“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”
This text comes at the end of the saga of Joseph and his eleven brothers who sold him into slavery. This is years later, when Joseph had the time to look back on everything that had transpired since his brothers had betrayed him. He tells his brothers that he knows that they really wanted to get rid of him, not caring whether he lived or died, but that God had a greater purpose for all that transpired in that event. In other words, Joseph came to realize that after all is said and done, God was in control of that situation, for He knew what would take place with His people Israel, and He took the evil that they intended and turned it into good for His people. This has not changed, for God is still in control of all of the things that take place in our lives. It might not seem so at first, but as things work out, we can look back and see the handiwork of God in our lives. Recognizing God’s control in our lives is all-important. We need to see that it does matter who is in control of our lives. The sinking of a ferry in South Korea that is in the news as I write this is a case in point. The captain of the ferry turned the control of the ferry over to a novice who had never taken the ferry through those treacherous waters, and the result was the needless loss of many young lives. This is what happens in our lives when we cease to recognize God’s control in our lives. Many lives are “shipwrecked” today because they took control of their own lives, or turned their lives over to someone besides the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s control in our lives is important because God alone knows what the end of the matter will be. We might have something that takes place in our lives that shakes us to the core. For example, it might be a serious illness that sidetracks us for awhile. During that time we can feel useless, or we can use the time of suffering to draw closer to the Lord. We just need to trust the Lord day by day that He knows what is going on and what the result of our illness will be. I would never accuse God of making us ill, but I do know that He uses those times to grow us and to lead us to His successful conclusion of the matter. It might be a setback in your plans for your life. It might be that you lost your job and did not know which way to turn. That would not be pleasant, but if you will seek God’s control, you might find that God had something else that He wanted you to do. God’s control is important because He knows what we really need in our lives instead of what we think we need. Many people have decided when they were young to follow some career that would bring them riches and maybe even fame. But God had other plans, and began to steer us in the direction that He knew we need to go. We might have been well-meaning in our plans, but God meant better for us. “Better for us” is always what God wants of us instead of what we want for ourselves. If you have been disappointed in your life at this point in your life, consider whether or not you have surrendered to God’s control, or to your own control. We like to think that we are “masters of our own fate,” but we make poor masters for ourselves. Surrender all that you are and have to God’s control and see what can happen in your life. Like it was with Joseph, you might meet many pitfalls along the way but in the final analysis, your life will be better and you will be better off under His control. It could be that the Lord has you reading this article now, because you need to turn control of your life over to Him. Go quickly to prayer and start to seek God’s guidance and see what a difference it will make in your life. Bro. Joe
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"Go to now, you that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year, and buy and sell and get gain. 14. Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. 15. For that you ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that."
This text is about not getting so busy with our own plans that we leave God out altogether. James was addressing people who were so involved in their own lives, and so concerned about tomorrow that they forgot all about God. James is telling these people that life is very short (vs. 15) and that we need to get busy with doing what God wants us to do, not just what we want to do. I will confess that it is not always easy to know what God's will is, but it is certainly not impossible. My question for you is do you consider God's will in your life? It has been disconcerting to me that I seldom hear God's people say that "If God wills I will do so and so." This is true even of our church business sometimes. We make plans that are our plans and do not consider whether this is what God wants for us. It might seem odd to say that these last few months in my life, where I have been fighting with cancer, have been God's will for my life. I didn't see it going in, but I see it now. Take my word, and the Bible's word for it, God's will is important in the life of every Christian - even yours. Bro. Joe “The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
The world had become so wicked that God put all living things to death except Noah, his family, and the animals that he took aboard the ark. After the flood, God gave Noah a promise that He would never send a worldwide flood again. The sign of His promise was the rainbow. Even today when we look at a rainbow we can remember the promise that God made concerning a flood that will never drown every living thing. The rainbow gives us a message about the nature of God. It is a message about the sovereignty of God. What do I mean by “sovereignty”? I mean that God is in charge of everything all of the time. There is nothing that God cannot do. There are plenty of things that God will not do, because part of His sovereignty is His holiness. God created everything; He knows everything; He is in charge of everything all of the time. The reason that God could make a promise like the rainbow promise is that, in His sovereign majesty, He knows that if He does not want it to flood it will not flood. There are also plenty of things that God allows to happen in His sovereignty. A good example is God’s dealings with Israel. His promise to them in the Old Testament was that if they would obey Him and live by His will, they would do well. They did not, so they went into Babylonian exile. Of course, there is a lot more to the story, and the story has not ended, but the point is that God allowed Israel to be defeated at that time because they disobeyed Him. We should rejoice in the sovereignty of God. It is comforting to go to bed every night and wake up every morning to a world in which God is in charge. It is a message about the power of God. I want you to think about the flood for a moment. It was not just forty days and night's of rain that flooded the whole earth over the tops of mountains; it was that God unleashed the water under the earth. Here is what the Bible says about it: “On the seventeenth day of the second month – on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.” (Genesis 7:11b-12) Only God has the power to unleash all of the power of nature for such a cataclysmic occurrence as the flood. Human beings are capable of a lot of harm, but even the most powerful human being could not unleash all of the waters of