Joseph: Faithfully Loved

God’s Faithful Love.  What comes to mind when you meditate on God’s Faithful Love? I immediately think of His patience, eternal salvation, provision, grace and mercy.  I think of the many abundant blessings in my life that I do not deserve.  God’s Faithful Love makes me think of sunshine and happiness and many wonderful things.  I think that is the reason Genesis 39:21 jumped off the page at me so blatantly.

“But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.” (39:21, NLT)

 
Hmmm, wait a second… At this point in the text Joseph had just been falsely accused of rape by his boss’s wife and was thrown in jail.  Then, I read that as Joseph sits in jail (unjustly sentenced), God showed “His Faithful Love.”  Based on this profound verse, I need to reconsider the images I conjure up when meditating on God’s Faithful Love. Joseph was facing what must have been one of his darkest moments and yet the Lord was there showing “His Faithful Love.”  At first, this was surprising to me, but upon closer consideration it is beyond comforting to know that the Lord is ALWAYS ready and willing to show “His Faithful Love” regardless of my circumstances.  I just need to learn from Joseph and be ready to represent my savior under every condition and in every environment.  In spite of the seemingly negative circumstance, Joseph held steadfastly to his dedication to the Lord and in turn God made Joseph successful at everything he touched even in prison.

What area of your life is not going exactly as planned?  I challenge you fully commit this area to the Lord and allow him to show his Faithful Love to you in your darkest moments.

Prayer:

Lord, I thank you for the inspiring example of unwavering love for you that we have in Joseph. I pray that as the dark moments come, we will stay firmly planted and fully recognize your faithful love.  Help us not to grumble about the difficult times but to press into you more deeply.

 In Jesus name,

Amen

Boring or Beneficial?

Happy Tuesday All! Who’s ready to get this year started right with a reading plan???? I’m so excited to announce that my church has issued a challenge to all of its partners (that's what we call our members) to read the Old Testament (OT) in 90 days! I know I just lost some of you when I said OT but don’t stop reading yet.  I want to take a brief moment to emphasize the importance of the OT to each of us. The OT really is the foundation for all the rich text we love in the New Testament.  Skipping over the OT just to get to the NT is like not reading the introduction and first chapter of your favorite book.  Better yet, it’s like skipping the oh-so exciting “dating phase” of a relationship and going straight to marriage.  The marriage is great, but who wants to lose out on the fun of butterflies and discovery that comes in the beginning phase?? The NT is built on the laws, systems, covenants and promises of the OT!

I’ll be completely honest, there was a time when I would always chose to read a NT passage over an OT passage, if given a choice. Thankfully, I married a man that is an OT fanatic and after quite a bit of encouragement, I recently decided to start reading through Genesis.  Wow, is pretty much all I can say.  I LOVE this book.  There is so much drama, seriously, check it out! I would like to invite you to join me in reading through the Old Testament in 90 Days (OTN90).  The reading plan can be found here.  As we read, I will blog about some of the things the Lord is revealing to me through the OT and I would love to hear what you are learning as well!

P.S.

If you would like a bit more information about the Old Testament, you can find some great information here.

Wait, How Long??!

Today, I would like to discuss patience, everyone’s favorite word! Patience is defined as bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like. The Lord calls us to be patient not only in the small things (ie: traffic!) but also in the big things.  I think Abraham is an extraordinary example for us to study in this area.  First, let me say that summarizing Abraham’s journey does not do the story justice.  I encourage you to go and read Genesis as soon as you get the chance. Until then, here’s a quick overview:

In Genesis 15, the Lord promises Abraham he will have an heir, a son, and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Despite his old age, Abraham believed. God revealed that Abraham’s descendants would be slaves for 400 years and the 4^th generation would receive the blessing of the promised land.  Finally, Sarah gives birth to Isaac, the son that God promised Abraham, in Ch 20 when Abraham is 100 years old!

Often, I grow impatient just waiting for the red light to change on my way to work but Abraham waited until he was 100 years old for the Lord’s promise of a son to be realized.  In addition, he never personally saw the promised land, that blessing came 400 years later.  My question to you is… how much do you truly trust God’s timing?  As we approach the end of the year, many of us will be reflecting on the goals we set for the year, what we have accomplished, and where we feel that we have fallen short.   I would like to encourage you not to grow discouraged in the blessings you are still waiting on but to rejoice in the blessings that the Lord has bestowed on you in the past 12 months.  Don’t forget to also cherish God’s promises, because they will be fulfilled in His perfect timing.

Prayer:
Lord, I praise you for every single blessing you have bestowed on me in 2012.  I thank you for your kindness, your grace and your perfect timing.  Please help me to stay focused on your word and your promises.  Amen.