35th Week Genesis 44-48 Click on Title for Video Introduction

 

Click on Title for Video Intro

Monday, Genesis Chapter 44

Genesis 44

Verse 20

Kristen Strayer

September 1, 2006

Verse 20:   And we answered, “We have an aged Father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.”

THOUGHT

I think this chapter shows a good side to Joseph’s brothers. They displayed they loved and were concerned for the well-being of their father. They were not going to leave their youngest brother, Benjamin, behind as they knew it would devastate their father. I think their actions and words showed honor to their father.

PRAYER

God, thank You for the parents You gave to us. Help us not to focus on their weaknesses, but to honor them for the people you created them to be.  We love you God!  AMEN

Tuesday, Genesis Chapter 45

Genesis 45

Verse 8 

Mindy Strayer

September 3, 2006

Verse 8:  “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.”

THOUGHT

Joseph was able to comfort his brothers and credit God for his position in life because he had God’s truth and wisdom in his heart. Many people harbor anger and resentment when facing people that have wronged them.  Often times we want to place blame on those people for our troubles. The last thing we want to do is give them words of encouragement or comfort.

This statement that Joseph makes to his brothers is indicative of a man who has learned to see things from God’s perspective, and he is able to see God’s will and purposes in and through ALL that has happened to him.  Joseph was rejected, kidnapped, enslaved, and imprisoned because his brothers

wronged him. But because God is sovereign, and His plans cannot be thwarted, Joseph still became who God intended him to be.

PRAYER

Lord, we are humbled by Your willingness to forgive our sins. Lord, we wrong You, and yet Your heart for us is so big that when we ask for forgiveness, You comfort us with Your presence and truth and remember our sin no more.  Lord, please help us to forgive those people that hurt us as You have

forgiven us when we hurt You. Thank You, Lord, for being in control of our lives. Thank You, Lord, that we are assured that whatever was intended for evil, You will work it out for good. Jesus, thank You for Your shed blood on the cross. May we live our lives in remembrance of that act of sacrifice and forgiveness, and bring to You glory and honor that is due Your name. AMEN

Wednesday, Genesis Chapter 46

Genesis 46

Verses 3-4

Mindy Strayer

September 4, 2006

Genesis 3-4:  “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.”

THOUGHT

This statement from God to Jacob in his dream is very similar to His statement back in chapter 28 verses 14 & 15 when God says to Jacob, also in a dream, “Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth and will be spread out all over the earth. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go,

and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

God’s promise to all of us is the same as it was to Jacob. He promises to do something Great with our lives if we follow Him. God promises that He will NEVER leave us on the journey He has told us to take. He will walk with us every step of the way. We cannot get lost, because if we are following God, He leads us on the right path. Even if we stray, He will find us and bring us back. 

Like Jacob in his dream, it is good to have strong reminders of God’s plan and purpose for our lives. For some of us this may be a good time to be still and quiet and allow the Holy Spirit to remind us of all that God has promised.

PRAYER

Lord, how humbled we are to know that You, God of the universe, have entrusted each one of us to do Great things for the sake of Your name and for the growth of Your kingdom. Lord, thank You that You have called each one of us to have a supernatural ministry with the power of Your Holy Spirit. Speak into the hearts of every Salt Shaker where their next step should be and give them the courage to walk there. I pray, Lord God, that our lives would be motivated not by the things of this world but by the

Gospel of Jesus Christ. I ask this In Jesus Name. AMEN

Thursday, Genesis Chapter 47

Genesis 47

Verse 25

Mindy Strayer

September 7, 2006

Verse 25:  “You have saved our lives,” they said.

THOUGHT

The Egyptian people said this to Joseph. Back in chapter 45 verse 5 Joseph says to his brothers, “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. Chapter 47 shows us God’s fulfilling Joseph’s purpose for

his life. 

God is faithful. He follows through on His promises to us. No matter how dim our lives may seem (remember Joseph’s life in slavery), God can and will use it all to bring about His good purposes. 

PRAYER 

Lord, thank You for Your love. It is the source of our strength and the hope to which we hold on to. We trust You, Lord, with our lives and with Your timing to bring about Your good purposes. Lord Jesus, help us daily to become more and more like You, to become obedient to God the Father.  May our actions reflect You so that You can say, “I only do what my Father tells me to do.”  Holy Spirit, lead us in the ways of the Lord so that we would bring glory to Him through our lives. In Jesus Name.  AMEN

Friday, Genesis Chapter 48

Genesis 48

Verse 14

Mindy Strayer

September 8, 2006

Verse 14:  But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.

THOUGHT

I am so grateful that this action of Jacob got recorded in the Bible. It is highly significant when you compare it to God’s blessing of His children(us). What if God’s blessings were based on characteristics like being 1st born or 2nd born; blond hair, brown hair, or red hair; whether rich or poor; whether you lived in the US, China, Spain, Turkey and so forth? And what if all of the 1st born children were blessed a certain way, and all of the 2nd born children were blessed a certain way, all of the blond haired children blessed a certain way and so on and so forth. No, God has a unique purpose and paths for each one of us. Little surprises stored up for each of us.  

God can do whatever He wants with us, and that is a big part of the joy that we have in this journey called life. Not to say that God wants us to be in the dark about finding His will for our lives, but the unknown does cause us to search out the heart of God, trust in Him and lean not on our own understanding. Sound familiar?! Like Jacob mixing it up purposefully with Ephraim and Manasseh, God mixes things up with all of us. It doesn’t matter where we start from (the position we are in); God will find us and bless us according to His will. 

Perhaps it helps to keep us from getting ahead of God, prevents us from getting a little too full of answers, thinking we have everything figured out and that we are in control. Isn’t God the author and finisher of our faith? Trust in Him when paths seem naturally straight, but trust also in Him when the path crisscrosses or zigzags or switchbacks. It will always lead to Him.

PRAYER

Lord, thank You for all of the many blessings that You have given to us.  Lord, help us to reflect on those blessings that we might see the journey You took us on that led us to them. May we learn more about You, Lord, as we do this. Jesus, we thank You that You mixed it up. You care for the lost and the broken-hearted, those without friends and those who would otherwise not be sought out. You spent time with the outcasts and you suffered and died a shameful death. You did the opposite of what a king

would do, and we are forever grateful. We offer You our lives, Lord Jesus.  We love You. AMEN