bad are all instruments in the hands of a divine Carpenter who is shaping us to look like Christ? This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where we learn that maybe our theology has been mixed with a little bit of the world’s philosophy.
We have come to associate love with comfort, sentimentality and good feelings. When something hurts or does not feel good then we believe that this is not love. We have defined love as a feeling rather than an action. Remember the scripture from yesterday that said, “God DEMONSTRATED His love for us in this: that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Love is an action. There used to be a D.C. Talk song called “Love is a verb.” This is true. I love the people around me by doing for them not merely talking about it.
At the beginning of this series I brought up the statement that many of us identify with the thought “God is not good.” We have been able to say this based on how we define love. Where we have gone wrong is not only in the definition of love but also in how we understand God’s love. James MacDonald says, “God’s love is not a pampering love. God’s love is a perfecting love.” Do you get that? His ultimate love for us is making us into the image of Jesus not making us comfortable. After all, Jesus wasn’t comfortable and He was God!
As we draw to a close for the day, let me encourage you. I know these are hard sayings. This is not for the faint of heart. Scripture even confirms in Hebrews 12:11 that “all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Sweet one, I want you to realize that there is never a reason for us to be disappointed in the Lord. He has only good for us if we will hold on! Indeed, the Lord waits to be gracious to us. His timing is everything.
One thing I want to emphasize before we begin today is this: You can never underestimate the power and authority of scripture in your life! It says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness; so that the woman of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” How can the breath of God not change us? It brought life to Adam’s lifeless body! What more can we need in life than teaching, reproof, correction and training? It is all contained in the Bible. You cannot improve on God’s word! Furthermore, it promises to make us complete and equipped for every good work. Jesus knows if there is one thing that I ask for on a regular basis it is to be equipped for all that He has called me to do. But, it doesn’t happen by osmosis! We have to be diligent about searching the scriptures daily, committing verses to memory so that “the word of God is near to you, in your heart and in your mouth, that you may observe it” (Deut. 30:14)
Well, poor Joseph! If it isn’t one thing then it’s another! Sold into slavery unjustly and now accused of sexual assault by his boss’s wife! The world would say he could definitely use a change of luck or fate just isn’t on his side! Joseph, however, didn’t see things according to his circumstances but he kept entrusting himself to Him who judges righteously. Rather than seeking exoneration from men, he continued to trust God for his deliverance. Unfortunately, just when it seemed that things couldn’t get any worse….
Read Genesis 40: 1-23
Who were the two officials now imprisoned with Joseph?
Who was to be released and who was to be hanged?
What did the cupbearer do in v. 23?
I have to take a minute to point out something that struck me as funny while I was reading this chapter. It says in verse 7 that Joseph asked these men “Why are your faces so sad today?” Ha! Nevermind the fact that they were in prison and likely to be hanged at any minute! When you are preparing the Pharaoh’s food and drink you better be above board all the time, if not, that could mean disaster for both you and Pharaoh! Can’t you just picture Joseph as the guy who is the eternal optimist? If you are like me( the opposite of the optimist) you almost hate to see these people coming – especially when you’ve had a bad day! There is a difference between encouragement and you-just-don’t-get-it-do-you? I think Joseph got it; he just made an intentional choice to keep his proverbial chin up!
Oneiromancy (try saying that three times quickly or even once quickly for that matter!) is the science or practice of interpreting dreams. This particular profession flourished in Egypt under their pagan religious practices because dreams were thought to determine the future. Joseph and Daniel were the only two Israelites that were given the ability to interpret dreams. Both were very careful to give credit to the Lord for their ability and accuracy. The Lord used both of them at critical times, serving under pagan monarchs, to interpret dreams.
Joseph, upon giving his favorable interpretation to the cupbearer, quickly took advantage of an opportunity that could lead to his release by petitioning the cupbearer, “only keep me in mind when it goes well with you and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house” (v. 14). You see, Joseph knew that if anyone had the ear of the king it would be the man handing him his cup multiple times a day. It seemed like such a small favor to ask of a man who would see the light of day very soon. But verse 23 is a stark reality for Joseph, “yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.”
My mind races through a myriad of emotions. The despair and discouragement Joseph must have felt are almost palpable. I can imagine that for the first few days after the cupbearer’s release anytime Joseph heard footsteps approaching the dungeon he was flooded with excitement thinking this might be his time. After a few weeks, his anticipation grew dim and gave way to the darkness of the dungeon. Months came and went but freedom was nowhere to be found.
Oh, the disappointment with God! And oh, the anger toward the cupbearer! How could he repay the kindness shown to him with such disregard? Here is a man that had been freed and all that was asked of him was a simple petition to Pharaoh; yet he FORGOT!
Have you ever been in a situation where you were relying so heavily on another person for your happiness, your welfare, your future, your release? How often do we place these expectations on another person? We look to our parents, our friends, our co-workers, our bosses, our husbands, our boyfriends, our children, our pastors, our churches to fix it! I have found myself weeping to my husband over our circumstances and him asking me “What do you want me to do?” To which I have pointedly replied, “I want you to fix it!” Just like a child with a hurt that runs to her mother. Unfortunately, the hurts get bigger as we get older and the quick fixes of a band-aid and a kiss no longer hold the same magic that they use to.
When we find ourselves in situations where we are stuck - and Joseph was stuck – the world has a lot of advice but nothing strong enough to support us in the raging storm. No ballast for our ragged sails. The world would tell us to reach within ourselves and try harder. The world would tell us to get revenge on the cupbearer the next time we had the opportunity. The world would tell us that it never pays to look out for someone else above yourself; it’s a dog-eat-dog world! Lastly, the world would tell us that we have just had some bad luck and our luck will eventually change.
If you have learned anything by now I hope that you have learned that there is no such thing as luck or fate. There is only One who controls our lives, who holds times and seasons in His hands! He says in Daniel 5:23, I am “the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways”. If every breath that I take is dependent upon a sovereign God then how can I believe there is anything left to fate? If the hairs of your head are numbered (Matt. 10:30), your name is inscribed on His palms (Is. 49:16) and He collects your tears in a bottle (Ps. 56:8) then how are your days left to chance? They are not, beloved, they are not!
Everything that happens to you is in His hands and you can rest assured that He makes no mistakes but timing is everything. Scripture talks repeatedly of waiting on the Lord. “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Scripture also says that the Lord “waits to be gracious to us” (Isaiah 30:18ESV). Joseph’s situation was not the result of an inept cupbearer but a providential God.
When you hear that, what is your initial reaction? Are you comforted or anxious? Do you realize that the good and the bad are all instruments in the hands of a divine Carpenter who is shaping us to look like Christ? This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where we learn that maybe our theology has been mixed with a little bit of the world’s philosophy.
We have come to associate love with comfort, sentimentality and good feelings. When something hurts or does not feel good then we believe that this is not love. We have defined love as a feeling rather than an action. Remember the scripture from yesterday that said, “God DEMONSTRATED His love for us in this: that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Love is an action. There used to be a D.C. Talk song called “Love is a verb.” This is true. I love the people around me by doing for them not merely talking about it.
At the beginning of this series I brought up the statement that many of us identify with the thought “God is not good.” We have been able to say this based on how we define love. Where we have gone wrong is not only in the definition of love but also in how we understand God’s love. James MacDonald says, “God’s love is not a pampering love. God’s love is a perfecting love.” Do you get that? His ultimate love for us is making us into the image of Jesus not making us comfortable. After all, Jesus wasn’t comfortable and He was God!
As we draw to a close for the day, let me encourage you. I know these are hard sayings. This is not for the faint of heart. Scripture even confirms in Hebrews 12:11 that “all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Sweet one, I want you to realize that there is never a reason for us to be disappointed in the Lord. He has only good for us if we will hold on! Indeed, the Lord waits to be gracious to us. His timing is everything.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Disappointed: Day Two
When we left yesterday Joseph was on his way to Egypt because of an evil plot from his brothers that was silently underwritten by the mighty hand of God. Although God is not the author of sin, He still has authority over it! We looked at the definition of God’s sovereignty and how it is vital to our spiritual walk to begin to accept His providence in all things. We also learned that all testing, trial and tribulation brought on by our circumstances is ultimately filtered through the hand of the Almighty.
It is good for us to lay the proper foundation in order to handle the twists and turns we will encounter as we move through our study. One such turn awaits us today. Read Genesis 39: 1-20.
Who was Potiphar? What was Joseph in charge of? Why?
Upon arrival in Egypt, the Midianites didn’t sell Joseph to just anybody. Joseph was sold to Potiphar, a man who was in charge of the royal guards. The NASB says, “the captain of the bodyguard.” The man who is captain over the men who guard Pharaoh is no joke! He isn’t the police chief, he is the head of the secret service!
So Joseph is automatically placed in a home of high standing within the Egyptian government. This was almost unheard of based on the fact that Joseph was an illegal alien so to speak. Joseph was a Hebrew so he was a foreigner for starters.
Secondly, he was not a known entity. He hadn’t been in Egypt for a while, he didn’t come with credentials but yet he was a servant inside Potiphar’s house. Furthermore, in short order, he was placed in charge of everything Potiphar owned. It states in verse 8, “There is no one greater in this house than I.”
This is direct evidence that God’s hand continued to guide, bless and orchestrate everything that happened to Joseph. Well, I must say, if you have to be sold into slavery then this is the way to go. No doubt, things could have been much worse. I wonder if he thought about going home? I’m sure he thought often of his family but did he feel like his fate was sealed? Or did he hold out hope that one day he might see them again?
Despite his current circumstances, Joseph continued to serve the Lord with diligence. I am drawn to one particular phrase at the end of verse 9. Joseph tells Potiphar’s wife, “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God.” Joseph was not embittered over his circumstances. His utmost concern was to be obedient to the Lord in all things. So when Potiphar’s wife pursued him sexually his concern was first to the Lord. Sure the sin would have been against Potiphar but more importantly the Lord. Joseph’s trust and faithfulness to the Lord never waned, in fact, it seemed to grow!
That is the funny thing with trials. When we are in times of testing we can either draw close to the Lord or pull away. I have done both. I am not proud to admit that my first instinct quite often is to pull away, to lash out. However, the times when I have chosen to draw close are a sweet time between us! I have often found myself longing for that kind of intimacy when all is right with the world. It seems that there is no dependence that compares to a genuine need for help in distress. A time when “I need thee every hour”!
I can’t say that I wouldn’t have been bitter though. I can’t say I wouldn’t have been angry with the Lord for the injustice that got me to Egypt in the first place and now this? Are you kidding? Minding my own business, still faithfully serving and then trouble finds me! No vindication, no witnesses to defend me and now prison. Are you scratching your head? Or better yet, has your jaw dropped while you shake your head in disbelief? Me too!
It seems that our hero is on a highway headed straight to hopelessness! But in the last few verses of our chapter we see once again the hand of the Lord moving. Finish chapter 39 by reading verses 21-23.
Isn’t this a glimmer of hope in the midst of dismal despair? This is evidence of the sweetness of the God that we serve. I have a particular verse that I cling to often in the midst of trials that is a lifeline to me in times of seemingly utter despair. It was written by David and expresses a desire to see the goodness of the Lord prevail.
