.I am finding it a little difficult to write today. I have been drawn to Revelations. Now it seems kind of funny that I am always asking the Lord reveal to me His plan for my life but when I read Revelations I want to just say, “don’t tell me Lord, I don’t want to know!” In actuality, it says in Revelations 1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophesy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
I don’t anticipate this to be a blog on Revelations. There are so many out there who have studied this book and understand it more than I but yet I believe it is still a mystery until we sit at the feet of Jesus we will really not truly understand it all. At the church where I was raised and accepted the Lord as my Savior, there is a large mural in the back of the church with pictures that a lady drew after reading Revelations. It is my understanding that the pastor at that time then did a series on Revelations referring to her drawings. As I read Revelations I am always referring to those pictures in my mind and quite frankly, it is scary. So I say, when we ask the Lord to reveal to us His plan for us we don’t really know what we are asking because it can be quite scary! Yet it is not scary at all when we know He is there beside us and that all that is in His plan is for our good. With that I want us to look at Revelations and find out a little more about the character of God and begin to envision Him as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. So many times I think we water Him down to a “Jeannie in a bottle” asking Him for things that please us rather than focusing on Him.
With that being said, I want to leave you today with some scriptures that focus on our Lord and Savior.
Revelations 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelations 1:17 & 18 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. (18) I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the kys of death and Hades.”
Revelations 5:1-14 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. (2) And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” (3) But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. (4) I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll and look inside. (5) Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
(6) Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. (7) He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him, who sat on the throne. (8) And when He had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (9) And they sang a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. (10) You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
(11) Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. (12) In a loud voice they sang:
“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
(13) Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth an on the sea, and all that is in them singing:
“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
(14) The four living creatures said, “Amen” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”
One of the many things I found amazingly interesting in that scripture that seven horns and eyes are mentioned in reference to the seven sprits sent out to the earth It also speaks of His blood being purchased for every tribe, language, people, and nation! Do you realize earth has seven continents? I don’t believe that is a coincidence, do you?
This song sums up what I have tried to say today. I hope you will be able to view the link because it was quite a blessing to me, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra4HWj1jrJA&feature=player_embedded .
Have you fallen down and worshipped our Lord and Savior today? I hope this scripture will help you put into perceptive the one we serve. May you find peace, hope, and faith as you seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
Monday, September 12, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Comfort
Well I have had a few people that have encouraged me to continue my blog and I am reminded of a verse Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three come together in my name, there I am in there midst” So the way I figure it, if only one other person reads this then God is in our midst.
As you can tell I have been discouraged the past several days. I wish I had the faith that Joseph had. Although I know that God is in control and He has such a wonderful plan for my life, it is really difficult to wait for it. I feel as though I am a burden on my family and I just feel out of place. I love being at home and I could sit and write all day but don’t believe that everyone is as excited to read what I write as I am to write it. I have to think about all those books I have started to read and never finished. That author was probably as passionate about writing as I am and if they knew how many put their books back on the shelf would they be discouraged?
As I cried out to the Lord today I plopped down on the couch and opened up my Bible. It fell open to Isaiah 40 and the first words I read were “Comfort, comfort for my people, says your God” Isaiah 40:1
So I continued reading and when I got a little further I remembered that my focus had been on the attributes of God and there they were again, staring me in the face. Look at Isaiah 40:25 - 26 which reads, “To whom will you compare me?” Or who is my equal? Says the Holy One. (26) Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”
That really sets into perspective who our God is and then He says, to Jacob or remember He renamed him Israel, (vs. 27) Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? That verse really hit me today because that could have said “O Sheila” rather than “O Jacob”. I feel that the things that have blessed me have been taken from me and I don’t understand why. I get so frustrated and upset about it and I cry to the Lord. Today when I cried out He gave me this answer, reading on, vs. 28 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. (29) He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (30) Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; (31) but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Heavenly Father, I thank you for these words. I ask you to forgive me for becoming discouraged and downcast. Help me to keep my focus on you and you alone. I ask for your strength and guidance in each step of my life and I thank you for your words of encouragement today. I ask you to bless those who read your words and give them comfort and strength as you have promised to those who you call your children. I love you and praise you in all things. In the precious name of Jesus I pray, AMEN.
