When You’re Surrounded

Psalm 18:3-6

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.  The cords of death encompassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness terrified me.  The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.  In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

One cannot help but see how fear has taken a grip on most of the country.  We are facing an unknown and unseen enemy.  When one see’s the projections of the number of deaths we are facing.  It can’t help but create anxiety among us… whether one wants it or not!  Maybe you at this moment may feel as David did:  “the cords of death encompass me… the cords of Sheol surround me.”  Fear can make you feel like you are drowning… surrounded by the enemy… desperate for air.  That is understandable.

But I love the words of Katherine Paterson:  “To fear is one thing.  To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.”

Consider the strategy of USMC officer Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller.  When the Marines were cut off behind enemy lines and the Army had written the 1st Marine Division off as being lost (as they were surrounded by 22 enemy divisions each with 16,550 men).  He reportedly said:  “They are in front of us, and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1.  They can’t get away from us now!”

The Marines made it out inflicting the highest casualty ration on an enemy in history and destroying 7 entire enemy divisions in the process.

Knowing the enemy is surrounding you is helpful.  Attacking it with everything you have is even more helpful.  How are you waging war against anxiety right now?  Are you doing everything you can to maintain a thriving relationship with the Lord through this forced time indoors?  Are you doing what you need to do to promote good “self care” right now?  Walking?  Reading hopeful books?  Talking with friends that are hopeful?  Serving others… albeit from a distance?

This will be a long war.  We need to prepare our hearts for extended time in the trenches.  Have you discussed strategy with the Lord?

A couple more verses and then one thought to comprehend:

Deuteronomy 31:8 – “The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Psalm 139:5 – “You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand on me.”

Psalm 16:8 – “I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Psalm 34:7 – “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.”

So if God is before us, behind us… on our right and all around us… what does that make us?  Surrounded.  Surrounded by His goodness and surrounded by His love.  Think on that… and be hopeful.

 

Why We’re Feeling Weird Right Now

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.  ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; ³ Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

Dr. Henry Cloud has a recent podcast titled:  “Being psychologically healthy during times of crisis.”  In it he says… “If you’re feeling a little weird right now… that’s okay.  It’s normal.  You have made all these maps about how life works.  Ritual and patterns were pretty much set and all of a sudden… boom!  You wake up and everything is different.  Like none of those patterns exist anymore.  When life changes… it registers in the brain as an error.  It causes your whole body to “amp up” looking for “what is going to change next.”  This can leave you feeling a little weird.

That is not his exact words.  You can listen to them here: Henry Cloud

But the point is… change disrupts us in so many ways.  It can feel like the aftermath of an earthquake… we are shaky and disoriented.  The paths we frequently travel have fissures … blocking our customary paths.  There is an anxiousness that wells up within us because we can’t reach for our usual fixes.  Coffee with a friend.  A movie.  A night out.  Its weird.  We feel weird.

It is okay to feel that way in a time of crisis.  Psalm 46 describes an earthquake.  As you read the passage you can almost feel the earth moving beneath your feet.  It is a particularly cataclysmic one… as “mountains are slipping into the heart of the sea.”  This is “tidal wave producing” change the Psalmist is talking about!  In life one can usually trust at least the ground they are walking on… not so in an earthquake.  But the Psalmist reminds us in verse 1:  “God is our refuge.  A very present help in trouble.”  There is a place to run which will not collapse in ground rupturing times of change.

If you are looking for solid ground right now and you aren’t finding it in your daily rituals and support groups (not because you don’t want to but because you can’t)… ground yourself in your faith.  Turn over your fears and anxieties to God.  (1 Peter 5:7)

Break open that devotional book your neglected since January… and catch up.  Many Christian publishers are offering free or 99 cent books right now.  David C. Cook

eerdman’s

Do you have a book that is bringing you comfort right now?  Could you share it with the community below?

At the end of Psalm 46 is a familiar verse.  It is perhaps a crucial verse for us during this time of “weirdness.”

Be wise.  Stay Safe.  And remember to love one another.

Pastor Wayne

Quarantined… with Children

Psalm 127:3-5a

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.  How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.