Psalm 27:13, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
There is something within us that fights for justice and vengeance. We long for things to be made right and when we are at a crossroads where it seems that all is undone we cannot help but feel deep within our spirits that this is not the way it was meant to be. The truth is, this isn’t the way it was meant to be. It was never meant for sin to enter into a perfect world where we had complete communion with God. It was never meant that our hearts would devise evil against others and that our feet would run quickly to shed blood. It was never meant for spouses to be unfaithful, hatred and envy to rule and death to reign.
Furthermore, we cannot escape the witness of our hearts that testifies to the fact that sin is not the way it should be. “In that [we] show the work of the Law written in [our] hearts, [our] conscience bearing witness to [our] thoughts alternately accusing or defending [us]” (Romans 2:15). Our conscience tells us either by guilt or by approval whether something is right or not. Leaving circumstances undone causes us to fight for something that we believe to be right. There have been many times when I have pleaded with the Lord, “you just can’t leave it this way! There has to be a different ending!”
Praise God there is a better ending, indeed the best ending, in the shape of a cross. Jesus came to make straight the crooked paths and to open the lifegate that was once closed by sin. Sin is not the end, it is not the way it is supposed to be and our gracious God did not leave it that way. He has not left sin unattended or the sinner unredeemed. Sin has been addressed and the goodness of the Lord has already prevailed!
Listen girls, we have got to stop looking at our circumstances as indication of how God feels about us and look at the cross! The cross shows us how God feels about us once and for all! “What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Do you get that? While you were still unlovable, a wretched sinner, Christ died for you. Not after you were cleaned up. Not after you had done a few charitable deeds. While we were still sinners. God’s love for you is not dependent upon you. God’s love is dependent upon Himself, His character and His great name. He has saved you for His name’s sake. He will see it through, He will see YOU through!
My encouragement to you today as we close is this: It is so easy to despair under our circumstances. It is so easy to become disappointed in God when we have an acute focus on today. Broaden your scope to include the cross! Refocus the lens and look through the nail pierced hands to see the truth about how God feels about you.
Joseph might have been in the dungeon but he wasn’t in despair. He believed he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Do you sweet sister? Do you?
It is good for us to lay the proper foundation in order to handle the twists and turns we will encounter as we move through our study. One such turn awaits us today. Read Genesis 39: 1-20.
Who was Potiphar? What was Joseph in charge of? Why?
Upon arrival in Egypt, the Midianites didn’t sell Joseph to just anybody. Joseph was sold to Potiphar, a man who was in charge of the royal guards. The NASB says, “the captain of the bodyguard.” The man who is captain over the men who guard Pharaoh is no joke! He isn’t the police chief, he is the head of the secret service!
So Joseph is automatically placed in a home of high standing within the Egyptian government. This was almost unheard of based on the fact that Joseph was an illegal alien so to speak. Joseph was a Hebrew so he was a foreigner for starters.
Secondly, he was not a known entity. He hadn’t been in Egypt for a while, he didn’t come with credentials but yet he was a servant inside Potiphar’s house. Furthermore, in short order, he was placed in charge of everything Potiphar owned. It states in verse 8, “There is no one greater in this house than I.”
This is direct evidence that God’s hand continued to guide, bless and orchestrate everything that happened to Joseph. Well, I must say, if you have to be sold into slavery then this is the way to go. No doubt, things could have been much worse. I wonder if he thought about going home? I’m sure he thought often of his family but did he feel like his fate was sealed? Or did he hold out hope that one day he might see them again?
Despite his current circumstances, Joseph continued to serve the Lord with diligence. I am drawn to one particular phrase at the end of verse 9. Joseph tells Potiphar’s wife, “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God.” Joseph was not embittered over his circumstances. His utmost concern was to be obedient to the Lord in all things. So when Potiphar’s wife pursued him sexually his concern was first to the Lord. Sure the sin would have been against Potiphar but more importantly the Lord. Joseph’s trust and faithfulness to the Lord never waned, in fact, it seemed to grow!
That is the funny thing with trials. When we are in times of testing we can either draw close to the Lord or pull away. I have done both. I am not proud to admit that my first instinct quite often is to pull away, to lash out. However, the times when I have chosen to draw close are a sweet time between us! I have often found myself longing for that kind of intimacy when all is right with the world. It seems that there is no dependence that compares to a genuine need for help in distress. A time when “I need thee every hour”!
I can’t say that I wouldn’t have been bitter though. I can’t say I wouldn’t have been angry with the Lord for the injustice that got me to Egypt in the first place and now this? Are you kidding? Minding my own business, still faithfully serving and then trouble finds me! No vindication, no witnesses to defend me and now prison. Are you scratching your head? Or better yet, has your jaw dropped while you shake your head in disbelief? Me too!
It seems that our hero is on a highway headed straight to hopelessness! But in the last few verses of our chapter we see once again the hand of the Lord moving. Finish chapter 39 by reading verses 21-23.
Isn’t this a glimmer of hope in the midst of dismal despair? This is evidence of the sweetness of the God that we serve. I have a particular verse that I cling to often in the midst of trials that is a lifeline to me in times of seemingly utter despair. It was written by David and expresses a desire to see the goodness of the Lord prevail.
Psalm 27:13, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
There is something within us that fights for justice and vengeance. We long for things to be made right and when we are at a crossroads where it seems that all is undone we cannot help but feel deep within our spirits that this is not the way it was meant to be. The truth is, this isn’t the way it was meant to be. It was never meant for sin to enter into a perfect world where we had complete communion with God. It was never meant that our hearts would devise evil against others and that our feet would run quickly to shed blood. It was never meant for spouses to be unfaithful, hatred and envy to rule and death to reign.