As I sought out God today, I found Him. It was no coincidence that my Bible fell open to those words, God directed me to that scripture. I am truly blessed to belong to a God who guides me through life even when I doubt and become discouraged, He is always there. May you seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart!
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
As you can tell I have been discouraged the past several days. I wish I had the faith that Joseph had. Although I know that God is in control and He has such a wonderful plan for my life, it is really difficult to wait for it. I feel as though I am a burden on my family and I just feel out of place. I love being at home and I could sit and write all day but don’t believe that everyone is as excited to read what I write as I am to write it. I have to think about all those books I have started to read and never finished. That author was probably as passionate about writing as I am and if they knew how many put their books back on the shelf would they be discouraged?
As I cried out to the Lord today I plopped down on the couch and opened up my Bible. It fell open to Isaiah 40 and the first words I read were “Comfort, comfort for my people, says your God” Isaiah 40:1
So I continued reading and when I got a little further I remembered that my focus had been on the attributes of God and there they were again, staring me in the face. Look at Isaiah 40:25 - 26 which reads, “To whom will you compare me?” Or who is my equal? Says the Holy One. (26) Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”
That really sets into perspective who our God is and then He says, to Jacob or remember He renamed him Israel, (vs. 27) Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? That verse really hit me today because that could have said “O Sheila” rather than “O Jacob”. I feel that the things that have blessed me have been taken from me and I don’t understand why. I get so frustrated and upset about it and I cry to the Lord. Today when I cried out He gave me this answer, reading on, vs. 28 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. (29) He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (30) Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; (31) but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Heavenly Father, I thank you for these words. I ask you to forgive me for becoming discouraged and downcast. Help me to keep my focus on you and you alone. I ask for your strength and guidance in each step of my life and I thank you for your words of encouragement today. I ask you to bless those who read your words and give them comfort and strength as you have promised to those who you call your children. I love you and praise you in all things. In the precious name of Jesus I pray, AMEN.
As I sought out God today, I found Him. It was no coincidence that my Bible fell open to those words, God directed me to that scripture. I am truly blessed to belong to a God who guides me through life even when I doubt and become discouraged, He is always there. May you seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart!
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Are You Comfortable?
This is my last post. I have decided there are so many other people who can write and do such a good job of it, you don’t need my blogs. I have truly enjoyed writing these blogs, it has been the best part of my days but I don’t want people to feel obligated to read them and I haven’t had the response that I had hoped for so I decided it was time to say goodbye to the blog page. I could not leave without finishing the story of Joseph.
In Genesis 43 the brothers make the second trip to Egypt and bring their brother Benjamin. Joseph has them come to his home and serves them all a meal. In chapter 44 when a silver cup is planted in Benjamin’s sack and he is accused of stealing it. Judah pleads with Joseph not to take Benjamin as a slave but to take him instead as he had promised his father that he would keep Benjamin safe. At that point, Chapter 45, Joseph revealed himself and his brothers were terrified.
Genesis 45:5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. Joseph tells them this but they do not really believe it because in Chapter 50, after the death of their father, they make up another lie and tell Joseph that their father asked him to forgive his brothers. Now, don’t you think if that is what his father had said he would have told Joseph himself? Joseph knew this was not true but he also knew that his Heavenly Father had a plan for him and it was because of that plan that he was in Egypt. He said in Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Has anyone done something to you, intending to harm you? I know I feel that way and I haven’t always responded the way Joseph did. Although we might want sweet revenge, in actuality the only thing that is sweet is forgiveness. God will take care of the rest. Joseph knew this and he had forgiven his brothers long before revealing himself to them.
Joseph was granted the opportunity to take his father’s remains back his father’s homeland but he himself would never live in that land again. Joseph died in Egypt and his body was carried out of that land when the Israelites fled Egypt with Moses leading them. He had requested this in Genesis 50:25 And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and said, ‘God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.’ Joseph made the best of his situation but he was never really comfortable there, he always wanted to go home.
