Peter Guirguis, a former atheist, gives his take on the newly discovered Higgs Boson particle, sometimes referred to as the God particle, and what it has to do with scripture.
Interesting read.
Will the Recently Found Higgs Boson (God Particle) Bring Atheists and Agnostics to Believe in God?.
9/11 Prayer atop the Rogue Valley Manor in Oregon
Statistic on death: 100% of people die, including you, and including me.
At a recent retirement ceremony, my wife Kathy shared a list of annoyances with the crowd gathered there. They’re things she never knew she’d have to contend with as the wife of a firefighter:
1) At the movies, when there’s a car explosion, he will lean over and say, “That would never really happen.”
2) When asked to go for a “drive” with him, he starts scouting fire access to homes or does street familiarization.
3) After a hard shift, the words, “Let’s take a nap,” really do mean a nap.
4) Certain tones on appliance timers can get him awake and out of bed in 3 seconds flat.
5) You can come home to find he has set up a multi-casualty incident scene with your kid’s matchbox cars.
6) Terms of endearment on a text are “ETA” and “Copy.”
That was a few days ago. Today I spoke with a woman who recently lost her husband of 30 years. With tears welling up in her eyes, she told me how the little things that irritated her about her husband didn’t matter anymore. She said she’d give anything to have him back, along with those little quirks that seemed so annoying before he died.
Two men I know have little time left to live. They’re both dying of cancer. Amazingly, they both told me, if they could somehow go back in time and erase their cancer, they wouldn’t do it.
They said, before their cancer they feel they wasted most of their time on things that aren’t important. Making money, mainly. But now their focus is on anything and everything that has eternal value. Loving God and loving people, mainly.
They’re not wasting their lives any longer. They’re focused on Jesus Christ, and bearing fruit for Him — at work, in their family, with their friends, everywhere they go. (John 15:4)
We’re all going to die.
Everyone of us.
Relative to eternity, we all have very little time to live.
So live for Christ.
Give your time to Him.
Give yourself to Him.
Photo Credit: http://vatopaidi.wordpress.com
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
John 4:5-8
How Jesus Loved People:
Jesus took care of Himself.
What’s that? You’re asking, Jesus took care of Himself? So what? What does that have to do with loving people?
That’s a great question.
Here, in this passage of scripture, we see Jesus, the Son of God, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, taking care of Himself. He’s just finished exercising if you will, as He walked to the town of Sychar. He’s about to take in fluids, as He asked for a drink of water. He’s mindful of His diet, as He sent His disciples to buy food. And He’s resting, seated by the well. (Colossians 1:15)
It is a rather curious thing, isn’t it?
How to Love Like Jesus:
Maybe you’re like me and you feel like taking care of yourself is selfish. If you are you might be interested in this story.
When I was in my 40s, I wasn’t living like Jesus. I wasn’t taking time to go for a walk through Samaria. I didn’t have time to walk or exercise. I wasn’t taking time to ask anyone to refresh me with water. I didn’t send anyone to buy food, I only had time for fast food, my diet was terrible. I wasn’t taking time to sit down by the well, I wasn’t resting.
I was a high energy guy who didn’t have time for such things. I was in constant motion. I took on extra responsibility at the fire department, I signed up as an elder at my church, I hosted a home church group, I taught a men’s bible study on leadership once a week, I built a house and contracted it myself, my wife and I started a vacation rental business, I went to school for my Bachelors in Fire Administration, I started writing a book.
I was charging hard. I figured, hey, diet, exercise, rest, I’ll take care of all that after I’m dead.
Well — that very nearly happened. One night after a Fire Administration class in Portland, I was crossing the street to go to the Lloyd’s Center Mall. Suddenly I found it hard to breathe. I honestly thought I walked into a hazardous materials cloud of some kind. The only problem with that theory was, nobody else around me was having a problem.
Next thing I know, ka-boom, I’m in the hospital for a double by-pass operation.
God decided to take me down a notch.
Turns out it was a very big notch. Gone was all that energy I had. Some days I felt completely exhausted by 10 in the morning. But do you think I changed my approach to life? Nope. I took a promotion at work. I continued to sign up for classes for my Bachelors degree. I bought another vacation rental. I continued my involvement at church. I finished my book.
Needless to say, things didn’t work out very well. Without any gas in the tank I had trouble just functioning, let alone performing at a high level. I fell into a depression, which of course made things even worse. I struggled in every area of my life: spiritual, work, family, all of it.