Furthermore, we cannot escape the witness of our hearts that testifies to the fact that sin is not the way it should be. “In that [we] show the work of the Law written in [our] hearts, [our] conscience bearing witness to [our] thoughts alternately accusing or defending [us]” (Romans 2:15). Our conscience tells us either by guilt or by approval whether something is right or not. Leaving circumstances undone causes us to fight for something that we believe to be right. There have been many times when I have pleaded with the Lord, “you just can’t leave it this way! There has to be a different ending!”
Praise God there is a better ending, indeed the best ending, in the shape of a cross. Jesus came to make straight the crooked paths and to open the lifegate that was once closed by sin. Sin is not the end, it is not the way it is supposed to be and our gracious God did not leave it that way. He has not left sin unattended or the sinner unredeemed. Sin has been addressed and the goodness of the Lord has already prevailed!
Listen girls, we have got to stop looking at our circumstances as indication of how God feels about us and look at the cross! The cross shows us how God feels about us once and for all! “What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Do you get that? While you were still unlovable, a wretched sinner, Christ died for you. Not after you were cleaned up. Not after you had done a few charitable deeds. While we were still sinners. God’s love for you is not dependent upon you. God’s love is dependent upon Himself, His character and His great name. He has saved you for His name’s sake. He will see it through, He will see YOU through!
My encouragement to you today as we close is this: It is so easy to despair under our circumstances. It is so easy to become disappointed in God when we have an acute focus on today. Broaden your scope to include the cross! Refocus the lens and look through the nail pierced hands to see the truth about how God feels about you.
Joseph might have been in the dungeon but he wasn’t in despair. He believed he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Do you sweet sister? Do you?
Monday, January 9, 2012
Disappointed: Day One
Our story begins on the pages of Genesis 37 and continues through chapter 50. For the sake of time, we will focus in on the verses that deal most specifically with our lessons but I will do my best to fill in the gaps for you. However, it might help to read the whole story in its entirety to familiarize yourself with the characters and the overall direction of Joseph’s life. It is a nail biter for sure!
(As a side note, chapter 38 does not follow Joseph’s story line so in order to avoid confusion you might choose to skip over that chapter and pick up in chapter 39.)
When we meet Joseph, he is 17, his father’s favorite, an interpreter of dreams and despised by his brothers. You might say that Joseph had lived a charmed life up to this point and was an easy target for his brothers’ hatred and envy. You may be most familiar with Joseph in the story of the coat of many colors. Even though he may have been spoiled, scripture never records a time when Joseph sinned. That’s not to say that he never sinned but his character was regularly above reproach.
Let’s pick up in Genesis 37: 12-17.
Where are Joseph’s brothers originally going to shepherd the flock?
Where did they end up?
Let’s take a little detour here for a minute. We often hear people talk about the sovereignty of God but many of us do not fully understand this concept. The sovereignty of God is defined this way by theopedia.com: “The Sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God’s rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission.” In other words, to say that God is sovereign is to say that God is God and nothing takes Him by surprise. He not only has the right to rule and control but He also has the power to rule and control all things. (Eph. 1:11; Ps. 115:3)
Joseph’s brothers starting out for Shechem and ending up in Dothan is an example of God’s sovereignty. Dothan was about 15 miles north of Shechem and was located along the main trade route to Egypt. This made it more convenient for contacts with merchants traveling to Egypt. Keep this in mind as you read on in verses 18 – 35.
Whose idea was it to sell Joseph?
What did they do as a cover up for their betrayal?
Remember the little bit of trivia we learned about Dothan in the last paragraph? Had Joseph’s brothers stayed in Shechem the plot to sell him into slavery would not have worked. If we look on the dark side, he may have ended up dead as was the original plan. If we look on the bright side, this gave Judah a way to suggest how to dispose of Joseph without murdering him. We have no indication in scripture why they moved to Dothan but we do know that this was not simply a decision they made for one reason or another. It was all part of the providence of God in their lives.
It is interesting to think that there are times when we make logical decisions based on a need or responsibility and God is using those decisions to bring us to a Dothan in our own lives. God is always a thousand steps ahead of us. Scripture says, “He knows the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). That will always be a dividing line for us as believers and unbelievers. The flesh chaffs at that thought but the spirit comforts in a God who filters all of our days through His hands. Beloved, you are held tightly in the palm of the hand of an Almighty God and there is nothing that will happen to you apart from His purposes.
Scripture is clear that NONE of God’s plans can be thwarted (Job 42:2)! So our enemies and our ENEMY can try as they may to harm us but nothing happens without His permission! Did you realize that? Look at Job 1:6-12. Satan had to ask permission from the Lord before he had the ability to test Job and even then God placed certain parameters on that testing.
Read Luke 22:31. What does Jesus tell Simon Peter?
So you see, nothing happens to us apart from the watchful eye of El Roi, the God Who Sees! Ladies, we will have to come to grips with this and accept it by faith in order to move on in our walk with the Lord. God’s sovereignty is never separated from who He is and you will continue to bump into this for the rest of your life as long as you serve Him. We will see it over and over in the life of Joseph. It is something that the finite mind cannot completely grasp but that which the spirit knows is right. It is a hard saying but either we believe when it comes down to it that God is good or He isn’t. And if He isn’t then we have to ask ourselves why we are serving, submitting and promoting a God that wants to harm us. If we say that isn’t correct either, then we have to begin to live what we believe…otherwise we are hypocrites.
As we finish up day one we see the unfavorable turn of events in Joseph’s life. I am struck with a few questions to ponder as I try to imagine what Joseph must have felt. How complicated his feelings must have been as he journeyed to Egypt; as he went from anger, to hurt, to fear, to betrayal and back again. Joseph was just doing what his father had asked him to do. He was being obedient for goodness sake! How is it that God would allow this to happen not as a result of sin in his life but to fulfill his purpose? That is hard to swallow is it not? He didn’t fall in among thieves or find himself attacked by strangers. He was betrayed by those whom he had grown up with, trusted, and felt a sense of security. What would happen to him?
Do you suppose that on his journey he ever asked God, “Why?” In between prayers for protection and peace do you think the thought crossed his mind to wonder? Scripture doesn’t tell us so we can only speculate. I imagine if Joseph did not question God’s goodness at that point that he would before long. Sometimes at the outset it is easy to trust the Lord. A few days into the circumstance, our faith wanes, God delays and we begin to wonder, “God, what are you doing?” It is in that moment we have a choice. We can choose to believe that God is good based on the authority of His word that proclaims it is so. Or we can begin a slow mental descent into a pit full of lies.
One thing we know, as trouble doubled over trouble in Joseph’s life, he chose to believe God, to trust him even when he couldn’t see how this could all work out…do you?
(As a side note, chapter 38 does not follow Joseph’s story line so in order to avoid confusion you might choose to skip over that chapter and pick up in chapter 39.)
When we meet Joseph, he is 17, his father’s favorite, an interpreter of dreams and despised by his brothers. You might say that Joseph had lived a charmed life up to this point and was an easy target for his brothers’ hatred and envy. You may be most familiar with Joseph in the story of the coat of many colors. Even though he may have been spoiled, scripture never records a time when Joseph sinned. That’s not to say that he never sinned but his character was regularly above reproach.
Let’s pick up in Genesis 37: 12-17.
Where are Joseph’s brothers originally going to shepherd the flock?
Where did they end up?
Let’s take a little detour here for a minute. We often hear people talk about the sovereignty of God but many of us do not fully understand this concept. The sovereignty of God is defined this way by theopedia.com: “The Sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God’s rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission.” In other words, to say that God is sovereign is to say that God is God and nothing takes Him by surprise. He not only has the right to rule and control but He also has the power to rule and control all things. (Eph. 1:11; Ps. 115:3)
Joseph’s brothers starting out for Shechem and ending up in Dothan is an example of God’s sovereignty. Dothan was about 15 miles north of Shechem and was located along the main trade route to Egypt. This made it more convenient for contacts with merchants traveling to Egypt. Keep this in mind as you read on in verses 18 – 35.
Whose idea was it to sell Joseph?
What did they do as a cover up for their betrayal?
Remember the little bit of trivia we learned about Dothan in the last paragraph? Had Joseph’s brothers stayed in Shechem the plot to sell him into slavery would not have worked. If we look on the dark side, he may have ended up dead as was the original plan. If we look on the bright side, this gave Judah a way to suggest how to dispose of Joseph without murdering him. We have no indication in scripture why they moved to Dothan but we do know that this was not simply a decision they made for one reason or another. It was all part of the providence of God in their lives.
It is interesting to think that there are times when we make logical decisions based on a need or responsibility and God is using those decisions to bring us to a Dothan in our own lives. God is always a thousand steps ahead of us. Scripture says, “He knows the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). That will always be a dividing line for us as believers and unbelievers. The flesh chaffs at that thought but the spirit comforts in a God who filters all of our days through His hands. Beloved, you are held tightly in the palm of the hand of an Almighty God and there is nothing that will happen to you apart from His purposes.
Scripture is clear that NONE of God’s plans can be thwarted (Job 42:2)! So our enemies and our ENEMY can try as they may to harm us but nothing happens without His permission! Did you realize that? Look at Job 1:6-12. Satan had to ask permission from the Lord before he had the ability to test Job and even then God placed certain parameters on that testing.
Read Luke 22:31. What does Jesus tell Simon Peter?
So you see, nothing happens to us apart from the watchful eye of El Roi, the God Who Sees! Ladies, we will have to come to grips with this and accept it by faith in order to move on in our walk with the Lord. God’s sovereignty is never separated from who He is and you will continue to bump into this for the rest of your life as long as you serve Him. We will see it over and over in the life of Joseph. It is something that the finite mind cannot completely grasp but that which the spirit knows is right. It is a hard saying but either we believe when it comes down to it that God is good or He isn’t. And if He isn’t then we have to ask ourselves why we are serving, submitting and promoting a God that wants to harm us. If we say that isn’t correct either, then we have to begin to live what we believe…otherwise we are hypocrites.
As we finish up day one we see the unfavorable turn of events in Joseph’s life. I am struck with a few questions to ponder as I try to imagine what Joseph must have felt. How complicated his feelings must have been as he journeyed to Egypt; as he went from anger, to hurt, to fear, to betrayal and back again. Joseph was just doing what his father had asked him to do. He was being obedient for goodness sake! How is it that God would allow this to happen not as a result of sin in his life but to fulfill his purpose? That is hard to swallow is it not? He didn’t fall in among thieves or find himself attacked by strangers. He was betrayed by those whom he had grown up with, trusted, and felt a sense of security. What would happen to him?
Do you suppose that on his journey he ever asked God, “Why?” In between prayers for protection and peace do you think the thought crossed his mind to wonder? Scripture doesn’t tell us so we can only speculate. I imagine if Joseph did not question God’s goodness at that point that he would before long. Sometimes at the outset it is easy to trust the Lord. A few days into the circumstance, our faith wanes, God delays and we begin to wonder, “God, what are you doing?” It is in that moment we have a choice. We can choose to believe that God is good based on the authority of His word that proclaims it is so. Or we can begin a slow mental descent into a pit full of lies.
One thing we know, as trouble doubled over trouble in Joseph’s life, he chose to believe God, to trust him even when he couldn’t see how this could all work out…do you?
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Disappointed in God - Intro
So, needless to say I haven’t had much time to write over the holidays. I was determined not to have a repeat of last year therefore, I made sure to put everything in perspective. For example, I put up two trees instead of three but only put a handful of ornaments on one. Yep, a self-professed Christmas décor-a-holic managed to barely decorate at all. Secretly, it was wonderful! I am trying to get to the point where Christmas is smaller each year and God is bigger. For this year, it worked! Not to mention the stress level was much less than in years’ past. I can actually say “I enjoyed Christmas!” Praise the Lord for everyone involved!