Are you comfortable in your situation? I know that I am not and yet we have to keep going because God is in control. Maybe you are too comfortable and you do not see God’s hand in your life. Be sure to always remember that God is the one that makes all things possible. It is not us or our abilities that make things happen for God is the one that has given us our gifts, talents, and abilities. Joseph never forgot that and that is why he could be so confident in all situations and that is also why God blessed him but remember in those blessings he also had pain.
Thank you to all who read my blog. I hope it was somewhat of a blessing to you as it was to me. I hope that you will continue to seek God with all your hearts.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
In Genesis 43 the brothers make the second trip to Egypt and bring their brother Benjamin. Joseph has them come to his home and serves them all a meal. In chapter 44 when a silver cup is planted in Benjamin’s sack and he is accused of stealing it. Judah pleads with Joseph not to take Benjamin as a slave but to take him instead as he had promised his father that he would keep Benjamin safe. At that point, Chapter 45, Joseph revealed himself and his brothers were terrified.
Genesis 45:5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. Joseph tells them this but they do not really believe it because in Chapter 50, after the death of their father, they make up another lie and tell Joseph that their father asked him to forgive his brothers. Now, don’t you think if that is what his father had said he would have told Joseph himself? Joseph knew this was not true but he also knew that his Heavenly Father had a plan for him and it was because of that plan that he was in Egypt. He said in Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Has anyone done something to you, intending to harm you? I know I feel that way and I haven’t always responded the way Joseph did. Although we might want sweet revenge, in actuality the only thing that is sweet is forgiveness. God will take care of the rest. Joseph knew this and he had forgiven his brothers long before revealing himself to them.
Joseph was granted the opportunity to take his father’s remains back his father’s homeland but he himself would never live in that land again. Joseph died in Egypt and his body was carried out of that land when the Israelites fled Egypt with Moses leading them. He had requested this in Genesis 50:25 And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and said, ‘God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.’ Joseph made the best of his situation but he was never really comfortable there, he always wanted to go home.
Are you comfortable in your situation? I know that I am not and yet we have to keep going because God is in control. Maybe you are too comfortable and you do not see God’s hand in your life. Be sure to always remember that God is the one that makes all things possible. It is not us or our abilities that make things happen for God is the one that has given us our gifts, talents, and abilities. Joseph never forgot that and that is why he could be so confident in all situations and that is also why God blessed him but remember in those blessings he also had pain.
Thank you to all who read my blog. I hope it was somewhat of a blessing to you as it was to me. I hope that you will continue to seek God with all your hearts.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
When Life Doesn't Make Sense
“It doesn’t make sense!” Have those words ever come out of your mouth? They have mine, even this morning as my husband and I took a walk. I have a hard time understanding why things have had to happen in my life they way they have. My life hasn’t been all bad, I know a lot of people who have gone through so much more than me but today I struggle as I try to reason things out. That is what was happening in Genesis, chapter 42 with Joseph’s half brothers. The only difference is that they had done something very wrong and they knew that God knew that they had done wrong and they felt they were now being punished for it.
To recap yesterday for those who did not have a chance to read it:
Joseph’s dad told his ½ brothers to go to Egypt to get some of the food for their family. They were all just standing around looking at each other, I think because they knew that they had sent their brother to Egypt as a slave and they were afraid of what might be in store for them if they went. They must have known that God was not happy with them because of their actions. After they arrived in Egypt Joseph’s half brothers had to bow before him (but they didn’t know that it was him) to ask to buy some of the grain from Egypt for their starving family. Joseph accused them of being spies and sent all but one of them back to their homeland to get their younger brother and kept one (Simeon) in prison.
Now that we are caught up, I will continue with the story from Genesis 42. Again I would urge you to read that chapter:
Joseph had each of their bags filled with grain and also had their silver put back in the bag along with provisions for their journey back home. Just a little side note, this is the same journey that the Israelites would go on with Moses, remember, it took them 40 years to get there! On the way home one of them opened their sack and discovered that his money was there. Have you received something unexpected before? Were you excited about it? Their response was a little different, Genesis 42:28b Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, ‘What is it that God has done?’