I wonder how things might have been different had I taken care of myself.
Jesus didn’t live like I did. Jesus, the Power of God and the radiance of God’s glory, walked. (1 Corinthians 1:24, Hebrews 1:3) He took fluids. He ate. He rested. Jesus made sure He was in good condition to love people.
It’s true, it is selfish to rest, relax, and maintain yourself — when resting, relaxing, and maintaining are your end goals.
But taking care of yourself so you can do more for the Lord, so you can love Him more, so you can love people more fully, so you can become a sharper instrument to be used, by Him, for His purposes…
THAT’S NOT SELFISH.
You and I might think we’ll bear more fruit for God by keeping our gas pedal to the floor, but that’s a trap. When I’m too busy, or too tired, or too sedentary, or burned out, I don’t do well loving people.
My guess is, you don’t either.
Take care of yourself, so you can love people better.
Jesus did.
Young man: “Does Christ forgive Sandusky?”
Old man: “Christ will give Sandusky forgiveness — if Sandusky will give himself to Christ.”
(Photo Credit http://www.stihi.ru/pics)
Read Genesis 41:41-57
In our last post on Genesis we saw how Joseph, after living faithfully through all kinds of hardships: betrayal by his family, slavery, false accusation, and ten years in a dungeon, was ultimately raised up, raised up in one day, to second in command over Egypt. In today’s post we’ll look at what happens to Joseph and Egypt, after Pharaoh’s decision to appoint him as governor. Where Joseph’s life continues to paint a picture of Jesus, I simply couldn’t help myself, I just had to insert commentary to point out those scriptures. Finally, we’ll look at Joseph’s process for choosing direction as it relates to God’s Spirit and Joseph’s abilities.
Genesis 41:41-57
So after Pharaoh hears what the cupbearer says about how the Lord used Joseph to accurately interpret dreams, and after Pharaoh hears Joseph’s interpretation of his own dreams, he sees God’s Spirit is in Joseph. (Genesis 41:38) Just as soon as Pharaoh recognizes Joseph is led by God’s Spirit, he makes a command decision.
I’m putting you in charge, of the whole country, Pharaoh says to Joseph. Then he takes off his signet ring and puts it on Joseph’s finger. He orders up some clothes fitting for a man who’s second in command and has Joseph put them on. He gives Joseph a gold chain to wear around his neck. And he has him ride in a chariot, as his right hand man, and the people shout out before him, Make way!
And that’s how it went down when Joseph was appointed as the governor of Egypt, only with respect to the throne, was Pharaoh greater than Joseph. (Genesis 41:40)
After all the ceremony, Pharaoh says to Joseph, Yes I’m Pharaoh, but nobody will lift a finger in all of Egypt without your word. Pharaoh renames Joseph, he calls him Zaphenath-Paneah. And he gives him a wife named Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
Pharaoh says to Joseph, “,,,without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” (Genesis 41:44) Even as Jesus said in John 15:5, “…apart from me you can do nothing.”
Joseph is given a Gentile bride. Even as Jesus is given His Gentile bride, us, you and me, the church. (Revelation 21:9)
Then Joseph travels all over Egypt to learn about the land he’s governing.
He’s thirty years old when he enters into public service.
I can’t help but notice Joseph is thirty years old when he enters into serving the public, even as Jesus was thirty when he entered into public ministry. (Luke 3:23)
So he’s traveling throughout Egypt, and during the seven years of prosperity the land produces bountifully, just as God, through Joseph, said it would. And Joseph collects all the food produced in those seven years and stores it in the cities. Each city has it’s storage from the food produced in the fields around it. The quantities of grain Joseph collects and stores are like the sand of the sea; there’s so much that he can’t keep track of it so he stops keeping records. The crop production is so great, it’s beyond measure.
During these first seven years Joseph has two sons with his wife Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph names his first son Manasseh (which means causing to forget). He says he named him that, “…because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son he names Ephraim (which means I shall be doubly fruitful), “…because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
Well, just as God’s Spirit predicted, the seven years of abundance come to an end, and the seven years of famine begin. All around people are hurting for food. But Egypt is prepared for the shortage. When Egypt begins to feel the famine, the people cry out to Pharaoh, who tells all the Egyptians, Just go see Joseph and do whatever he tells you.
When the people cry out to be saved, from starvation, Pharaoh directs them to Joseph. “…do what he tells you,” Pharaoh says to the Egyptians. (Genesis 41:55) Even as God, when the people cry out to be saved, from their own sin, directs them to Jesus. Speaking of Jesus on the mount of transfiguration God said, “…listen to Him.” (Luke 9:35)
When the famine is effecting the whole of Egypt, Joseph opens the storehouses and sells grain to the Egyptians. The famine is terrible, and everyone both inside and outside of Egypt comes to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine is so severe, everywhere.
Through Joseph, God saves the nations from starvation. Through Jesus, God saves the world from their sin.
God, Joseph, and Decisions:
It’s obvious Joseph was one in whom is the Spirit of God. (Genesis 41:38) And God’s Spirit in him resulted in his prospering and in an ability to make great decisions.
But maybe you’ve read about Joseph and you’re asking yourself, How does that work? Does Joseph use reason and wisdom? Or does he use the leading of God’s Spirit to make decisions?
I believe the answer is both. To gain insight, I think it’s important to see how Joseph had God’s Spirit two distinct ways.
1) First, he had God’s Spirit in the same way some of the craftsmen who built the tabernacle had God’s Spirit: …he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills, Moses said of the man chosen to lead the building of the tabernacle. (Exodus 35:30-35)
Joseph had skills born of God’s Spirit. Joseph was faithful to his duty, even in the beginning, in the day of small things. He was industrious and he had great integrity. Based on his rapid rise to prominence in Potipher’s household, and in prison, and in Pharaoh’s administration, I believe Jospeh also had great skills as a communicator, as an organizer, and as a problem solver. (see previous post Joseph’s 4 Steps to Success)
No doubt Joseph used all these skills in his decision making and problem solving wherever he worked. And I don’t think there’s any doubt these skills served him well.
But there’s a danger here. Sometimes the more skills God blesses you with, the more you tend to rely on those skills — at the exclusion of seeking God’s direction. Which brings us to the second way in which Joseph experienced God’s Spirit.
2) The second way in which Joseph had God’s Spirit was through connection. Joseph was connected to God in a way that opened communication with God’s Spirit. I believe Joseph was someone who was constantly seeking God’s direction. He was seeking God’s will in his life. He was sensitive to God’s Spirit.
Can you imagine the consequences, had Joseph relied solely on his gifts and skills, without tapping into the leading of the Spirit? Egypt’s economy would have gone into deep depression. The recovery from such devastation would have taken decades, if there even was a recovery. And most importantly, millions in Egypt and in the surrounding nations would have died of starvation.
I’m reminded of Joshua, another man gifted with great administrative abilities. When the Gibeonites came and requested of Joshua that Israel enter into an alliance with them, they told him they were from a far away country. Joshua, relying on his powers of deduction, saw they had worn clothes, and old wineskins, and moldy bread. What a seemingly simple decision. It’s so obvious. They’re from a far away country.
We’re not to ally ourselves with anyone local, Joshua told them, but an alliance with you? No problem. It’s easy to figure out, you’re not from around here.
Joshua 9:14 says, they checked out their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. (see Joshua Chapter 9)
Three days later the Israeli people find out the truth about the Gibeonites. And they’re protesting against Joshua and the others leading Israel, because they were duped.
Not long after that, Israel has to march all night, and risk lives in battle, to honor their alliance with the Gibeonites.
Like Joshua, Joseph was blessed with brains and abilities, but he recognized the value in seeking God’s direction. And like Joseph, like Joshua, and like anyone, you and I can’t see one single second into the future. Right now you can’t see beyond the four walls of the room you’re in, or if you’re outside, you’re limited to the strength of your eyesight. You can’t see into the past except for what others have recorded and what you remember. Even with television and the internet, your awareness of the time-space continuum is just the tiniest fraction of what God sees, which is everything.
Joseph recognized this. “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” He said to the cupbearer and to the baker. (Genesis 40:8) When Pharaoh asked Joseph to interpret his dreams he immediately said,
“I can’t do it…”
“…but…”
“…God will give the answer…”
God had the answer. He saved millions of lives from death by starvation.
God has the answers still. For you and for me.
Thank God for the skills, gifts, and abilities He’s blessed you with. But don’t rely on your gifts exclusively. Don’t neglect seeking His direction.
Pray through life decisions.
Seek His direction constantly.
Pray for Him to direct your steps.
Pray for sensitivity to His Holy Spirit.
If you do you could be blessed like Joseph was.