the heavens and the earth at one time. We should rejoice in the power of God, because it is through His power that we are able to be saved and to serve Him. It is a message about the grace of God. If the message stopped with the sovereignty and power of God, and those two things were all that characterize Him, we would need to be really afraid. But the rainbow also tells us about the grace, mercy and love of God. He looked with pity on the world and promised that He would never again send that kind of flood upon the earth. We can trust our sovereign and powerful God, because He is a God of grace. His grace is seen throughout the Bible. This doesn’t mean that everything that God brings about is positive. What it means is that God is working everything to the good of His people. According to Jeremiah in his Lamentations, that it is because of the mercies of God that Israel was not consumed, “because His compassions fail not.” (Lamentations 3:22) This was written even while Israel was being taken into Babylonian Captivity. In the final analysis, God will work out everything for all time in His grace. What a great promise and what a great cause for rejoicing. I’m sure that this is not all that the rainbow tells us about God. These are things that are uppermost in my mind about the subject. Bro. Joe This is a reprint from 2014. I thought it would be worth repeating.
“Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve the Lord. 15. Choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Moses was dead and Joshua had become the leader of the Israelite people in their journey into Canaan. Joshua was certainly not naïve about the people that God had chosen him to lead, for he knew what they had done for the past forty years. He knew of their weaknesses, and of their penchant for worshiping false gods. He had been on Mt. Sinai with Moses when the Israelites had worshiped the golden calf. Knowing all that these people were capable of, he issued them a challenge. Joshua encouraged the people to make wise choices instead of convenient choices. We are still faced with a lot of choices for our lives. The question is whether or not we will choose to go the easiest and convenient way, or to make the hard choices that will be better for us and will make our lives better. I remember the incident in the New Testament when the “Rich Young Ruler” came to Jesus and asked Him about how to achieve eternal life. Jesus told him to give up his riches and give them to the poor and follow Him. Jesus wasn’t making this demand for all rich people, just this one. You see, to give up what had given the young man false security and to reach out in faith and follow Jesus would be the wisest choice. The Bible tells us that he went away sorrowfully. He chose the most convenient way. We never know how the choices we make will affect our lives, but we need to pray and think long and hard before we make choices that will either affect our lives adversely or for the better. Joshua wisely urged his people to make wise choices. The fact that many of them didn’t make wise choices is not a reflection on Joshua but on them. As the leader of God’s people, Joshua was setting a good example for them. Joshua knew that the decisions he made would not just reflect on his leadership but on his commitment to God. As long as Joshua was alive, he kept the promise that he made that he and his “house will serve the Lord.” The book of Judges, which follows the book of Joshua, reveals that after Joshua’s death the people did not do well. (Which is a mild way of expressing how they acted?) What they did was not Joshua’s fault. He continued to serve as a good example to the Israelite people until his death. We need to ask ourselves what kind of example we are setting for those who will follow us in our homes, at our workplaces, in our churches, etc. Choices that we make can help us live better lives and maybe help others make wise choices. There were people in the book of Judges who followed Joshua’s example, and were better for it. Just because days are evil, does not mean that we have to join in with the evil. Joshua’s declaration here is a declaration of determination to do the right thing. Joshua was a human being with all of the problems that go with being human. He knew that he could make choices that would lead the people astray, so he determined that the choices he made would lead them in the right direction. We need to determine that our choices will give us a better life and will serve as a good example to those who are watching our lives. Let’s be careful, and prayerful, that we will make the right choices. Bro. Joe “Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, the Lord knows them that are His…” 2 Timothy 2:19a “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10:14 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.” John 10:27 The Greek word that is used for "know" in these verses is “ginosko.” This word means “to know by examination.” This means that Jesus knows us inside and out. Jesus knows our every thought and every motive. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves, and He knows us on a deeper level than we can ever know. Jesus knows who are. He knows our names. It is great to know that Jesus knows our names and calls us by name. Jesus knows who we are in reference to all aspects of our lives. He knows all of our weaknesses, all of our strengths, and He knows our doubts and fears. We can take comfort in the fact that Jesus knows everything about us, yet He still loves us! Jesus knows who you are and He loves you! I want to recall what Jesus said about this matter in Matthew 10:29-31: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father. 30. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31. Fear not therefore, you of more value than many sparrows.” Jesus knows why we are. Jesus knows what we are supposed to be doing while we are live on this earth. He knows that He wants us to know Him in a saving relationship before anything else. Jesus wants us to know His will for our lives, and has given us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in this direction. Within this framework, Jesus knows specifically why we are here. He has a purpose, or purposes, for our lives. He knows what we should be doing in our daily lives, and what we should be doing in our service to Him. There is great comfort in knowing that we are doing what Jesus wants us to do with our lives. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit gives us gifts of service. Jesus knows why you are here! Join Him in it! Jesus knows where we are. He knows where we are in our relationship with Him. Are you living in a daily intimate relationship with Jesus? Do you go to Him in daily prayer, (In my case, I go to Him on an almost hourly basis. It’s not because I am so holy, but because of my need for His guidance in my life.) Jesus knows where we are in our relationships with other people. He knows all about our relationships at home, at work, at play, and in the church. If we are close to Him, we will be closer to the people in our lives. Jesus knows where you are! Take comfort in the fact that Jesus knows us and praise and glorify Him. Bro. Joe Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto Good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Philippians 2:13: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good works.”