When they returned home they told their father what they had been accused of in Egypt and how they had to leave their brother there. They told their father how they told the governor that they were honest men but they didn’t tell him how they had been dishonest so many years before. They never told him that they were afraid because of what they had done to their brother Joseph. Do you know people who tell ½ of the story? They let you know how they have been wronged but fail to tell you the part where they may have been wrong. I think all of us have, at some time or another, fell into that trap. It is so much easier to share how we have been wronged than to share how we were wrong.
The story goes on to say that they soon discovered that all of their silver was returned with the grain. When they saw this both Jacob and the brothers were frightened. At this point Jacob blames his sons for the disappearance of Joseph and also of the capturing of Simeon. Genesis 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, ‘You have deprived me of my children, Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!’ Poor Jacob is feeling so much pain at this point. He has given up on ever seeing Simeon again. Notice how he says, “he is no more” when he is in prison, he hasn’t been killed. All that is required of him is to send his other son but he doesn’t want to let go of him for fear that something bad will happen to him.
Is there anything in your life that you are holding on to and you are afraid to let go of it? Maybe God is asking you to let go in order to have a blessing. Maybe He simply wants you to trust Him . Some of you might be like me and have been hurt by people that you had tried so hard to please. Or maybe you have hurt someone who you know was trying to please you. Maybe you are holding on to those things that we have no control over, that is what I do. When I find myself in that situation, I have to continually pray and let God take a hold of the wheel and guide me through the situation. Like Joseph, we will hurt, but we also need to be like Joseph and trust that God is in control. There is a song that talks about this, if you have time, take a moment to listen to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lydBPm2KRaU
I don’t know what road you are traveling today. Maybe it is a happy road or maybe it is rough, steep, or curvy road. Whatever road you are on, I would like to encourage you to allow Jesus to take the wheel, and guide you. He will do this for you as you seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
To recap yesterday for those who did not have a chance to read it:
Joseph’s dad told his ½ brothers to go to Egypt to get some of the food for their family. They were all just standing around looking at each other, I think because they knew that they had sent their brother to Egypt as a slave and they were afraid of what might be in store for them if they went. They must have known that God was not happy with them because of their actions. After they arrived in Egypt Joseph’s half brothers had to bow before him (but they didn’t know that it was him) to ask to buy some of the grain from Egypt for their starving family. Joseph accused them of being spies and sent all but one of them back to their homeland to get their younger brother and kept one (Simeon) in prison.
Now that we are caught up, I will continue with the story from Genesis 42. Again I would urge you to read that chapter:
Joseph had each of their bags filled with grain and also had their silver put back in the bag along with provisions for their journey back home. Just a little side note, this is the same journey that the Israelites would go on with Moses, remember, it took them 40 years to get there! On the way home one of them opened their sack and discovered that his money was there. Have you received something unexpected before? Were you excited about it? Their response was a little different, Genesis 42:28b Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, ‘What is it that God has done?’
When they returned home they told their father what they had been accused of in Egypt and how they had to leave their brother there. They told their father how they told the governor that they were honest men but they didn’t tell him how they had been dishonest so many years before. They never told him that they were afraid because of what they had done to their brother Joseph. Do you know people who tell ½ of the story? They let you know how they have been wronged but fail to tell you the part where they may have been wrong. I think all of us have, at some time or another, fell into that trap. It is so much easier to share how we have been wronged than to share how we were wrong.
The story goes on to say that they soon discovered that all of their silver was returned with the grain. When they saw this both Jacob and the brothers were frightened. At this point Jacob blames his sons for the disappearance of Joseph and also of the capturing of Simeon. Genesis 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, ‘You have deprived me of my children, Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!’ Poor Jacob is feeling so much pain at this point. He has given up on ever seeing Simeon again. Notice how he says, “he is no more” when he is in prison, he hasn’t been killed. All that is required of him is to send his other son but he doesn’t want to let go of him for fear that something bad will happen to him.
