Bible League: Living His Word His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.— Psalm 105:18-19 ESV Joseph was seventeen when he had dreams that his family would one day bow down to him. (Genesis 37:8). Enraged, Joseph's brothers lied to their father Jacob, saying that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal when they'd really sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:18-20). Jacob believed the lie and insisted that he would not be comforted, lamenting: "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning" (Genesis 37:35). Fast forward 13 years. Joseph had been tested in Egypt, going through many trials which cultivated patience, then was made second-in-command to Pharoah. He'd actually been "made fruitful in the land of his affliction" (Genesis 41:52). When Jacob's other sons went to Egypt during the famine, and brought back the report that Joseph was truly alive, Jacob was assured of God's grace. The Lord even comforted Jacob in a dream (Genesis 46:2-4). When Jacob finally died, his sons feared that Joseph would now be harsh to them. However, Joseph, having been honed into a patient man, responded, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?" (Genesis 50:19). Joseph was able to glorify God as the only One who erases transgression. One must go directly to God, through the shed blood of Christ, to receive forgiveness of sins once and for all. Eternal life is secure in Christ alone. When Joseph's brothers did bow to him as he dreamed earlier in his life, it was when Joseph was finally prepared to receive them as God would: in mercy. And after all he went through, how could he do so without a God-given portion of patience? Love is patient. When God is preparing to use you in a particular way in the future, He will work to cultivate His character in you, so that you can properly exemplify the attributes of His love. By Jenny Laux, Bible League International contributor, Wisconsin USA Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 36, 37 Psalm 36 -- There is no fear of God before his eyes. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 37 -- David's Psalm of Salvation (1Ki 2) NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 23:1-11 Acts 23 -- Paul before the Sanhedrin; Warned of Plot; Transferred to Caesarea NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.Insight Our true value is God's estimate of our worth, not our peers'. Other people evaluate and categorize us according to how we perform, what we achieve, and how we look. Challenge But God cares for us, as he does for all of his creatures, because we belong to him. So we can face life without fear. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon John 19:5 Behold the man!If there be one place where our Lord Jesus most fully becomes the joy and comfort of his people, it is where he plunged deepest into the depths of woe. Come hither, gracious souls, and behold the man in the garden of Gethsemane; behold his heart so brimming with love that he cannot hold it in--so full of sorrow that it must find a vent. Behold the bloody sweat as it distils from every pore of his body, and falls upon the ground. Behold the man as they drive the nails into his hands and feet. Look up, repenting sinners, and see the sorrowful image of your suffering Lord. Mark him, as the ruby drops stand on the thorn-crown, and adorn with priceless gems the diadem of the King of Misery. Behold the man when all his bones are out of joint, and he is poured out like water and brought into the dust of death; God hath forsaken him, and hell compasseth him about. Behold and see, was there ever sorrow like unto his sorrow that is done unto him? All ye that pass by draw near and look upon this spectacle of grief, unique, unparalleled, a wonder to men and angels, a prodigy unmatched. Behold the Emperor of Woe who had no equal or rival in his agonies! Gaze upon him, ye mourners, for if there be not consolation in a crucified Christ there is no joy in earth or heaven. If in the ransom price of his blood there be not hope, ye harps of heaven, there is no joy in you, and the right hand of God shall know no pleasures for evermore. We have only to sit more continually at the cross foot to be less troubled with our doubts and woes. We have but to see his sorrows, and our sorrows we shall be ashamed to mention. We have but to gaze into his wounds and heal our own. If we would live aright it must be by the contemplation of his death; if we would rise to dignity, it must be by considering his humiliation and his sorrow. Daily Light on the Daily Path Jude 1:21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.John 15:4,5 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. • "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, John 15:8-10 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. • "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. • "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. 1 John 2:5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 1 John 4:16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |