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Today’s Reading : Genesis 45 

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. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 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. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. – Genesis 45: 4-7

A cool, crisp pear. 

Several years ago, while on the mission trip I had the pleasure of speaking to a priest. While we were speaking, he was giving me a story about something that happened in his life. When he was younger, he had to work a very strenuous job. At  the end of the day of long work, his grandmother would give him a cool crisp pear.   This was a reminder of grace and love to him.

Throughout his travels, he would always have a reminder of this love in this compassion, a cool crisp pear. On a particular journey through a combat zone and devastation, he was on a bus in the middle of the desert. He had no food. He had no money and he sat by a stranger. After the two visited. As the stranger was leaving, he opened up his briefcase and gave the priest a cool crisp pear. It was a reminder of love and compassion.

Think about a pear.   A pear is something that is special and something that you cannot get all the time. You can get an apple anywhere, but a pear is special and it’s has to take time to be prepared.

Think of the life-cycle of a pear. You have to plant the seed. You have to wait for the seed to grow and mature. The tree starts to grow, it takes several years to produce fruit. Once they produce fruit, then it has to be harvested. Once it’s harvested, it has to be transported to the grocery store or to the market.   Once it’s there at the store, you purchased it. You can enjoy it. Many times we just enjoy the fruit, but we do not remember the journey process that it took to get to you. The pear had been prepared for you in the past so that you can enjoy it today.

In today’s reading, Joseph is reunited with his brothers. The brothers of Joseph were not kind to him. They were envious of him. They were jealous of him. They wanted him to die. They actually kidnapped their brother and sold him into slavery. They had expected him to die and not have his future fulfilled. Joseph was sold into slavery. He was put into jail.  He was almost killed. But God had seen the big picture. God saw the preparation in Joseph’s past to prepare him for the future.

When Joseph recognized his brothers, and understood their love and compassion for their father and youngest brother, he was overjoyed. He was excited to share his new statue in Egypt with his family. He was able to push past the hurt and the frustration that he had for them before. Joseph understood God’s purpose in his life. Joseph understood how his past had prepared him for this opportunity. Joseph understood how he could benefit his family in the midst of the hurt. Joseph saw how he could protect and provide for his family.

Many times in our past, we have a lot of hurts and pain.  We might want to hurt others because we were hurt. We might want to take revenge on others who have taken advantage of us. We do not want to forgive. But because of God‘s love that works in us we can see how God has perfected us through the transitions and through the trials that we have gone through. God has actually used those situations to make us stronger and to make us more resilient. It is not easy to go through life. It is not easy to go through pain. It is not easy to see things happen for others and not for ourselves. But when we know God‘s purpose for us and we walk in that purpose and promise then we have peace.

As we go forward due this week, let us look at our past. This is not a easy thing to do. It can be difficult. But once we understand our past and see how God has prepared us for today in our past. He has not allowed us to go through these things for no purpose. Just as it took a while for the pear to mature and to be presented to us from a long period of time. God has something ready for us today that he has prepared for us from our past. We have to ask God to reveal this to us and allow us to accept it when it is presented to us.

Be Blessed

1 Peter Chapter 2

You know that moment when you open the fridge and you’re hit with that smell? Something expired, something you kept meaning to toss but just kept pushing to the back? Peter opens chapter 2 with exactly that kind of moment. He names it plainly; deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, unkind speech. That’s the sour milk. And his point isn’t just ‘throw it out’, it’s ‘go replace it’. Get something fresh. Something worth consuming. Because you can’t grow on stuff that is rotten.

Verse 5 says, “He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God”.  Jesus is the cornerstone, in other words, the anchor of the foundation that God has set forth.  If you build your life on Him, you are secure.  If you ignore Him, you will trip over Him.  Typically if we have tripped, it means we have not obeyed God’s word.

Growing up, my Dad tested me with the ‘game’ called MERCY that I would go on to ‘play’ with my buddies in high school.  You know the one, you lock fingers, twist, bend, apply as much pressure as you can until the other person can’t take it anymore and finally cries out ‘mercy.’ The whole point of the game was to make someone surrender. But here’s what’s funny, the mercy in 1 Peter 2 works completely backwards from that game. Nobody twisted God’s arm. Nobody applied enough pressure to earn it. He just… gave it. Freely. And that changes everything about how we’re supposed to pass it on.  Peter reminds us who we actually are.  We are chosen, God’s very own possession.  Without Him we are nobody, but with Him we receive His mercy.

5 Ways we can show mercy today:

1. See people the way God saw you

2. Don’t Retaliate – Absorb

3. Live well toward people who dismiss you

4. Use your freedom to serve, not to protect yourself

5. Show up for people in low-status moments

The mercy in this chapter isn’t sentimental; it is costly and active.  It cost Jesus everything.  What Peter is describing is a community of people who received something they didn’t deserve and then turned around and passed it on.  Not because people earned it, but because that’s what mercy is.  The most natural place to start is usually the relationship closest to you where it’s hardest to extend.  That’s almost always where the chapter is pointing to.

Titus 3 calls believers to live with humility, gentleness, and readiness for every good work. Paul urges Christians not to be quarrelsome or divisive, but to show courtesy to all people. He reminds them that they too were once foolish, disobedient, and enslaved to sin. But salvation did not come because of righteous deeds they had done. It came because of the kindness, love, and mercy of God. Through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, believers are made new and justified by grace, becoming heirs of eternal life. Because this gospel is trustworthy, Christians should devote themselves to doing what is good and helpful to others. Paul also warns Titus to avoid foolish controversies and persistent divisive people, since such behavior damages the community of faith.

Titus 3 also teaches us to rest on God’s compassion rather than our own self-reliance. We are not rescued by discipline, strength, or moral performance, but by mercy. God’s compassion is the foundation; our good works are the fruit, not the cause, of salvation. Resting in His compassion means trusting that His grace is greater than our weakness. It frees us from striving to prove ourselves and allows us to live with peace, gratitude, and dependence on Christ. Instead of building our lives on self-sufficiency, we can live faithfully from the secure place of being loved and saved by God.

Nehemiah 9

My wife and I have grown up and now live together in northern Virginia. If you have spent more than a week in our stomping grounds, you will understand how bipolar the weather can be. Last weekend we were running in 80-degree weather and then Monday I was hunting turkeys while getting snowed on. The one thing I do love about this time of year is we start to get a taste of those summer nights. You know what I’m talking about. 75 degrees, windows down, and country music blaring down back roads. It’s on these drives that I enter the throne room and get to work with the Lord. A quarter of the drive I’m thinking about scripture, a quarter I am confessing sin & worshipping, and the other half of my attention is spent trying to stay on the road (Neh. 9:3).

We need to understand the context of what’s going on here. Nehemiah heard about his people who entered back into their land. He was grieved and asked to return to Jerusalem to put things in order. They rebuild the wall and in chapter 8 are revived by the Word of God. The people are now becoming obedient to God’s law because they are devoted to Him.

It is interesting what happens when you truly confess sin and receive God’s forgiveness. I’m not talking about the moment you prayed the sinner’s prayer and were saved. I’m talking about the Tuesday evening when you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and you get on your knees and ask God to forgive you of your sin. What happens is you feel this overwhelming sense of God’s mercy on you. When you reflect on your life you see God’s mercy all over the place. From childhood to adulthood to parenting to grandparenting, God’s mercy is in every season of your life.

When you understand God’s justice system, you understand that God using Babylon to judge Judah was His mercy. He was cleansing the idolatry from the land of Israel and still had a plan for them instead of completely wiping them out. Nehemiah goes back through the major events in the history of God using Israel and if you look carefully, you will see a pattern. God works, Israel is amazed, Israel forgets, Israel sins, God warns & judges, Israel repents, God works and then the cycle starts over again. What do we notice about God through all of this? He is a patient, forgiving, & long-suffering God. Read the latter half of Nehemiah 9:17 with me, “But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them.” Make that last verse personal. Through your whole life of ups and downs in your relationship with God you have been the one changing. Not him. He has not forsaken you. Let that Truth sink in. I don’t know what your thing is, but maybe you need to go on a windows down long country road drive and approach the throne of grace with confidence. Don’t delay. Read God’s Word, confess sin, and worship Him today.