Is there anything in your life that you are holding on to and you are afraid to let go of it? Maybe God is asking you to let go in order to have a blessing. Maybe He simply wants you to trust Him . Some of you might be like me and have been hurt by people that you had tried so hard to please. Or maybe you have hurt someone who you know was trying to please you. Maybe you are holding on to those things that we have no control over, that is what I do. When I find myself in that situation, I have to continually pray and let God take a hold of the wheel and guide me through the situation. Like Joseph, we will hurt, but we also need to be like Joseph and trust that God is in control. There is a song that talks about this, if you have time, take a moment to listen to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lydBPm2KRaU
I don’t know what road you are traveling today. Maybe it is a happy road or maybe it is rough, steep, or curvy road. Whatever road you are on, I would like to encourage you to allow Jesus to take the wheel, and guide you. He will do this for you as you seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
Monday, September 5, 2011
Consequences
Genesis 42, probably one of my favorite chapters in the Bible because we get to see Joseph’s brothers squirm a little. I would suggest you read the chapter but I will give a recap of it for you. It is so important to read the words that God has given us even when we are busy and rushed. I realize it is difficult but frankly, I would rather you read the word than my blog but it would be nice if you could do both.
In chapter 41 we saw that God, through Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream and that because of that the Pharaoh entrusted Joseph with the entire country of Egypt. For 14 years after that dream Joseph remained in Egypt but was in charge of it. He had 7 years of bumper crops which he had stored up because he knew a famine was coming for another 7 years. At the end of chapter 41 Joseph has opened the storehouses of Egypt because all countries were starving and needed grain.
Chapter 42 begins with Jacob, whom God named Israel and Joseph’s dad, tells his sons to go and purchase grain in Egypt. He would not send Benjamin, Joseph’s little brother because he was worried something would happen to him. I found it a little interesting in verse one that Jacob asked his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” and then in verse two he tells them that there is grain in Egypt and they need to go and get some. I had always thought that they were looking at each other wondering what they should do for food but I thought of something a little different today as I read that. They knew that Joseph had been sold into slavery to men that were going down to Egypt. I just wonder if they were looking at each other thinking about that time, wondering if he might be there, and not wanting to go into that country. What if they saw him or he saw them? Would Joseph try to hurt them? They may have thought he was dead by now. Maybe they were looking at each other thinking they didn’t want to find out the fate of their brother. But their dad had other plans and sent them on their way.
When they got to Egypt they had to go before the governor and request some grain. The governor happened to be their brother Joseph and they bowed before him. Do you remember Joseph’s dream in chapter 37, when he told the brothers the dream, they just laughed because the dream had indicated that they would someday bow down to him. Now Joseph recognized them but they did not recognize him. So, Joseph accused them of being spies. They pleaded with him and told him that they had come to buy food. I think verse 11 reveals their true colors and I am sure Joseph was laughing inside but not a ha, ha funny laugh. (11) We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies. Joseph knew all too well that these were not honest men for they had sold their own brother into slavery. Furthermore, they went and told their own father that he had most likely been killed by a wild beast. So, Joseph’s reply to them, (14) ‘It’s just as I told you: You are spies.’ He then told them that one would be held a prisoner until they brought back their younger brother to prove to him that they were not spies and then he threw them all in prison for three days.
After they had been in prison for three days Joseph told them he was a man who feared God and that if they were honest men, one man would remain in prison and the others were to go back and take food to their starving household. But, he insisted that they return with their brother Benjamin before their brother would be released. After their plight was revealed they began to talk amongst themselves. (21) They said to one another, ‘Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.’ (22) Reuben replied, ‘Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.’ What is so funny is that they said this in front of Joseph because they did not realize that he could understand them as he had used an interpreter. Joseph wasn’t laughing though, he turned away and wept. He then had Simeon bound in front of them and the others were released.
I am going to stop there with the recap of this passage but I want you to think about some things? We always hear of sweet revenge, is this what Joseph was getting? How would you have responded to the men that hurt you or how do you respond to those that hurt you? Hurt is very difficult, especially when it comes from family or your closest friends but it is so important to move forward and not dwell on the past hurts. Just as Joseph wept and remembered those terrible times, you will see that he did forgive his brothers. Also note, there were consequences for their sins. Consequences may come naturally, such as, stepping out in front of a car and getting hit, that is called a natural consequence. Our Father forgives us but sometimes consequences are what bring us back to Him.
