January 20, 2018
THE DREAMER GIVES GOD THE GLORY
Joseph had thoughtlessly shared his dreams with his older brothers, predicting how they would one day bow down to him. In their jealousy, they sold him into slavery. Yet after years in slavery and prison, Joseph had changed. He was humbled, giving God all the glory for any power lent to him for interpreting dreams. He stood before mighty Pharaoh, a worshiper of false gods and one who had the power of life and death over his subjects, yet Joseph responded by attributing true power and glory to God. For he knew that God was over all, even Pharaoh. And he trusted his future into God’s hands.
January 18, 2018
IS THERE AN UNFORGIVABLE SIN?
Yes. But it’s not what most people think. It’s not mass murder or some heinous crime. The blood of Christ is sufficient to cover any sin. But it cannot cover the continual, willful rejection of the Holy Spirit’s testimony concerning Jesus Christ. The Pharisees had witnessed Jesus setting a demon-possessed man free, restoring his sight and speech, yet they attributed the miracle to Satan. Even though they had knowledge of the Scriptures, which spoke of Christ, they had evidence of His miraculous power, they had the Spirit bearing witness to His identity… They willfully rejected Jesus. How can God forgive the one who will not recognize and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord? They have rejected the very One who would forgive them by rejecting and even speaking against the Holy Spirit who testifies of Jesus.
January 17, 2018
The Bible is primarily a book about God. Verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book, the Bible is the story of how God has progressively revealed Himself to man, with its ultimate revelation found in Jesus Christ.
When Jacob returned to the place called Bethel, where God had first appeared to him, God once again appeared. This time the Lord revealed more about His own character by revealing one of His names, “El-Shaddai,” which means “God Almighty.” God wanted Jacob to know that His promises were sure because His power was complete. He is the omnipotent One, the all-powerful One, El-Shaddai, God Almighty. What God promises, He is more than able to do.
January 16, 2018
THE SON REVEALS AND CALLS
The Son of God, Jesus Christ, has been given “everything.” Whatever belongs to the Father belongs to Jesus. Jesus is the One who makes the first move towards us, choosing to reveal the Father to us. Then, Jesus is the One who calls us to “come unto” Him.
If you hear the Son’s call, then come. Come and find rest for your souls. Come and truly know the Father through Jesus, the Son.
January 15, 2018
PRAYING THE PROMISES!
When Jacob heard that his brother Esau was approaching with 400 men, he was afraid. So, he prayed to the Lord for protection. In his prayer, he admitted his fear, yet clung to God’s promises, quoting them back to the Lord word for word.
Isn’t this how we should pray? When we are afraid, we can lean on the promises of God, repeating them word for word back to the Father. Where are you afraid? Where has anxiety stolen your joy? Search out the promises of God. Meditate on them. Stand on them. Pray them back to the Father. His Word never returns void.
January 14, 2018
Jacob already wanted to return to the land of his birth, but when the Lord instructed him to go, he began to make preparations. He told his wives what the Lord had said to him and they immediately were supportive, saying, “Go ahead and do whatever God has told you” (Gen. 31:16). It is a powerful thing when a husband hears and obeys the word of the Lord, and a wife is unified with him.
On a side note, I found it interesting in today’s reading that most of Jacob’s twelve sons were introduced by name in the OT reading and then the twelve disciples of Jesus were introduced by name in the NT reading.
January 13, 2018
On Jacob’s trip to Haran to find a wife, he had a vision from the Lord. As he slept on the ground with a rock for a pillow, he dreamt of a stairway between heaven and earth. At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, who told him that “all the families of the earth” would be blessed through his family. This was a confirmation of God’s covenant with Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, to whom God had promised the same (See Gen. 12:3).
Has God kept His covenant promise to bless all the families of the earth through Jacob’s descendants? Yes! First of all, God has blessed the world with the gift of the Bible, which was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit almost entirely by Jacob’s descendants. And most importantly, God has blessed the world with the gift of Jesus, who is a descendant of Jacob and the Son of God.
Jacob saw a stairway, a ladder, between heaven and earth. In chapter 11 of Genesis, mankind tried to reach God through their own effort by building the tower of Babel, but failed. Yet, Jacob saw a ladder from heaven that reached all the way to earth. Isn’t that ladder Jesus? What man couldn’t do, God did by sending Jesus. “For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). Jesus is the Promised descendant, God’s greatest blessing to all the families of the earth!
January 12, 2018
When Jesus forgave the sins of the paralyzed man, some religious teachers who witnessed it said to themselves that he had committed blasphemy. For only God can forgive sin. Yet, Jesus “knew what they were thinking.” They must have been shocked to have Jesus turn to speak to them as they stood along the back of the crowd, whispering among themselves. However, there is no record of their repentance. Their intellectual pride prevented them from seeing Jesus for who He is–– the Son of God and Messiah.
In this one encounter, Jesus forgave sin, caused the lame to walk, and knew what others were thinking and what was truly in their hearts. Who else but God could do this?
The religious teachers said to themselves, “Does he think he’s God?”
Yes. Yes, He does. And so do all those who believe in Him.
January 11, 2018
Abraham sent his servant to get Isaac a bride from his own relatives. He did not want him to marry a local Canaanite woman. The servant is the picture of obedience. He was faithful to find Isaac a wife from Abraham’s relatives. The servant is unnamed in this chapter, but he appears to be Abraham’s most trusted servant, “Eliezer” (Gen. 15:2). This is a beautiful story and is often seen as a spiritual typology given to Israel to prepare them for the coming Messiah.
As a spiritual type, who does each character represent?
– Abraham represents God the Father.
– Isaac represents Christ the Son.
– Rebekah represents the Bride of Christ, the Church.
– Eliezer represents the Holy Spirit
January 10, 2018
The Lord had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham, yet he lived in the land as “a stranger and a foreigner” (Gen. 23:4). But when his wife, Sarah, died. he bought a plot of land for her burial. The first record in the Bible of a man weeping is Abraham weeping at his wife’s death. Yet, the man of faith, did not falter in grief, nor become disheartened in despair. He bought a small piece of land to bury his wife, knowing that one day soon, his body would be laid beside hers. By faith, he bought the plot, believing that his descendants would one day possess the whole land. However, as a sojourner in the land, he longed for that city “whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10).
Four years ago, I bought two grave plots for my wife and I next to the plot for my grandson, Conner, when he passed away. I bought plots that face East. I want to be facing in the right direction when the trump sounds and the dead in Christ rise to meet the Lord in the air.