I Want to be More Like Joseph

No, not because he had a nice, "richly, ornamented coat."

These thoughts, verses, and some ideas come from Genesis, starting in chapter 37 and a new Bible Study that my group is starting called Get a Life.

No, I want to be more like Joseph for a couple reasons: First, God used him in awesome ways, but it took OVER 20 years for Joseph's dreams to come true. And we're not talking about an easy 20-some years here! To sum it up: He was hated and betrayed by his brothers, thrown in a pit to die, sold as a slave for 20 pieces of silver, stolen from his father and homeland, was forced to work as a slave, falsely accused of rape, and thrown in prison for a crime he did not commit. Through all of this he never lost faith and was always walking with God.

Which brings me to the second reason why I want to use Joseph's walk with God as a model for my own: It was so obvious that God was with Joseph that he was given tons of responsibility and no one worried about what he was doing because God prospered everything he did.

Genesis 39:2-3, 6 says:

The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did...he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Joseph could have been bitter about what had happened with his brothers, but he still gave glory to God and it was obvious to those around him. The prison warden says the same thing.

Genesis 39:22-23 says:

So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

I want to live my life in such a way that God prospers everything I do, and it is obvious to others that God is with me. Everything Joseph did was given to God and none of his masters paid any attention to his actions because God was in control, and Joseph was sure to be trustworthy and successful with such a Provider! Also, to have such steadfast faith in the face of adversity is something to truly aspire to! He was prospering as a SLAVE and a PRISONER - not really my idea of a blessed life. Yet, he never gave up or turned from God so his story had a happy ending. I'm glad to serve a God who likes happy endings!

Down and Out?

This past week I was pretty down about life in general. Nothing "bad" happened, there were no "triggers" that I could point out to explain my sour mood; I was just grumpy. It got me thinking about the joy and contentment God says we are to experience- if we are not feeling joyful are we truly giving over all the control to Him?

I know the Bible talks about being sad, mourning, getting angry etc. Those are true feelings and I know it is okay to let those emotions flow through me, it is more about what I do when I am angry and so on. But I'm not talking about justified sadness - I'm talking about just feeling upset at the World for no apparent reason! Even through my gloomy outlook I recognized God's hand in my life, smoothing out some of the bumps and wrinkles I was making along the way. Why couldn't I feel joyful about that?

Hebrews 12:5 says:

See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

So, when I examine my own behavior last week, according to this verse, I am ashamed. When people around me asked me how it was going I would give a listless answer about being tired or dealing with troublesome kiddos. Even though God had given me plenty of little blessings along the way that I could have talked about, I never once chose to give a joyful answer. My actions were not a very good witness for the God I love!

I guess my question is: is it wrong to feel down and out for no particular reason? Because I seem to go through these slumps where I feel upset and unhappy for no real reason at all. I'm not saying I want to...who would want to trade peace, contentment, and joy for sadness, depression, and restlessness!? But it seems I do sometimes, and I can't figure out why. The only answer I could come up with to explain my doom and gloom attitude was that the enemy was trying to interrupt the content satisfaction I was feeling about my life with God right now, and I'm sad to say that I let him!

1 Peter 5:8-9 says:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith...

Next time that restless sadness begins to creep into my mind I will be more aware of what is happening (and who is behind it) and ask God for supporters to help me overcome myself!

Not Everything Good is From God...

Hebrews 12:1 says:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Like me, if you attend church you have most likely heard this verse preached on multiple times. The idea of running the race, persevering, and staying the course are always much needed teaching points. But it was just recently that God opened my eyes to the word "hinders." As a believer throwing off sin is expected and not an unusual expectation, so I never felt the need to go back and separate out what this scripture is really telling me to do. When I've read this verse I've always just lumped in everything that hinders with that nasty entangling sin.

However, just last week I heard a strange and new notion that not everything good is of God. Growing up learning that God is good, and trusting that He is perfect, and everything He is doing in my life is good, I have always assumed the reverse to be true. BUT, (and that's a big 'but') we are asked to do only what helps us further God's plan. Looking at Jesus' life as a perfect model for my own, I see that He only wanted to do what He saw the Father doing John 5:19. In the Bible study where I first heard this idea, it was pointed out that there were plenty of good things Jesus chose not to do because He knew it was not part of the plan God had laid out. After hearing this I now see the distinction in Hebrews quite clearly. Throw off sin (duh!) and everything else that is hindering you from fulfilling God's plan. I see now why Paul put that in there; when I started examining my own life there are plenty of things I am doing that are not evil sin, and in most respects would be considered harmless. But in light of God's will and plan for me, some things I am putting my time and energy towards are really quite useless, and ultimately are distracting me from spending time with God and following His plan for me. I'm seeing now that it is harder to throw off a hindrance simply because it is harder to recognize those things that hinder vs. all out sin (which is easier to recognize maybe, but just as difficult to throw off sometimes). So, I'm praying for clarity and strength to rid my life of everything that is hindering my walk with God.

Selah

Psalm 85:2 says:

You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Selah

The word Selah appears many times in the Psalms. I, not knowing what it meant or related to, just skipped over it whenever I came across it in the text. But in a daily devotions study I am doing the author pointed out that Selah means to 'pause, and calmly think of that.'

This got me thinking about the way I read Scripture - Do I ever pause, and think calmly about anything I've read? Not that I can recall...I just rush through the words trying to make sense of what I'm reading, but most likely missing a lot of key points along the way. I think the fact that I've read many Psalms in my life and never once stopped to ponder the meaning of Selah or wonder of it's purpose shows my carelessness as a reader. Yet, it seems more beneficial to really study specific scriptures, to analyze the meaning, to question, and soak it all in, so that the Word can have some true power in my life. How can I change the way I've always done things? Through God and prayer of course!

So, for the past couple of days since I've discovered the meaning of this one word, I have been focusing on just one passage, or even just one scripture, during my daily devotions. I'm trying to read it multiple times, and pray about anything I don't understand. I'm asking God to open up my heart and my mind so that I can really learn what He wants me to do. I wish I could report some amazing epiphany that has occurred since this change in my Bible reading habits, but that isn't the case, nor really the point I guess.

People say that Selah was just put into the Psalms as a musical direction for the performers to pause or take a breath when singing that specific Psalm. This does make a lot of sense to me. But I think the sentiment, to pause and think quietly about what you just read or heard, could be applied to any section of the Bible and really bless our time spent in Scripture.

Do Not Worry About Your Life!

Based on Mathew 6:25-34, but Mathew 6:25, 33-34 says:
Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life...
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each Day has enough trouble of its own.

What a wonderful gift to not have to worry. Yet, it seems I am bound and determined not to accept such a perfect gift. Who wouldn't want to lose some sleep every now and then about things they couldn't control, and were already taken care of in the end!? Exactly! But I think to accept the joy (John 15:9-11) and feelings of contentment (Philippians 4:6-7), that are also promised to Believers, we need to practice casting our worries on God.

I am certainly no expert when it comes to the Bible, but there doesn't seem to be a "special-clear-cut-only" way to give God your anxiety. This leads me to believe that it is something done simply through prayer without any pomp or circumstance. So, today (and every day it appears) I am praying for God to change my heart and help me cast my fears on Him so I can be truly content with my life in the present.

I think it also important to note that if we don't do this it can open pathways of doubt in our heart, which Satan is sure to exploit! Philippians 4:6-7 says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Worry and stress can lead to all sorts of nasty doubts and what-if games, not to mention other physical health issues to boot. If we're worrying about things that God has told us not to think about, because He's already taken care of it, isn't that a sign of mistrust? Aren't we showing God by our continual fretting that we don't really believe He is capable, or even willing, to truly provide for our every need!? That is a dangerous place to be, and I know I've been caught there many times. I do not want to put myself in any sort of position to be passing judgement on God and the promises He's guaranteed me! I would much rather experience the totally incomprehensible peace of God, and let Him protect my heart and mind while also taking all my useless anxiety off my hands.

What a beautiful God I have!!! Thanks!

Mind to Heart

Psalm 119:10-11 says:
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.

I've started this blog to help myself dig deeper and think more critically about what God tells me through His Word. I want to meditate on what I read, and store it in my heart so that when the enemy tries to tempt me or I'm going through a wilderness season in my life I will be equipped and ready to stay true to God.

I used to think it was important to memorize scriptures and be able to spout them out whenever called on to do it. As I grew older I turned away from such a practice thinking it was just for kids in Sunday school or VBS to prove they were listening. But now, I realize that God wants me to keep His Word in my mind because then it will be in my heart also. So today I am working on storing up Psalm 119: 10-11.