One other thing I want you to take special note of is that Joseph did hurt very badly when his brothers took him away. The scriptures do not reveal this until now but he hurt. What got him through that hurt was a trust and faith in his Heavenly Father. If you are hurting today, I hope that you will put your trust and faith in Him as well and let Him give you rest, as you seek Him with all your heart.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
Friday, September 2, 2011
Our Example
Genesis 4151-52 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, ‘It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.’ (52) The second son he named Ephraim and said, ’It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of suffering.’
Today when we name a child it is generally because it is something we like. We look through the baby books and come up with a name that we can all agree on. Sometimes it is between the husband and wife who keep it a secret until the birth of the child and sometimes we get everyone’s opinion and then make our decision. Generally we don’t necessarily want their opinion because we choose what we like anyway. At any rate, it isn’t an easy task. Do you know what your name means? Chances are your parents don’t even know or they have forgotten I was surprised to find out my name meant blind and was even more surprised that my name is in the Bible but it was a boys name’ It is found in Genesis 38:5 and is spelled Shelah, he was a nephew of Joseph’s.
As you have read, Joseph’s sons were no exception. In Genesis it appears that names were chosen carefully beginning with Adam naming all the animals and his helpmate. Joseph also chose his sons name carefully and made a statement through them. You may have wondered why I chose these verses today, it wasn’t necessarily because I wanted to talk about names but because it gives us a hint of the struggles that Joseph went through.
In one of my other blogs I mentioned that we don’t hear Joseph complaining to God about his situation and sometimes we can get the impression that because of his contentment he did not have any struggles. These verses indicate to us that he did hurt but even more importantly it shows us where he got his strength from. It did not come just having a good attitude but from depending on God.
When I was teaching at the Charter School, I taught a class , “Seven Habits” we went through a book entitled, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, by Sean Covey. It was an excellent book that really taught students how to have the right attitude in life. It had many Christian principles throughout the book that as a Christian I knew were right. The third habit mentioned, “Put first things first” is a perfect illustration of what Joseph did. He put God first. The habit in the book was talking about putting the big task first and the little ones would fit around it but if we put God first in our lives as Joseph did, we can truly say that God helped us through those difficult times. We find out that God is the only big thing that matters, everything else is like sand. How often do we try to put the sand in first and then fit God in wherever we can only to find out that there is no more room?
Struggles seem to cause us to call on God more, maybe we try to fit Him in or we just take the time to tell Him how it is.. Why do you think that it is? My own personal opinion is that it is because we have someone to blame other than ourselves. But, when times are good, we like to have the praise all to ourselves. We do need to call on God during those struggles but what we need to recognize is, we need to call on Him during the good times as well. We need to recognize that He is with us in both times and we need to continually recognize the work of His mighty hands at all times. Joseph did this and we can see it throughout scripture. He spoke it and he lived it out. What about you? Today, if you find yourself struggling and calling on God, remember to thank Him for the times that you are struggling with and recognize that you know He is there and that He will carry you through. Ask Him to help you to forget as He helped Joseph forget and ask him to make you fruitful in your times of struggles as he also did for Joseph. Life is not easy, we have hard times and we have good times and we generally find ourselves not having enough time but God is there through all of it. Thank Him today for being there.
When we talk about attitude, we have a perfect example of that in Jesus Christ, Philippians 2: 5 -11 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross! (9) Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Joseph has been compared as an example of Christ but there is one thing that is very different. Joseph was a human through and through and did not have a choice in his captivity. But Christ took on the nature of man, He had a choice and He chose to come and serve us. Why is it that we find it so hard to serve Him?
If you have confessed Jesus as Lord, is your attitude a reflection of His? If you have never confessed Jesus as Lord, what are you waiting for? The word tells us that everyone will bow down to him, where do you want to be when you do that? Do you want to be eternally in his presence or eternally separated from Him? If you need to know Him, I urge you to seek out someone who can guide you through that process , a friend that know the Lord, or a local church that professes Jesus Christ, or put a comment in this blog and I will walk you through it. There is nothing more fulfilling in life than to know Christ and to be able to lead others to His feet!
Listen to this song, it that speaks of God being there for us during those times or struggles, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ
May God bless you all as you seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart!