It would normally be at this time that I would write about a New Year’s resolution. I think I remember last year writing about a marathon, memorizing the book of James and…the other escapes me. Well, I am here to report that 1) there was no marathon run in the McBride house this year and 2) I made it about half way into the second chapter of James before losing steam. My track record isn’t very good. We might be better off calling them New Years’ –goals-I-could-never-attain-in-a-million-years-but-it-sounds-good-on-paper! Sometimes I think it is best to just aim low so that we are always pleasantly surprised…and that, my friends, may be my New Year’s resolution!
After a good laugh, I want to quickly get down to business and approach two very difficult statements that are silently plaguing believers. Thoughts that are almost never discussed in Christian circles and would be considered close to blasphemy for most believers. A good portion of us would never admit that we are or ever have been disappointed with God. Furthermore, we would struggle to verbalize our concern that maybe God is not good. I believe that many of us have thought these things but would fall short in saying the words out loud. Indeed, it sounds really bad to say, “I am disappointed in God!” Sure, people who are self-proclaimed unbelievers freely express their dissatisfaction and anger towards a God that they do not serve. However, to admit such strong negative emotion within the walls of church makes people uncomfortable; maybe because we don’t know how to respond.
The truth is, as believers, the Holy Spirit testifies within us to the goodness of God. When we make statements like these it goes against what is in our hearts but there are still times in life when we question the goodness of God. How do you claim Jesus as Savior yet ardently feel that God may not really be good? We cannot separate being disappointed with God and questioning His goodness. The two are inextricably linked.
Recently, I was talking with a dear friend and we were very candid about times when we had been either angry or disappointed with God. Admittedly, it was very hard to verbalize that to her. “Yes, I have been disappointed with the way God worked in this particular situation” or “When this occurred I was so angry with the Lord and I thought how can God be good?” As we talked, I began to realize that there are many believers who feel this way but never talk about it for fear of being judged or thought heretics! I think it is fair to say that most of us can think of a time in our lives when we were disappointed with God, questioned His goodness or both. I would be willing to say that for most of us, it has been more than once. Maybe you feel that way right now…
For some of us it has to do with the death of a loved one. For others, it is an unmet expectation, betrayal by a spouse or trusted friend, financial difficulty or a wayward child. No matter what the circumstance, what we are really saying is “God, why have you chosen to work in this way? If you are good and you love me as a Father and nothing is impossible for you then why this?”
I want to clarify that I am not talking about consequences we are experiencing from disobedience. God is always merciful to His children in their sin! The cross is the greatest picture of that reality. However, we rarely get to decide what our consequences will be and how long they will last. For this study, I am focusing on a season of testing when, like Job or Peter, or in this case Joseph, we are sifted as wheat by the sovereign hand of God. There is a difference between a spanking and chastening. The bible says “the Lord chastens (some translations say disciplines) those He loves” (Hebrews 12:6). Sometimes in life there are GOOD lessons that are only learned the hard way.
In looking at the life of Joseph, we will come to understand the full weight of a life where there were often more questions than answers. This study will by no means be exhaustive but it might help to shed some light on our disappointments and the sovereignty of God. Then, I hope to be able to guide you onto higher ground. Sometimes, gaining an aerial view of life and a deeper understanding of the character of God exposes lies that we have believed. One thing is for sure ladies, God is not deterred or put off with our disappointment. He is a big God and He already knows, before you say a word, what you feel.
As we begin this study, take some time to think about times in your life when you have been angry or disappointed with the Lord. Journal about these experiences and your feelings surrounding those particular circumstances. Ask the Lord to show you how this may not have been accurate and to prepare your heart for this study.
It would normally be at this time that I would write about a New Year’s resolution. I think I remember last year writing about a marathon, memorizing the book of James and…the other escapes me. Well, I am here to report that 1) there was no marathon run in the McBride house this year and 2) I made it about half way into the second chapter of James before losing steam. My track record isn’t very good. We might be better off calling them New Years’ –goals-I-could-never-attain-in-a-million-years-but-it-sounds-good-on-paper! Sometimes I think it is best to just aim low so that we are always pleasantly surprised…and that, my friends, may be my New Year’s resolution!
After a good laugh, I want to quickly get down to business and approach two very difficult statements that are silently plaguing believers. Thoughts that are almost never discussed in Christian circles and would be considered close to blasphemy for most believers. A good portion of us would never admit that we are or ever have been disappointed with God. Furthermore, we would struggle to verbalize our concern that maybe God is not good. I believe that many of us have thought these things but would fall short in saying the words out loud. Indeed, it sounds really bad to say, “I am disappointed in God!” Sure, people who are self-proclaimed unbelievers freely express their dissatisfaction and anger towards a God that they do not serve. However, to admit such strong negative emotion within the walls of church makes people uncomfortable; maybe because we don’t know how to respond.
The truth is, as believers, the Holy Spirit testifies within us to the goodness of God. When we make statements like these it goes against what is in our hearts but there are still times in life when we question the goodness of God. How do you claim Jesus as Savior yet ardently feel that God may not really be good? We cannot separate being disappointed with God and questioning His goodness. The two are inextricably linked.
