Author: astherainandsnow

“Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him… When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.’ So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father gave this command before he died: “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.’ Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’ But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. 

“So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years. And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’” Genesis 50:1,15-22,24

When God owns a heart, it knows no guile. Joseph had every earthly reason to be bitter, to get even, to take revenge on his brothers for their mistreatment, but his heart was fixed with his God, who had full residence there. Even had his brothers not sought his forgiveness, he had already settled in his mind that he was God’s and God was Lord and always worked good. He wept at their thinking he held a grudge because he had long ago forgiven them and accepted God’s providential plan. (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 4:32)

Trusting God’s sovereignty leaves no room for self-pity or bitterness. When the heart is bound up securely with the King, the rude, strong winds of circumstance, unfair treatment, injustice, and cruelty may whip and lash, but they hold no sway. A heart wholly surrendered to God yields authentic kindness and selfless service to those who have done it wrong, because those wrongs have been borne and carried away by the Savior.

When God owns a heart, there is no time for petty, or large, grievances. There is no room for resentment, no space to tuck away and stack up wrongs, or hoard rights. When God owns a heart, He fills every recess with holy passion and hope for restoration, with pure and overflowing love and compassion. He takes over our feelings of being put upon, and merit. He transforms our disappointments into thankfulness. He is all in all, He in us and we in Him, and we are freed to live and love as He does.

What crannies of my heart need cleaning? Would I let go of nagging sins that muddy my view of God’s overarching goodness in every circumstance?

Father God, take up residence in my heart and claim ownership of my every affection, emotion, attitude. Fill me to overflow with Your loving grace to others.

“Then Jacob called his sons and said, ‘Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. Assemble and listen, O sons... Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples…’

“’Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.’ When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.” Genesis 49:1-2,8,10,22-26,33

This is a touching scene, the elderly and flawed father at his last. Trickery, favoritism, tenacity, a lifetime of lessons through struggle, injustice, and the grace of God, were bound in this patriarch on his deathbed. He called his sons, representing the twelve tribes of God’s Israel, to hear his parting words, and spoke over them truth and blessing. His words conveyed vision for the future and understanding of who they were and what they had endured. He reminded them who their God was and how He helped and loved them, and he bathed them in the sweet benevolence of their Lord as a final goodbye. His pronouncement in the cold chill of imminent death covered them with the grace of warm light .

With those we love, there are many ways to leave an impression, a variety of messages we convey with goodbye. This passage reminds us to be thoughtful and immerse our minds in the Almighty as we offer parting gifts– for they can be true gifts that lift the sights, bolster with security, arm with truth, and adorn with love and grace. Are we choosing words that reinforce our worry and doubt (and are really about us), or the greatness and security of God’s care and promises (and exalt Him)? How different are “Drive carefully,” and “Be safe” from “Go in grace, you are loved, God is able” and “The Lord bless and keep you”? (Numbers 6:24-26; Ephesians 6:23-24; 2 Timothy 4:22; 2 Peter 3:18; Jude 24-25)

Will we take every opportunity to anoint others with genuine blessings of divine truth that build godly hope and confidence, Bible promises that reinforce the soul, reminders of God’s delight and singing that feed happiness? We must know Christ and His word to pass Him on. What are we doing to store us blessings we can impart? (Zephaniah 3:17)

Father, make me a conduit of Your blessing, to point others to You.

“So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, ‘My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.’ Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, ‘How many are the days of the years of your life?’ And Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.’ And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.” Genesis 47:1,7-10

“We are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.” 1 Chronicles 29:15

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” Hebrews 11:13

The patriarch Jacob, third generation nomad in Canaan, had borne 12 sons who would lead the tribes of the nation Israel. When he traveled during a famine to Egypt, and Pharaoh asked his age, he described his years as a sojourning… a wandering, a temporary stay without settling on the land of earth. The measure of his days was one of faith that they would last forever. His was a heavenly home, and every day here was a step toward that place of eternal promise.