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
Today when we name a child it is generally because it is something we like. We look through the baby books and come up with a name that we can all agree on. Sometimes it is between the husband and wife who keep it a secret until the birth of the child and sometimes we get everyone’s opinion and then make our decision. Generally we don’t necessarily want their opinion because we choose what we like anyway. At any rate, it isn’t an easy task. Do you know what your name means? Chances are your parents don’t even know or they have forgotten I was surprised to find out my name meant blind and was even more surprised that my name is in the Bible but it was a boys name’ It is found in Genesis 38:5 and is spelled Shelah, he was a nephew of Joseph’s.
As you have read, Joseph’s sons were no exception. In Genesis it appears that names were chosen carefully beginning with Adam naming all the animals and his helpmate. Joseph also chose his sons name carefully and made a statement through them. You may have wondered why I chose these verses today, it wasn’t necessarily because I wanted to talk about names but because it gives us a hint of the struggles that Joseph went through.
In one of my other blogs I mentioned that we don’t hear Joseph complaining to God about his situation and sometimes we can get the impression that because of his contentment he did not have any struggles. These verses indicate to us that he did hurt but even more importantly it shows us where he got his strength from. It did not come just having a good attitude but from depending on God.
When I was teaching at the Charter School, I taught a class , “Seven Habits” we went through a book entitled, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, by Sean Covey. It was an excellent book that really taught students how to have the right attitude in life. It had many Christian principles throughout the book that as a Christian I knew were right. The third habit mentioned, “Put first things first” is a perfect illustration of what Joseph did. He put God first. The habit in the book was talking about putting the big task first and the little ones would fit around it but if we put God first in our lives as Joseph did, we can truly say that God helped us through those difficult times. We find out that God is the only big thing that matters, everything else is like sand. How often do we try to put the sand in first and then fit God in wherever we can only to find out that there is no more room?
Struggles seem to cause us to call on God more, maybe we try to fit Him in or we just take the time to tell Him how it is.. Why do you think that it is? My own personal opinion is that it is because we have someone to blame other than ourselves. But, when times are good, we like to have the praise all to ourselves. We do need to call on God during those struggles but what we need to recognize is, we need to call on Him during the good times as well. We need to recognize that He is with us in both times and we need to continually recognize the work of His mighty hands at all times. Joseph did this and we can see it throughout scripture. He spoke it and he lived it out. What about you? Today, if you find yourself struggling and calling on God, remember to thank Him for the times that you are struggling with and recognize that you know He is there and that He will carry you through. Ask Him to help you to forget as He helped Joseph forget and ask him to make you fruitful in your times of struggles as he also did for Joseph. Life is not easy, we have hard times and we have good times and we generally find ourselves not having enough time but God is there through all of it. Thank Him today for being there.
When we talk about attitude, we have a perfect example of that in Jesus Christ, Philippians 2: 5 -11 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross! (9) Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Joseph has been compared as an example of Christ but there is one thing that is very different. Joseph was a human through and through and did not have a choice in his captivity. But Christ took on the nature of man, He had a choice and He chose to come and serve us. Why is it that we find it so hard to serve Him?
If you have confessed Jesus as Lord, is your attitude a reflection of His? If you have never confessed Jesus as Lord, what are you waiting for? The word tells us that everyone will bow down to him, where do you want to be when you do that? Do you want to be eternally in his presence or eternally separated from Him? If you need to know Him, I urge you to seek out someone who can guide you through that process , a friend that know the Lord, or a local church that professes Jesus Christ, or put a comment in this blog and I will walk you through it. There is nothing more fulfilling in life than to know Christ and to be able to lead others to His feet!
Listen to this song, it that speaks of God being there for us during those times or struggles, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ
May God bless you all as you seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart!
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
Thursday, September 1, 2011
God Works
Joseph, a man who was wrongfully betrayed by his brothers, went to Egypt as a slave. He found favor with his owner Potiphar, because Potiphar had seen that the Lord’s hand was upon him. He was then wrongfully accused of a crime while trying to escape temptation and was thrown into the king’s prison. Once again he found favor, this time with the prison warden, because the warden could see that the hand of God was upon him. He then interprets the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker being promised by the baker that he would remember him when he found renewed favor with the king. It has been two years now and he remains in prison. Wow, how would you react if you were in Joseph’s shoes? I know exactly how I would react. I would be pretty mad at those people. I would be calling all those that did me wrong, “jerks”! Joseph’s reaction was one of servant hood. He took the situation he was in and showed others that the mighty hand of God was the one really in charge and then he began serving.
In Genesis 41 it tells us the story of Joseph being released from prison. You can read this on your own but I will give a short account of it here. Two years had past since the release of the cupbearer when the Pharaoh had a dream and no one could interpret it for him. At that point the cupbearer remembered Joseph and told the Pharaoh about him. Joseph was brought from the dungeon, shaved and cleaned up, then presented to the king. When the Pharaoh told Joseph that he had heard that he could interpret dreams Joseph gave this reply in Genesis 41:16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied. “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” I would have been a little hesitant to say that I couldn’t do something that the king was asking me to do but he did quickly explain that it was God who would do the interpreting of the dream, not himself.
How often do you find yourself trying to take the glory for something but blame God when it doesn’t go the way it should? I don’t think any of us ever want to admit that this happens but it does. I know it has happened in my life anyway. It is not until we realize that we are so little and God is so big that we finally can realize that EVERYTHING is because of God, the good and the bad alike. It is important to realize that the bad, as harmful as it is, can really be for the good if we love the Lord. Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for Theodor those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Many times people read that verse and think that only good will come if you follow God but that is not what the verse says. This can be seen in the life of Joseph as we look upon all that had happened to him the bad has become good but he did not travel a smooth straight road, was bumpy, curvy, and had lots of hills maybe even a mountain or two that he had to climb! There were a lot of things that went wrong but even those things were meant for the good. The old saying that your eyesight is always 20/20 when you look back is so true but for Joseph it was 20/20 looking ahead because he knew that God was in control.
Joseph was called to the Pharaoh and through God he did interpret the dream and because of the wisdom given to him by God, Joseph was put in charge of the entire country of Egypt. Wow, what an ending! Oh wait, it is not over yet . . .you need to join me in my next blog to see what else happens in the life of Joseph. Until then, continue to seek Him and you will surely find Him as you seek Him with all your heart!
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
In Genesis 41 it tells us the story of Joseph being released from prison. You can read this on your own but I will give a short account of it here. Two years had past since the release of the cupbearer when the Pharaoh had a dream and no one could interpret it for him. At that point the cupbearer remembered Joseph and told the Pharaoh about him. Joseph was brought from the dungeon, shaved and cleaned up, then presented to the king. When the Pharaoh told Joseph that he had heard that he could interpret dreams Joseph gave this reply in Genesis 41:16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied. “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” I would have been a little hesitant to say that I couldn’t do something that the king was asking me to do but he did quickly explain that it was God who would do the interpreting of the dream, not himself.
How often do you find yourself trying to take the glory for something but blame God when it doesn’t go the way it should? I don’t think any of us ever want to admit that this happens but it does. I know it has happened in my life anyway. It is not until we realize that we are so little and God is so big that we finally can realize that EVERYTHING is because of God, the good and the bad alike. It is important to realize that the bad, as harmful as it is, can really be for the good if we love the Lord. Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for Theodor those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Many times people read that verse and think that only good will come if you follow God but that is not what the verse says. This can be seen in the life of Joseph as we look upon all that had happened to him the bad has become good but he did not travel a smooth straight road, was bumpy, curvy, and had lots of hills maybe even a mountain or two that he had to climb! There were a lot of things that went wrong but even those things were meant for the good. The old saying that your eyesight is always 20/20 when you look back is so true but for Joseph it was 20/20 looking ahead because he knew that God was in control.
Joseph was called to the Pharaoh and through God he did interpret the dream and because of the wisdom given to him by God, Joseph was put in charge of the entire country of Egypt. Wow, what an ending! Oh wait, it is not over yet . . .you need to join me in my next blog to see what else happens in the life of Joseph. Until then, continue to seek Him and you will surely find Him as you seek Him with all your heart!
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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