Recently, I was talking with a dear friend and we were very candid about times when we had been either angry or disappointed with God. Admittedly, it was very hard to verbalize that to her. “Yes, I have been disappointed with the way God worked in this particular situation” or “When this occurred I was so angry with the Lord and I thought how can God be good?” As we talked, I began to realize that there are many believers who feel this way but never talk about it for fear of being judged or thought heretics! I think it is fair to say that most of us can think of a time in our lives when we were disappointed with God, questioned His goodness or both. I would be willing to say that for most of us, it has been more than once. Maybe you feel that way right now…
For some of us it has to do with the death of a loved one. For others, it is an unmet expectation, betrayal by a spouse or trusted friend, financial difficulty or a wayward child. No matter what the circumstance, what we are really saying is “God, why have you chosen to work in this way? If you are good and you love me as a Father and nothing is impossible for you then why this?”
I want to clarify that I am not talking about consequences we are experiencing from disobedience. God is always merciful to His children in their sin! The cross is the greatest picture of that reality. However, we rarely get to decide what our consequences will be and how long they will last. For this study, I am focusing on a season of testing when, like Job or Peter, or in this case Joseph, we are sifted as wheat by the sovereign hand of God. There is a difference between a spanking and chastening. The bible says “the Lord chastens (some translations say disciplines) those He loves” (Hebrews 12:6). Sometimes in life there are GOOD lessons that are only learned the hard way.
In looking at the life of Joseph, we will come to understand the full weight of a life where there were often more questions than answers. This study will by no means be exhaustive but it might help to shed some light on our disappointments and the sovereignty of God. Then, I hope to be able to guide you onto higher ground. Sometimes, gaining an aerial view of life and a deeper understanding of the character of God exposes lies that we have believed. One thing is for sure ladies, God is not deterred or put off with our disappointment. He is a big God and He already knows, before you say a word, what you feel.
As we begin this study, take some time to think about times in your life when you have been angry or disappointed with the Lord. Journal about these experiences and your feelings surrounding those particular circumstances. Ask the Lord to show you how this may not have been accurate and to prepare your heart for this study.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Wisdom vs. Foolishness
A wise woman once said wisdom is defined by looking at your past and present then adjusting the decisions that shape your future to get a better result. Foolishness is defined by doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. Actually, I think that’s the definition of insanity but foolishness and insanity aren’t far apart on the org chart! Too much foolishness can lead to insanity. You know, the truth is, it is just plain smart to take a look at our lives and ask the question, “How’s that working for you?”
There isn’t much else that gets me going like looking out over the landscape of our middle schools, high schools and college campuses and seeing young women simply “acting a fool!” I know it seems more and more that I am giving single women a hard time. In reality, I am grieved. I want so badly for young women to really grasp what they look like and catch a vision for change! I have a quote that becomes more and more real to me every time I read it. I will spare you the entire quote because it is lengthy but the gist is that women set the tone for every part of our world! Even civilizations are upheld by women knowing their role, standing for morality and overall encouraging others to do the right thing. When women lose their bearings, their perspective, their values then the very foundations of a nation are at stake.
So here is my question, “Why are we living our lives as women like men are the only thing we have going?” If you know me at all, you know I am not a man-hater or a feminist. I am happily married to a wonderful man but he isn’t everything to me! He isn’t my stability and he isn’t my happiness. He doesn’t fulfill me and he isn’t my soul mate. (Sounds like a match made in heaven right??) He brings me happiness, at times and he works to provide stability but all of that could be dashed in a second if he lost his job or left me. We still have crisis, we still have illness and debt and devastation. Truthfully, there isn’t anyone or anything on this earth that can provide consistent stability, comfort or happiness.
I am pained that so many of you are looking for something in marriage and a husband that only exists in the movies. I am even more pained that most will not listen to women who are older, wiser and already married. Listen closely when I say, “Marriage will not only be the single most important decision you make in life(aside from Jesus) but it will most likely be the single greatest source of sanctification in your life.” Learning to live and do life with another person, who is sinful just like you will either pull you closer to the Lord or farther apart from one another. I grow closer to Kraig as I grow closer to the Lord. As I grow apart from the Lord, I grow apart from Kraig. My spiritual barometer is in direct correlation to the condition of my marriage. This has been an invaluable lesson and one that was not learned quickly or easily!! That’s free…
So girls, here are a few things I want to say to you in love as a spectator who truly wants the best for the next generation of women AND men AND marriage:
First, get a proper view of biblical womanhood, manhood and marriage. Don’t put the proverbial cart before the horse! Know what you are called to be and what you ARE NOT called to be. Know what your role and responsibilities are and begin to live those out in your life now. I’ve always said, “You have to be the right person to find the right person!” No woman ever needed a man to 1) make her a woman, 2) make her a complete woman or 3) make her a godly woman. If your desire is to be the Proverbs 31 woman then get to it!
Second, please set some standards!! You don’t have to be domineering but you do have to have standards. I have to rest here for a minute because this is uber important!! Why are we content to be the leftovers, the last resort or the rebound? Men treat us this way because we allow it. My Mom once told me, “Honey, you teach a man how to treat you!” Oh goodness, did she hit the nail on the head or what?? No man is going to treat me like gum on his shoe unless I let him! By the way, if he isn’t proud to show you off to his friends, his Mama and the world then it’s time to move on…next! Stop believing that he is feeling “other than” his actions are indicating…if he isn’t pursuing then you aren’t important to him, no matter what he says! His phone isn’t broken, he hasn’t lost your number and his grades aren’t that much of a priority. As my husband always says, “Guys are simple. If they’re interested you’ll know. If they aren’t…you’ll know.” (By the way, I hope reading some of this makes you mad instead of sad! I hope that this will spur you on to change!)
Third, don’t be anxious (Phil. 4:5). Sometimes you have to realize it’s not your time; this is not God’s time for you. Do you trust Him to give you the very best or are you just giving lip service? Listen, when we get anxious then we get impatient and when we get impatient then we get desperate and when we get desperate then we start to make poor choices. If you have your sites on a “ring by spring” so you can graduate in May and marry in June you are likely to be miserable by December.