We say that the Christian faith is not religion, because in religion you serve a god who is aloof from people, and good works are done to appease him. Religion begins on the outside and somehow works in. In the Christian faith it is exactly the opposite. God begins His work in us and we work it out as a witness to the world. We are not saved by works, but we are saved to work. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul wrote, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast." Verse 10 printed above, tells us the place of good works in our Christian lives. The great thing about being a Christian is that God is at work in our lives. It is a work that begins with the entrance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Jesus promised His disciples before He ascended to the Father that when He departed He would send the “Comforter” (the Holy Spirit) to them and that He would guide them into all truth. The entrance of Christ and His Spirit into our lives is illustrated in Revelation 3:20, where Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with Me.” To reiterate, salvation does not begin on the outside and work in; rather, it begins within and works out. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:12a-13, “Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." A lot of people read verse 12 and do not go to verse 13. That is an incomplete picture of God’s work in our lives. We work out what has been put within, and we do that by the power of the Holy Spirit. Notice that we have been called to “good works.” These works can take many different forms. In fact, they can take as many different forms as there are works to be done in the church and in the community. We should always be open to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives, for He will reveal to us what we must do. We do not serve from our own whims, but from the acts of God in our lives. The Lord is at work in our lives leading us to do what needs to be done to promote His kingdom on this earth. He works in some to be preachers and teachers. He works in some to lead in music, or to participate in music. He works in some to do any task that needs to be done to reach the world. We normally think of this work as being “church work.” It is not “church work.” It is God’s work, no matter what form it takes and no one work is superior to the other for it is, after all, the work of God. Philippians 2:13 gives us a general picture of what the workmanship of God in our lives will entail. It tells us that God is at work in our lives for us to do His will: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” We do not serve at our own pleasure. We serve at God’s pleasure, which means that He allows us to work for Him. We are not doing the Lord a favor by serving Him; He is doing us a favor by letting us work for Him. For example, I did not become a preacher because I thought it would be a good way to make a living. I became a preacher because God called me to it. It is a great privilege that He has given me. Whatever service He has called you into, it is a great privilege given to you by God. Thank Him! You might think that your job as an usher, for example, is not important. One of God’s great gifts is the gift of hospitality. In verse 14, we are reminded how we are to go about this work: “Do all things without murmurings and disputings.” We are to do God’s work in His will and do it with a good attitude. Just think what a great privilege it is that the God of the universe is at work in your life. What a blessing! Bro. Joe “He that diligently seeks good procures favor: but he that seeks mischief, it shall come to him.” KJV
“He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.” NIV Proverbs can break down a significant theme in a few words. Proverbs 11:27 is a good example. It is telling us that if we seek the good and the right, we will find them and that if we seek mischief, or evil, we will find that too. I want to share my thoughts on this text. If we are seeking to do good, we are seeking the will of God for our lives. It is for sure that if we are seeking to do God’s will for us that we will do good. I know that no one perfectly follows the will of God, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t seek to do it. If we are going to do good in this life, we must find out what it is that God wants us to do and do it. Sometimes it seems that God’s will leads us into trouble. I think that Paul would say that this is certainly true. Paul did God’s will and he found a lot of opposition, but he kept on doing it. A lot of good came to Paul when He found God’s will and did it. He lived a victorious Christian life, wrote about one-third of the New Testament, founded several churches and, though he had hardships, he had the reward of knowing that God was pleased with his life. At the end of his life, Paul wrote: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith…” If we want to seek the good in our lives, we will love people and seek to do good to and for them. Jesus threw out a challenge to His disciples in Matthew 5:16 to do just this: “Let your light so shine before (people) that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” How do we let our lights shine? We do it by how we treat people and whether or not we seek to do good to them. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus expanded on this idea: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” Are you seeking to do good to and for others, even those with whom you disagree, or even those who hate you? If you want to seek to do good, follow the example of Jesus. I know that we are not saved by following Jesus’ example, but by faith in Him, but if we want to live lives that honor Christ, we will follow His example. Jesus did good for all who came across His path. He did good for the rich man Zacchaeus, and He did good for the poor woman who merely touched the hem of his garment and was healed. In John 4 Jesus witnessed to the woman at the well, even though her life was in shambles because of wrecked marriages and an illicit relationship with another man. Read the Gospels and you will see that Jesus always went about doing good for all who came across His path. If we follow the example of Jesus, we will not fail to love people and do good to them. The promise of the text is that if we seek to do good, good will come back to us, and if we seek to do evil that will also come back to us. Those who live genuine Christian lives, seek to do good – period. Bro. Joe “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised.”
“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”
I saw two things in this text that can help make our lives count in reference to our Christian lives: “walk in wisdom” and “redeeming the time.” If we want to walk in wisdom and redeem or make best use of our time, I want to suggest three simple lessons that can help us in this endeavor. The first lesson that we need to learn is to trust in the Lord. Frankly, this has been a difficult lesson for me, but as I’ve gotten older and have been through several things that I knew that I could not handle myself, I think that am learning the lesson. There is nothing in our lives that we escape the need to trust in the Lord. What I mean by trusting in the Lord, is that you lean on Him, and depend on Him in every decision that you make in your life. I always go back to Deuteronomy 26:27a to give me guidance: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Make a commitment to trust in the Lord, and depend on His guidance in your life. The second lesson is “to do unto others and you would have them do unto you.” As you know, this is the “Golden Rule.” Jesus told us to” love our neighbors as we love ourselves.” (Matthew 19:19) This is what is meant in the text by walking “in wisdom toward them that are without.” This reminds me that the Lord loves other people as much He loves me. It also reminds me that if I want to live obediently and make the best use of the time that God has given me, I should love other people and treat them with respect. We need to do a better job of in our church fellowship and in our daily dealings in the world. The third lesson that we need to learn is to dedicate our lives to use the gifts that God has given us to serve Him. We can become so selfish that we will only do what benefits us. I want to share my own pilgrimage in learning this lesson. When I finally realized that my greatest spiritual gift is encouragement, it gave me greater guidance in what I preach and write. This identifies me with the biblical character “Barnabas.” That was his nick name and means “son of encouragement.” Of course, the Spirit has given me other gifts as well, but encouragement is my life’s calling. I try to remember that when I preach and when I write. Find out what your spiritual gifts are, and use them to serve the Lord through your church and through your daily life. These are three critical lessons that we need to learn and practice. – period. Bro. Joe “I took you from the ends of the earth; from the farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant; I have chosen you, and have not rejected you. 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’”
This is a promise that God gave to Israel through the prophet Isaiah. It is a promise that we can also believe and enjoy. It tells us that our God is a willing God. The first thing that we need to know is that God has not rejected us. It is sometimes difficult for us to believe that the sovereign, almighty creator of the universe will actually accept us and not reject us. We are not worthy of His acceptance, but He accepts us by His grace and mercy. If you feel that God has rejected you, just remember that He “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus loves you and will accept you. The second thing that we need to know is that we should not be afraid. It is not unusual for people to be afraid in our volatile, and sometimes, hateful world. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 56:3: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in you.” It is good to know that He is always with us and will not forsake us. The one thing that you can be sure of is that God is only a prayer away from you wherever you are. In Psalm 56:2, David wrote: “My enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most high.” David was literally surrounded by enemies when he wrote this, but whenever he became afraid he remembered that he could trust God. What time you are afraid, you can also trust in Him. The third thing that we need to know is that we do not have to be dismayed. There are two things that Isaiah mentions here to remind us that we do not have to be dismayed, puzzled, or disheartened, because He is our God, who will be with us and according to our text He “will strengthen us and help us and will uphold us with His righteous right hand.” When you are disheartened, keep in mind that you have the God of the universe on your side. He is the God who is willing to help you because He has accepted you, He knows when you are afraid or when you are dismayed. Lean on Him….He wants you to lean on Him. Bro. Joe . |
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