Today’s Reading : Numbers 14

And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” - Numbers 14:6-10

Have you ever had an idea or a promise that you have held on for so long, only to see that it has been broken. Not by the giver, but the receiver.

Here is the  most powerful illustration of Numbers Chapter 14.  Imagine a couple has been together for several years. They have grown together and they have experienced life together. They plan on getting married. They go and look at rings. Then they have a long pre-engagement.  Then the groom proposes. But the bride does not accept the proposal. Both are broken,  both are dismayed.

This is the illustration that has happened in Numbers with God in the Israelites.  God has selected the chiefs of the tribe of Israel to go and view the promised land. This was to gain insight and to show them the goodness that is set up for them. The chiefs return back gives  a negative report.  Joshua and Caleb tried to persuade the people to come into the land that was promised. But the people revolt and they turn away.

One of the most touching aspects of this recount is God‘s emotions.

God is sad and hurt.

God wants to stop this hurt and pain by ending the people, but one of God’s best friends is Moses and Moses talks him out of the annihilation. Moses pleads to God and intercedes on behalf of the people. Because of Moses connection with God and his love for the people, God grants mercy.

This is not just any mercy, but a beautiful representation of the love of Moses and the love of God for the people.

The people rejected God to the fullness of their abilities for everything that he’s done for them. These individuals saw the promise and the miracles and still rejected God and wanted to return to their previous life.

Sometimes we have seen our promise and we are afraid of accepting it. Sometimes the things of the past are so comfortable that we cannot see passed the miraculous things in our everyday life that God has ready to give to us.

This is a true testament of God‘s strength and MERCY to us. At any given time, God could stop everything. He has the power to cease everything in an instant. But because of his love and MERCY, he gives us another opportunity. He gives us another opportunity every day. He gives us mercy every day. When we truly understand his mercy and his love, then how can we not give that same mercy  and love to others.

There are so many times that we want to return to our previous lives.

Our previous experiences.

Our previous bondage.

But God has given us the ability to see the promises that he has stored for us. He also has given us the ability through Christ to receive his mercy. Without Christ, we will not be able to receive his mercy.

As we go through this week, let us see if we can receive and give the mercies that God has given to us.

Be Blessed

Psalms 103

Last week, a friend reminded me of the benefits of a gratitude journal.  “Do it daily,”, she insisted.  It will change your life!

I believe that.  It will.  Gratitude re-focuses our energy, producing better results.  It’s been studied and documented, proven to be real.  Here is the formula:

Gratitude + Action = Results

“Shoot, that’s easy!  I’m going to try that,” is my response.

So, I do it.  And it works…mostly.  Something is still missing.  I don’t understand.  If I am grateful, my attitude has improved and I am getting better results, why is my life still dry?  Why do I feel just a little bit off?

The answer is simple, and obvious.  I saw it clearly in Psalm 103:1. David writes:

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

Do you see it?  Twice he says it.  Praise.

The gratitude formula I was provided is wrong.  When I add action to gratitude, the focus is on me.  It celebrates who I am and what I have. I am elevated.  At the end of the day, however, no matter how thankful I am, I’m still haunted my weaknesses and limitations.  While I have better results, I still feel empty and dry.  What am I missing?  How do I overcome that?

 David shows us.  He uses a different formula.  It’s not gratitude + action, its:

Gratitude + Praise

Adding praise to gratitude shifts our focus from me to God. David’s praise is an external focus celebrating something outside of his own control. It’s the same for us.  With praise, we are eliminated from equation, and gratitude gets placed where it belongs, with the source.  God.

Another great thing about praise is that its not just past tense, its also future tense  Yes, we celebrate what God has done, but also get to celebrate what God is going to do.  Said another way, what God has done, God will also do.  Our weaknesses and limitations are no longer debilitating, they’re empowering.

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

There’s one more part of the equation that David get’s right.  The ending.  For David, gratitude and praise do not produce a bigger kingdom, more money, or a better family life; i.e. better results.  They are about joy.

Gratitude + Praise = Joy

Jesus says it this way:

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Yes, he deserves our gratitude, but he has earned our praise.