What is the measure of a life? It can be counted in the steps we walk in faith, the days we live by faith, the graces we extend and the love we share because of the saving faith we have received from God. Our living here is a sojourning, a series of temporary stops to sweeten relationships, provide meaningful industry, serve the needy, nourish the hungry with truth that satisfies. We are led and fed so we can lead and feed, making a difference for life now and life to come.

As the Lord Jesus both leads and follows, hemming me in behind and before with His powerful presence, what am I doing and giving for His sake? How is my faith in forever evidenced in the here and now of His kingdom? How well does the joy set before me inspire present joy within and spilling over? (Psalm 139:5; Hebrews 12:3)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

“It has been reported to me that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. Each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. We preach Christ crucified,.. to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’  

“I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God… What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth… For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 1:11-13,21,23-24,30-31; 2:2-5; 3:5-7,9

There are some people who seem to be covered with glue, and others who like to stick. Followers cling to the ‘famous’ like barnacles, in devoted allegiance, proud of their belonging and dependent on their identity as fans. ‘I go to X’s bible study,’ ‘I read X every morning and he/she says..,’ ‘We go to X’s church,’ and ‘Do you follow X?’ Paul here calls the Corinthian church to set aside aligning with names and individuals, and unify in the mission and Person of the gospel. Those who preach are all merely planters and waterers, servants of the Most High who has charge over the work and results.

In God’s kingdom, everything is about Him. He chooses instruments who are willing and available, not necessarily with outstanding natural wisdom or talent, so that He is the One seen and heard and receiving the glory. Paul reminds us to look to Jesus Christ, listen to Him, follow His wisdom, fix our devotion and allegiance with Him, not His servants. Paul and Apollos were merely planters and waterers, each investing at his appointed time in their lives, each giving out the truth when called to preach or teach or encourage.

It is the same with you and me. From either vantage point, we must beware. Are we wanting any limelight or credit for God’s work done through us? It is His Spirit’s wisdom and power that brings growth. Are we prone to suck like leaches onto certain denominational tag-lines, teachers, or authors as ultimate authorities? It is the Lord Who is supreme.

Father, may I so plant and water and know Christ among others, that they see and believe and glorify You.

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions… Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him… One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord… Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God… Each of us will give an account of himself to God. 

“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother… If your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit… So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” Romans 14:1,3,5,7-8,10,12-13,15-17,19

There are so many things that divide people. It happened in the early church, and it happens today. Paul knew it, God knows it. Opinions, food and drink choices, celebrations of certain days and events- gifts from God to be enjoyed for His glory, yet ramrods of stubborn self-righteousness into many occasions that result in factions, dissension, a miserable and broken picture of the church to the watching world. Today we have politics, diets, differing opinions on science, and church music, and what is acceptable entertainment, and more.

Paul’s words put hands on our shoulders, look us in the eye, and say, love Jesus first, and most. Live for Him, and these irritations and disagreements and clashes of opinion will melt in the warmth of a higher allegiance. Instead of facing off, or spouting off, cast off your obstinance and align your conscience with the Holy Spirit’s convictions. Remember you will be called to account, before the only true Judge, for every word spoken and determination made. Choose to love instead of condemn, sacrifice instead of assert your rights, and actively, intentionally, wholeheartedly, pursue peace and mutual edification. (Matthew 12:36; Romans 12: 10; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

Where do we get so tangled up in our opinions and preferences that we disregard, or diss, others with differing outlooks? When did we slip into thinking ourselves superior, our viewpoints over negotiables more enlightened, our freedoms gifts to be used for selfish gain and pleasure instead of serving those weaker? What difference would it make if we saw and welcomed others in love as God does? Would we ask Him to expose and transform our self-righteous, selfish ways? (Galatians 5:13)

Father, may I live fully to You, and for others’ sake. Help me in every particular to promote the righteousness, peace, and joy of Your kingdom.