To sum up: Set your standards high and live them! Don’t compromise, trust the Lord and respect yourself!!
A side note to Moms: As you have always set the tone for how your daughter deals with all other aspects of her life, set the tone for your daughter in her relationships. You have no idea how much weight you really have and how important your guidance is beyond the age of 18! If you get overly involved, overly emotional, start talking marriage and get devastated along with her over every guy she brings home then she will feel pressure from not only her friends but you as well. Don’t be her friend, be her mother. You are wiser than her! Teach her from your wisdom! Show compassion but instill strength in her…set the tone!! Above all, bring her to the cross to find her identify and worth. The cross determines Christ’s love for us..it is immense. So immense that He determined how He would reconcile us to Himself before He even created the world! At the time when God seemed most out of control, He was doing His greatest work. Instruct your daughters that even when it seems that God has lost control, He may be doing His greatest work! Our circumstances do not determine God’s love for us but the cross does! Marriage is a beautiful reflection of this truth and is not to be entered into UNADVISEDLY!! Advise, advise, advise! I am praying for all of you!
There isn’t much else that gets me going like looking out over the landscape of our middle schools, high schools and college campuses and seeing young women simply “acting a fool!” I know it seems more and more that I am giving single women a hard time. In reality, I am grieved. I want so badly for young women to really grasp what they look like and catch a vision for change! I have a quote that becomes more and more real to me every time I read it. I will spare you the entire quote because it is lengthy but the gist is that women set the tone for every part of our world! Even civilizations are upheld by women knowing their role, standing for morality and overall encouraging others to do the right thing. When women lose their bearings, their perspective, their values then the very foundations of a nation are at stake.
So here is my question, “Why are we living our lives as women like men are the only thing we have going?” If you know me at all, you know I am not a man-hater or a feminist. I am happily married to a wonderful man but he isn’t everything to me! He isn’t my stability and he isn’t my happiness. He doesn’t fulfill me and he isn’t my soul mate. (Sounds like a match made in heaven right??) He brings me happiness, at times and he works to provide stability but all of that could be dashed in a second if he lost his job or left me. We still have crisis, we still have illness and debt and devastation. Truthfully, there isn’t anyone or anything on this earth that can provide consistent stability, comfort or happiness.
I am pained that so many of you are looking for something in marriage and a husband that only exists in the movies. I am even more pained that most will not listen to women who are older, wiser and already married. Listen closely when I say, “Marriage will not only be the single most important decision you make in life(aside from Jesus) but it will most likely be the single greatest source of sanctification in your life.” Learning to live and do life with another person, who is sinful just like you will either pull you closer to the Lord or farther apart from one another. I grow closer to Kraig as I grow closer to the Lord. As I grow apart from the Lord, I grow apart from Kraig. My spiritual barometer is in direct correlation to the condition of my marriage. This has been an invaluable lesson and one that was not learned quickly or easily!! That’s free…
So girls, here are a few things I want to say to you in love as a spectator who truly wants the best for the next generation of women AND men AND marriage:
First, get a proper view of biblical womanhood, manhood and marriage. Don’t put the proverbial cart before the horse! Know what you are called to be and what you ARE NOT called to be. Know what your role and responsibilities are and begin to live those out in your life now. I’ve always said, “You have to be the right person to find the right person!” No woman ever needed a man to 1) make her a woman, 2) make her a complete woman or 3) make her a godly woman. If your desire is to be the Proverbs 31 woman then get to it!
Second, please set some standards!! You don’t have to be domineering but you do have to have standards. I have to rest here for a minute because this is uber important!! Why are we content to be the leftovers, the last resort or the rebound? Men treat us this way because we allow it. My Mom once told me, “Honey, you teach a man how to treat you!” Oh goodness, did she hit the nail on the head or what?? No man is going to treat me like gum on his shoe unless I let him! By the way, if he isn’t proud to show you off to his friends, his Mama and the world then it’s time to move on…next! Stop believing that he is feeling “other than” his actions are indicating…if he isn’t pursuing then you aren’t important to him, no matter what he says! His phone isn’t broken, he hasn’t lost your number and his grades aren’t that much of a priority. As my husband always says, “Guys are simple. If they’re interested you’ll know. If they aren’t…you’ll know.” (By the way, I hope reading some of this makes you mad instead of sad! I hope that this will spur you on to change!)
Third, don’t be anxious (Phil. 4:5). Sometimes you have to realize it’s not your time; this is not God’s time for you. Do you trust Him to give you the very best or are you just giving lip service? Listen, when we get anxious then we get impatient and when we get impatient then we get desperate and when we get desperate then we start to make poor choices. If you have your sites on a “ring by spring” so you can graduate in May and marry in June you are likely to be miserable by December.
To sum up: Set your standards high and live them! Don’t compromise, trust the Lord and respect yourself!!
A side note to Moms: As you have always set the tone for how your daughter deals with all other aspects of her life, set the tone for your daughter in her relationships. You have no idea how much weight you really have and how important your guidance is beyond the age of 18! If you get overly involved, overly emotional, start talking marriage and get devastated along with her over every guy she brings home then she will feel pressure from not only her friends but you as well. Don’t be her friend, be her mother. You are wiser than her! Teach her from your wisdom! Show compassion but instill strength in her…set the tone!! Above all, bring her to the cross to find her identify and worth. The cross determines Christ’s love for us..it is immense. So immense that He determined how He would reconcile us to Himself before He even created the world! At the time when God seemed most out of control, He was doing His greatest work. Instruct your daughters that even when it seems that God has lost control, He may be doing His greatest work! Our circumstances do not determine God’s love for us but the cross does! Marriage is a beautiful reflection of this truth and is not to be entered into UNADVISEDLY!! Advise, advise, advise! I am praying for all of you!
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