If you do you could be led down a path that will save you and your people from disaster.
I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
References:
J.B. Jackson, A Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names, 1908
Walton, Matthews, Chavalas, (2000) IVP Bible Background Commentary, Old Testament
Image by Jonathan Kos-Read – Creative Commons.
Every person on the planet is precisely as close to God as he or she wants to be. Have you ever thought about that?
James 4:8 says if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you.
That truth compels you, and I, and every one of us to ask ourselves,
“What am I doing to draw near to God?”
He’s waiting for you, you know. He’s watching. He’s watching for when you begin to move toward Him. While you’re still a long way off, He’ll see you, and be filled with compassion for you; He’ll run to you, and throw His arms around you. (Luke 15:11-32)
Get up and go to Him.
Funniest video I’ve seen in a long time:
Read Genesis 41:1-40
Verse 1: “When two full years had passed…” Wait, let’s stop right there. Two years? Yes, two full years. But that was after Joseph had already been in prison for eight years. So Joseph was left in the dungeon for two full years after his encounter with the chief cupbearer and the chief baker and for a total of ten years. In our last post on Genesis we looked at how Joseph was apparently forgotten and what that feels like. We also saw how Joseph’s life paints a prophetic picture of Jesus. (See previous post Forgotten) In today’s post, we’ll see Joseph resurrected from the dungeon. Read More
Nicodemus with Jesus at Night (Photo Credit: Eastminster Presbyterian Church)
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
John 3:1-15
How Jesus Loved People:
When Nicodemus came to Him Jesus referred back to the story in the Old Testament when the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness, and they began complaining. They complained about the food (manna), they complained about Moses, and they complained about God.
In response, the Lord sent venomous snakes among the Israelites, and many were bitten and died. “We sinned…” the Israelites said to Moses. “Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.”
So Moses prayed and the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. (Numbers 21:4-9)
Jesus told Nicodemus, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
Jesus tells Nicodemus that He, Jesus, must be lifted up in the same way as that brass snake. But not so people can be saved from snake bites, but so people can be saved forever, eternally!
How to Love Like Jesus:
Jesus loved Nicodemus enough to share the truth about how to attain eternal life. You and I must love people enough to do the same. Think about it: you know the way to eternal life, and you know people who don’t. God would have you share what you know! That person’s eternal life is at stake.
So be sensitive to those who might have questions like Nicodemus did.
Look for a quiet opportunity, maybe at night, like Jesus did.
Recognize the role of God’s Spirit, as Jesus did.
Then share the truth, about the way to eternal life like Jesus did.
Perhaps you’re knowledgeable about the Bible. Maybe you’ve been blessed with the opportunity to receive instruction from the Lord. Flesh gives birth to flesh, and Spirit gives birth to Spirit, but when a baby needs to be birthed, and the mother can’t deliver, there are problems. In the same way, if you’re not birthing spiritually, you’ll have problems. Over and over and over I see people who are saved, people who are Christians, who know God’s word, and believe in Jesus, but they aren’t sharing the way to eternal life as Jesus did with Nicodemus. Over time problems develop. It’s as though they’re breathing in but never breathing out. When someone does that physically, they become faint. When someone does that spiritually, they become spiritually faint. They lose spiritual strength. There’s a lack of responsiveness in their relationship with God. A spiritual sluggishness creeps in.
Don’t become that person.
Find a way, to share the way to eternal life, like Jesus did. Talk with someone you suspect has questions, when things get quiet, maybe at night. Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help.
Or make a phone call.
Or send an email.
Or start a blog.
But find a way.
Do it out of love for God.
Do it out of love for people.
Do it because you love yourself, because you’ll be blessed when you share.
But do it.
More Important Than Your Marriage (Photo Credit: Christian Marriage Headquarters)
I just read a great article on marriage by Tim Keller. In it he quotes from John Tierney’s classic humor article Picky, Picky, Picky some of the reasons Tierney’s single friends ended relationships. (NY Times)
“She mispronounced ‘Goethe.’”
“How could I take him seriously after seeing The Road Less Traveled on his bookshelf?”
“If she would just lose seven pounds.”
“Sure, he’s a partner, but it’s not a big firm. And he wears those short black socks.”
“Well, it started out great … beautiful face, great body, nice smile. Everything was going fine—until she turned around.” He paused ominously and shook his head. ”… She had dirty elbows.”