This afternoon’s encouragement is for those self-quarantining with kids.  It has been awhile for Janine and I… but I remember those days.  I had to laugh at Drew Dyck’s email yesterday called “Life in Lockdown.”

Life on Lockdown

I live in Washington state. On Sunday, our Governor ordered all restaurants to close and banned gatherings of more than 50 people. So basically, like an increasing number of Americans, I’m stuck at home. Initially, this sounded fine to me. We’re stocked up on groceries, so I was looking forward to getting a little break from the outside world. Grace and I could have romantic dinners, curl up in front of the fire and read. Maybe watch movie before bed. Ah, sweet quarantine! But then I realized I’d overlooked one very important fact. Actually, three: our children. Our bouncing-off-the-walls, only occasionally obedient, young kids. A chill ran down my spine as I realized we were quarantined … with them. But we’re finding ways of coping. On Sunday, since church was cancelled, I sat the kids down in the living room, opened my Bible and delivered a powerful message. Well, I thought it was powerful. They squirmed and laughed talked through my message. “Be quiet! If you don’t settle down there are going to be serious consequences. This passage is about God’s love!” I’m working from home, which is nothing new (I’ve worked from home for the past 5 years). What is new is having kids at home with me. And it’s pretty irritating. They steal the pens off my desk and plead with me to come outside. “Dad, you’re so boring! Why do you look at that screen ALL day?” Fortunately, I’ve come up with a solution for these unwelcome intrusions—and it comes straight from Scripture. Henceforth, I have decreed that no child shall approach me unless I have raised my royal scepter (ala the king in the book of Esther). Unfortunately, Amazon is fresh out of royal scepters. I guess a royal broom will have to do.

From talking with my church members with children these past few days I sense there is a scramble to keep children occupied for what appears to be an unknown period of time.

I’m sure some of you out there have had some great ideas that you might want to share with everyone.  In the comments below let us know what is working for you.  Some of you who don’t have children in the home right now… but remember ideas that are still tried and true… write and share those.

Here are a couple of things I’ve seen this week around the web…

#1 –  David C. Cook is offering “13 Very Awesome Promises and How God Always Keeps Them” by Mikal Keefer for free e-book download today.  It is a lesson book to teach lessons of faith to children.  They are also offering several others books in their series of “13” books for 99 cents each.  If you have trouble finding it on Amazon.com, email me (pastorpresnell@yahoo.com) and I will email you back a link.

#2 – This might be a good time to watch (or re-watch) the Disney film “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis.  The context of the film is kids on lockdown… sent to a country home for their safety during WW2.  The movie has several themes such as forgiveness, sacrifice and salvation that would spur some great family conversation. It is also a beautiful picture of what Jesus has done for us… in the character of Aslan, the lion.  You could watch this together on Disney+  or you could get a copy-if you’re local I’ll loan you one- and you could read it to them.

#3 – tasteofhome.com has a collection of easy recipes to bake with your kids.  Just paste https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/easy-baking-recipes-for-kids/ into your browser.

How about it?  Anyone else have any ideas.

Till tomorrow.  Be wise.  Stay safe.  And remember to love one another.

Pastor Wayne

Singing From the Balconies

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

This week I’ve been calling through the church directory and checking on members and frequent attenders.  (If you haven’t gotten a call yet, hang on, I still have some to make.)  I’ve been asking them if they had any needs we as a church could help meet and if there were anything we could be praying about.  One word I heard frequently was “isolation.”  “Pray for those that will be isolated from people.”  “Pray for our family stuck in isolation together for this extended period.”  One parent put it kindly:  “Pray for ‘general kindness’ in our home.” : )

We all hope for time… time when we aren’t so busy… time to spend reading or working on our hobbies.  So what do we do with such time when we have it thrust on us?  And what happens when, after a period of “isolation,” all we desire is human contact?  The people of Italy are in full lock down right now due to the current pandemic.  But they have found an interesting way to encourage one another: singing from their balconies!  Could that be something we as a community could do here at Lucas Grace Bible?

In the book of Colossians, Paul called upon the body of Christ to “let the peace of Christ rule” in their hearts.  The reason for this was that they were called to “one body.”  The first example he gives of that bond we share as believers is singing.  There is something about voices being lifted together that melts away division and shoos away fears.  We need that kind of unity right now.