“And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come near to me, please.’ And they came near. And he said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

“Joseph said to them, ‘Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Genesis 45:3-8; 50:19-21

While Joseph was occupied with the day to day management of Pharaoh’s kingdom, and orchestrated events with his brothers from Israel to bring them to repentance for their cruel mistreatment, he never lost sight of his God who had been, and was then, working all things for His redemptive good. As conniving and manipulative as they had been, it was God who superintended the sale of Joseph into slavery, his unjust imprisonment, and his elevation to power under Pharaoh at this time. His purposes cannot be thwarted. (Isaiah 14:27; Job 42:2; Romans 8:28)

In the pit, in his master’s home, in his cell, in famine, Joseph was trained not to get tangled in the web of present difficulties, but to zoom out and watch Almighty God at work. He experienced cruelty, anguish, loneliness, and longing, but in keeping his focus on his Lord, not his circumstances, he learned to rest in God’s greater plan and trust His sovereign order and control. (Genesis 41:51-52; 42:21; Psalm 105:17-19; Acts 7:9-10)

What change will it take to move from ‘woe is me’ to ‘what is He?’ What is He doing in the world, in my community, with my life? How does He want me involved, and where can I employ my particular vantage point, unique position, and resources for His kingdom purposes? Like a camera shifting from up close focus to zooming out, when we take our eyes off the immediate and urgent, off of ourselves, we see Him and His ways more clearly.

Joseph had every reason to be bitter, to take advantage of his power over the brothers who had wronged him, but he chose to see the big picture as God saw and determined it. His difficult circumstances became a significant part of God’s grand scheme in preserving His people and word for the world.

Father, teach me to step back, refocus to behold Your wide plans, and participate gladly in them for Your glorious purposes.

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Romans 13:8-10,12-14

Debt can be crushing. To owe money on loans, favors to others, time and service to employers, can be burdensome and weigh heavily, sapping our resources and vitality and ability to progress. But Jesus, who came to set us free, fulfilled our debt from sin by taking our punishment on the cross. He invites us to cast off our burdens, and carry no more debt- except to love one another. (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7)

“‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” Matthew 22:36-40

The Old Testament commandments were impossible to keep, and Jesus summed them up with two: love the Lord your God, and love others. Like turning from darkness to light, the way to keep the ‘don’ts’ is to ‘do the dos’ in the power of Christ. When we live in light and love and put on Christ, we will treat others well, and rightly. Our affections toward them will be pure. We will be loyal, devoted, upright in our thinking and speaking about them. We will genuinely want what is best for them, will promote them and not jealously undermine their success. We will rejoice in their happiness, and weep when they weep. We will be tenderhearted, compassionate, and forgiving. We will lay down our fiesty arms, willing to agree (even if to disagree) rather than quarrel or be divisive. We will spur them on to love and good deeds, doing for them what we would want for ourselves. (Romans 12:15; Ephesians 4:31-32; Hebrews 10:24)

So how are we doing with this debt? Are we committed to paying it regularly, in generous chunks? If so, what is the evidence?

Are we lugging along other debts of bitterness, anger, disappointment, rights to ‘get even’ or ‘make them pay’ that preclude our freely loving others? Would we readily confess these, throw off these ‘works of darkness,’ and get on with walking in the daylight joy of love?

Lord, thank You for paying my immeasurable debt so I am free to love as You have so generously loved me. May I do it in lavish measure, reflecting Your amazing grace.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Romans 12:9-18

What does genuine love look like? It looks like Jesus, who laid down His life for His friends. And when we lay down our lives, we relinquish our masks, so love can be genuine, not manipulative or affected or forced for our own ends. We give up what is evil and self-serving, and lavish affection, honor, patience, and generosity on those God gives us to love. We prefer them over ourselves, choose their preferences over our own, their good and peace and needs instead of ours. We compassionately care, we earnestly pray. We energetically, zealously, passionately, sacrificially exhibit and extend benevolence to individuals God has placed in our lives. (John 15:13)

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Loving this way takes time. It takes time to contemplate Jesus and how He loves, and seeking to emulate Him. It takes setting aside my natural proclivities to do what I want when I want. It requires arranging for segments of my schedule to meet with and listen to others, and more time to pray in earnest for them and their growth and needs. It takes giving of myself for the good of another.

We cannot understand or have the capacity to love without Jesus. We cannot love others without touching the cross and allowing it to touch deep down into us in a meaningful way. He who spread His arms wide on the cross, loving us ‘this much,’ is the One who frees us and fills us to love others as He has loved us. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love…Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another… We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:7-8,11,19) Would we seek His filling and be willing to pour ourselves out?