Keller then proceeds to explain how the person who will fulfill us and completely accept us just as we are is never the person we marry, not for anyone. Wait around long enough and every marriage relationship winds up in the same place, a place where both husband and wife recognize they’re two flawed people who will each have to make changes and work at their relationship to make it worthwhile.
But why should we think marriage wouldn’t be hard work? Keller asks. Why should a baseball player think it wouldn’t be hard work to learn how to hit a curve ball? Why should a basketball player or a football player think it wouldn’t be hard work to make the playoffs? Or why should a writer think it wouldn’t be hard to write a great book?
Worthwhile things are hard work. Marriage is no different.
Perhaps, like many people, you’ve forgotten about a relationship more important than your marriage. Perhaps you’ve forgotten or neglected your relationship with your Creator.
That relationship can be hard work too.
Today your relationship with God is under constant assault by distractions: There’s sports, and travel, and work, and friends, and family — and then there are the screens. The screens are bombarding us with distraction like never before. There’s movie screens, and computer screens, and smartphone screens, and tablet screens, and TV screens. All of these distractions, most of which aren’t bad in and of themselves, are pulling on you, pulling you away from God. Sometimes it takes hard work to pull yourself away from all of these things to draw near to God. (James 4:8)
Go ahead, ask yourself, Am I treating God as I should? Am I honoring Him? Do I do that which I think will please Him? Do I live my life with the design to please Him? Is He ultimate in my life? And if I answer yes, does the way I invest my time, energy, and money reflect my answer?
Investing your time, energy, and money in God and your relationship with Him can be hard work at times. Just like a marriage you’ll have to make changes in yourself and you’ll have to work at your relationship with Christ to make it worthwhile.
But it’s worth it.
The return on investment is eternal.
You, and I, and every person has to ask, Do I believe I ought to love God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind? (Matthew 22:37)
And if the answer is yes, then comes the hard question.
Am I doing so?
Forgotten (Photo Credit: davidknightwrites.blogspot.com)
Read Genesis 40:8-23
Last post on Genesis, we looked at Joseph’s comment about interpretation and how it relates to fire, and more importantly, how it relates to God. (see previous post: God, Fire, and Interpretation)
In today’s post we’ll see how Joseph is used by God to interpret the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s prisoners: Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, and his chief baker. We’ll also look at even more parallels in Joseph’s life that continue to paint a prophetic picture of Jesus. Jesus Himself said in Luke 24:44-45, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Finally we’ll look at what it feels like to be forgotten.
Genesis 40:8-23
Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and baker each have dreams on the same night. Joseph sees they’re dejected because they recognize the dreams as having meaning, but they can’t figure out the interpretation. So Joseph asks them the rhetorical question, “Do not interpretations belong to God?”
So the cupbearer decides to share his dream with Joseph.
He, the cupbearer, says, In my dream I see this vine in front of me, and it has three branches. As soon as the vine buds, it blossoms, and it’s clusters ripen into grapes. In my dream, Pharaoh’s cup is in my hand so I take the grapes, squeeze the juice out of them into Pharaoh’s cup, and put the cup in his hand.
Joseph says, This is the interpretation, The three branches are three days. Inside of three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and call you back up to your former position. You’ll put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand just like you used to. Now listen, when you’re back in Pharaoh’s good graces, remember me and do me a favor, mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was taken by force from the land of the Hebrews, and I’ve never done anything to deserve a life sentence in a dungeon.
When the baker sees that the cupbearer received a favorable interpretation he decides to share his dream as well.
I also had a dream, the baker says. In my dream I have three baskets of bread on top of my head. Inside the top basket there are all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the only thing is, birds are eating them out of the basket on my head.
This is what it means, The three baskets equal three days. In three days Pharaoh will have your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat your flesh.
Cut to three days later and it’s Pharaoh’s birthday. He gives a feast for all his officials. Pharaoh lifts up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, in front of all his administration. He restores the chief cupbearer to his old position, so he’s serving Pharaoh his cup once again. But he has the chief baker impaled. Everything happened just as God, through Joseph, had interpreted.
But the chief cupbearer forgot about Joseph and his request.
Joseph and Jesus:
The picture of Jesus painted in Joseph’s life continues as we see still more parallels between them:
1) Both were sentenced based on false accusations: Joseph accused of raping Potiphar’s wife, and Jesus of inciting rebellion against the established government. (Luke 23:1-4)
2) Both were numbered with two transgressors: Joseph with the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and Jesus with the two thieves on either side of Him as He hung on the cross. (Mark 15:27-28)
The baker of bread and the cupbearer of wine also speak of Jesus’ command for us to take communion. And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19-20)
3) Both endured feeling forgotten: Joseph thought he was forgotten by the cupbearer, but he wasn’t, as we’ll see later. And Jesus, felt forsaken when He was separated from His Father for the first time in eternity. He cried out “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) (Matthew 27:45-50)
Forgotten
I spoke with a good friend of mine day before yesterday and he shared with me how he’s feeling forgotten. He’s separated from family, he has financial problems, and he has health problems. Maybe you’re feeling forgotten. Maybe you’re not stuck in a dungeon but stuck in a job, or stuck on unemployment, or stuck in a house that’s upside down financially, or stuck in debt, or stuck in a tough marriage.
You know, just one chapter previous, the Bible says of Joseph, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness. (Genesis 39:21) Given Joseph’s story so far, you might be saying to yourself right now, “Are you kidding me? The Lord was with him? The Lord showed him kindness? What kindness? Joseph’s family badmouthed him behind his back, they plotted to kill him, they tossed him into a cistern, they sold him into slavery, they told his father he was dead, then he was falsely accused of rape, tossed into a dungeon, and now… Now the cupbearer’s forgotten about him altogether and he’s rotting in this dungeon for who knows how long! Kindness you say?”
Speaking of God the Father, Jesus said, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)
In other words, we all have problems.
Jesus said it again, even more directly, when He stated, In this world you will have trouble. (John 16:33)
It’s not surprising then that Joseph has had trouble, serious trouble. We all either do have, or will have trouble. You either have, or are going to have trouble, serious trouble. Every single person on the planet experiences problems. No one escapes. Not one of us. No matter what we do.
Because we live in a fallen world, we have no choice when it comes to troubles, we’ll all have them. The choice we do have though, is whether or not we want the Lord with us in the dungeon, whether or not we want Him to show us kindness when we’re stuck in that tough situation, when we’re in the midst of our trouble. Walking through problems with Him can make our difficulties so much better than they would be otherwise.
Last night a man named Louie Zamperini was interviewed on a talk show. Louie was a juvenile delinquent who seemed to turn things around when he became a track star as a teenager. He went to the Olympics and it appeared he had a bright future ahead of him. Many thought he’d be the first to break the four minute mile barrier. But before the next Olympics, World War II started. Louie enlisted as a bombardier. During a rescue mission his plane crashed into the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He was lost at sea on a life raft with two fellow soldiers for 47 days, longer than any other person in history. During that time he was nearly killed by starvation, sharks, storms, and a Japanese bomber that strafed his raft — twice.
But that wasn’t even the hard part. On the 48th day they were captured by the Japanese. Louie was tortured mercilessly by a Japanese guard, nicknamed “the Bird” by the prisoners. This went on for years.
During his time lost at sea and as a P.O.W. Louie prayed fervently for God to spare his life. In return, Louie promised he would serve Him.
Miraculously, Louie did survive the war but afterwards he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. He had intense horrific dreams of his tormentor, the Bird, every single night. He even attempted to find him in Japan so he could kill him in revenge. He started drinking heavily. He had trouble holding a job. He was at rock bottom. Eventually his wife told him she was filing for divorce.
Then one day his wife attended a Billy Graham crusade. She made a commitment to Christ and came home a changed woman. She announced to Louie the divorce was off. She also drug Louie to the next crusade meeting. He was resentful and angry about it. But then she talked him into attending another, and as he listened to Billy Graham that second time, it hit him.
I have forgotten!
On the talk show he said, I thought to myself, what an idiot! Here I had told God if He saved me I’d serve Him for the rest of my life. God kept his end of the deal, but I had forgotten mine. So I committed myself to Christ. Up until that time I dreamed of the Bird every night. But since that day I committed myself to Christ, I haven’t dreamed of him once, and I haven’t had any drinking problems. (Unbroken)
The point is, God didn’t forget Joseph while he was in the dungeon. And God didn’t forget Louie Zamperini, not even while he was stranded at sea and suffering torture from the Bird.
But Louie forgot Him!
It’s not a question of God forgetting you. It’s a question of you forgetting Him!
I’m telling you right now, remember Him. Whatever you do, remember to TAKE HIM WITH YOU, into the dungeon you’re dwelling in currently. Remember Him. Remember to TAKE HIM WITH you out in whatever sea you’re stranded in. Remember Him. Remember to TAKE HIM WITH you into whatever torture you’re enduring.
Take Him into your heart and mind by reading His Bible. Take Him into conversation by praying to Him. Take Him into your company by worshiping Him at His house, with His people.
And do this in remembrance of Him — take communion.
He hasn’t forgotten you.
Remember Him.
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come.
Ecclesiastes 12:1
References:
Chuck Smith Blog Post: Not Abandoned
Laura Hillenbrand (2010). Unbroken, Random House
Help in Times of Famine: Genesis 42:1-2
Photo Credit: tvstar.com.mk
Read Genesis 42:1-2
Last post on Genesis we saw what happened to Joseph after Pharaoh heard him interpret his dreams. We also examined how Joseph determined direction for the nation of Egypt and how you can determine direction yourself. (see previous post: God, Joseph, and Direction)
In today’s post we’ll look at where Jacob sends his sons for grain during a famine. And we’ll look at where we can go when we’re experiencing famine, be it financial, physical, or emotional famine.
Genesis 42:1-2
After Jacob figures out there’s grain in Egypt, he says to his sons, Why just sit around and look at each other? Go where the bread is, go to the source of nourishment. Go to where you, and me, and our families can be saved — from this famine. Go to where the bread is, so that we may live and not die.
Help in Times of Famine:
Jacob’s sons” reluctance to go to Egypt for grain reminds me of another story:
“Do you want to get well?” Jesus asked the lame man at the pool of Bethesda.
I want to get down to the pool, because I think it’ll heal me, but I have no one to help me. Someone always gets there ahead of me, the lame man said.
Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The only problem was, Jesus did this on the Sabbath. So when the leaders found out, they were angry. That’s when Jesus said to them, concerning the Old Testament: “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (emphasis mine, see John Chapter 5)
Jacob and his sons don’t know it yet, but it won’t be long before they’ll find out, Joseph is the source they’ll be receiving food from, so that they may live and not die. And we also know Jesus said of the Old Testament: “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40) So here we have another example of how the Scriptures testify of Jesus. We again see in Joseph, a divine prophetic expression of Jesus Christ.
Jacob’s sons looking at each other, and their reluctance to go to Joseph to be saved, is a picture of how Jesus’ brothers, the Jewish leadership, were reluctant to go to Jesus. It’s also a picture of what you and I so often do when we respond to famine. When the famine comes, we often look to each other, and other human beings, to be saved. But what God, our heavenly Father, would have us do, is go to Jesus for our bread. Christ is the source of our grain, if you will. He is the Word made flesh. He is the Bread of life. (John 1:14)
Jesus is our Joseph.
And Jesus is the Word. So God’s word is where God would have us go “so that we may live and not die.”
Maybe things are so bad right now, you feel like you’re going to die. Maybe you’re experiencing famine. Maybe it’s a financial famine: you’re unemployed or just struggling to make it. Or maybe it’s a physical famine: you’re sick, or injured, or the doctor came back with a diagnosis of cancer. Or maybe it’s an emotional famine: you’re dealing with a divorce, or she betrayed you, or they’re attacking you personally.
The question is, where do you go when there’s famine? Do you look at those around you for answers? Or do you go to where the bread is?
The Bible, is where the bread is, and God has good reasons for sending us there.
When I read the Bible I’m gaining insight into the very mind of God. That, in and of itself, makes it the most important book to read there is.
When I read the Bible I’m reading the very same words Jesus studied and read.
When I read the gospels in the Bible, I’m studying the very words spoken by Jesus Christ Himself.
When I read the Bible I’m reminded of great truths.
When I read the Bible I’m more oriented toward what’s important to God and less anxious about the things of this world.
When I read the Bible I’m more mindful of eternal things, heavenly things, things that will matter forever (and that’s a long time).
I know from experience, reading the Bible regularly, changes who I am. When I read the Bible I’m a different person than when I don’t. I know this because my wife says she prefers the kurt who reads the Bible regularly, to the kurt who does not.
It’s true for anybody. Reading the Bible regularly will make you less like your current self, and more like the person both you and God want you to become.
So why just sit around and look at each other? Go where the bread is, go to the source of nourishment. Go to where you and your family can be saved. Go to where the bread is, “so that you may live and not die.”
Read your Bible.
It will change your life.
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Posted on June 30, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis
bible study, bread, famine, Genesis 42, Jesus, Jesus and Joseph, joseph, read bible