My Savior, may I love genuinely and lavishly in the power of the love You have shown me. May those I love know they are being loved by You.

“Oh that my vexation were weighed,
    and all my calamity laid in the balances!
For the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
    my spirit drinks their poison;
    the terrors of God are arrayed against me.

“Oh that I might have my request,
    and that God would fulfill my hope,
that it would please God to crush me,
    that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
This would be my comfort;
    for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
    I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
    I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

“What is man, that you make so much of him,
    and that you set your heart on him,
 visit him every morning
    and test him every moment?
How long will you not look away from me,
    nor leave me alone? 

“He is wise in heart and mighty in strength
    —who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—
Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not;
    he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back?
    Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’” Job 6:1-2,4,8-10; 7:11,17-19; 9:4,11-12,15

Job in his misery has lamented his birth, loathing life because of his painful wounds and bitter-breath existence. Yet, through all his complaint and tortured situation, and his responses to friends who have short wisdom and even less compassion, he sees all through the lens of knowing his God, and implicitly trusts Him. (Job 9:17,18,21)

Many today, either from countries where God has been publicly non-existent for centuries, or raised in cultures where God has been marginalized or outlawed in more recent times, have no divine vantage-point from which to view life. Pain, sickness, rejection, hardship, isolation happen in spiritual vacuums, resulting in a startling lack of hope and purpose. How can there be reasonable coping mechanisms, or courage to persevere, where there is a void of faith, a life-continuum, expectation for good beyond the here and now?

Placing our trust in God, and a close ongoing relationship with Him, fit us with spiritual lenses that allow us to see all of life with an eternal perspective. No matter what we are called to endure, we experience it within the parameters of God’s sovereign rule. However trying our circumstances, deep our pain, or confusing our paths, we know God reigns, is not confused or surprised, and works all for our good. Our angst, our grief, our fears are under His watchful care, and never too great for His loving comfort to envelop or His plans to incorporate. The near and now has not yet touched the forever. (Psalm 22:28; 135:5-6; Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28)

Have I slid into narrow, horizontal vision? Am I prone to measuring my issues in human terms, and wriggling uncomfortably with my lot in life because I don’t like or understand it? Will I instead determine to lift my eyes, to maintain a high view of the God who conducts all of life’s orchestra, and trust His perfect precision, righteousness, and grace?

My God, teach me to see with Your vision, and discern all things from the vantage point of Your character, high purposes, and truth. May I ever glorify Your majestic sovereignty.

“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called?

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 9:14-17,21-24; 11:33-36

There is a majesty in Paul’s cogent reasoning and explaining of supernatural inexplicables. He traces the mercy of God as His loving gift, and like glistening diamonds against black cloth, God’s glorious provision against the justice we deserve. Instead of our owning rights to life and salvation, he proves we deserve nothing but death, ‘but God.’ Instead of our arguing to justify ourselves and determine who deserves what, he silences us to consider the patience and power of God, all orchestrated for His glory. We cannot know His mind, but we can trust it.

The saving ways of God are mysterious, an inerrant blend of justice and mercy. We cannot comprehend every aspect, but we know they are perfect because He is perfect. His grace is wide, His majesty great, His providence sure. Who are we to question and bicker and chafe at His sovereignty? We are meant not to take His place, but to humble ourselves before His power and trust His love. Almighty God not only has the right to do what He has purposed from the beginning, but He will rightly bring it about to the praise of His glory. (Psalm 18:30)

Paul himself, master of intellect and word, concludes his contemplation of God’s sovereignty by breaking into worshipful song. It is the only human response. The more he considers Him, and the inexpressible gift of His irresistible affection unto our salvation, he cannot help but be amazed, open his hands, and offer Him all honor forever. Shall we do the same? Rather than dismissing what we do not understand, would we take time to think about it, and worship because we cannot understand?

Oh good Father, elevate my thinking to the point of asking, ‘what shall I say?’ Quiet me in reverent submission, then open my mouth to praise You for Your sovereignty and grace forever.