So I’m opening up my blog (which I haven’t touched since 2016) and will write daily (hopefully) through this period of “self quarantine” to provide a forum where we as a church can encourage one another.  I am going to put up encouraging stores, humor, inspirational verses, etc.  And I’m asking you to please comment below with anything similar.  This will give us as the body of Christ a chance to “sing from our balconies” and encourage one another in Jesus.

Please be encouraging and hopeful!  We need hope right now!  I ask that you plan on coming back daily to share.  This is open to anyone, whether you attend Grace Bible or not.  I’ll be awaiting your responses.

Until then… Be wise.  Stay safe.  And remember to love one another.

Pastor Wayne

 

Cornerstone

Matthew 21:42-46

⁴² Jesus *said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone; This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Whether you are trying to build a church, or a family, or a life… you are going to need something solid to build on… a sure foundation… but you are also going to need a faithful cornerstone.

For those of you who aren’t masons… a cornerstone (or foundation stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a foundation, It is vitally important because all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.

What is the cornerstone of your life?  This is not meant to be a slow softball pitch… one that you can knock out of the park with the correct answer:  Jesus.  It is meant to be a soul searching question.  An opportunity to inspect the basement of your heart.  If there are cracks in your character, if your life is not what you should be representing to the world… you were building a doughnut shop but it looks more like a chicken coop… you might want to flip on the basement light switch and enter the crawl space of your heart and determine what truly is your foundation stone.

Only then can you confidently declare:  Jesus IS my cornerstone.

Every child wondering what you are going to be when you grow up… every young adult still trying to carve out identity and discover their life’s purpose… every older adult finding themselves, after all these years, back at square one having to start over building a new life:  There is good news.  It is never too late to build.  God will always grant you a building permit.  So build away.  But first let’s get about securing a proper cornerstone.

⁴² Jesus *said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone; This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Get out your flashlight… sneak down the back stairs of your heart… make your way through the crawl space… you have arrived at the cornerstone of your life… the reason you serve…  the person or thing that directs your steps and determines your daily decisions.

Is it Christ?

A Shot at Redemption

Genesis 42

Not sure what he is singing about but Paul Simon’s lyrics in Call Me Al declare:  “I want a photo-opportunity.  I want a shot at redemption.  Don’t want to wind up a cartoon in a cartoon graveyard.”  Can’t tell you when someone will take your picture or how to avoid the fate of a dead ‘toon, but a “shot at redemption?”  That is more than possible.

In Joseph’s story so far, we see a man that has had his ups and downs… who is now on a roll.  He has always been a source of blessing to those around him, and now he is a blessing to the whole world.  He is in charge of a massive food bank with the desperate from all the surrounding nations at his door.

A few years ago I was leading a Bible study on Joseph and we came to this morning’s passage. One of the Bible study participants asked an interesting question: After Joseph became Second in Command of Egypt… why didn’t he go seek out his family in the land of Canaan. Why indeed? I didn’t have an adequate answer… I had never thought about it I guess. One would expect that Joseph would have at least paid a call on them… to promote reconciliation or to enact revenge. And yet at least 7 or 8 years pass without even a postcard sent back to the family… why?

After looking into it, I think we are provided a clue to the answer during the years of Joseph’s prosperity.

Genesis 41:50-52 –  Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. [51] 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 my suffering.”

Two sons were born to Joseph and as he called them to supper it reminded him of two things: Forget the Past…. Focus on the Prosperous Present.   Excellent Strategy… only one problem… it was doomed to failure.

1. Avoiding the Past Doesn’t Keep It From Knocking On Your Door.

Jacob hears that there is grain in Egypt and sends his sons to buy some… “before [they] all starve to death.”  And so they went.  Now that morning Joseph got up to get ready for work and as he headed out he might have caught sight of his first born and said: “Good Morning my son that reminds me to forget my past and the treacherous brothers I grew up with. Have a great day at school. Love ya, bye.”

Was he ever in for a surprise at the Job site.   There are his brothers, that he has spent years trying to forget… kneeling before him.   Verse six says: “They bowed low before him, with their faces to the ground.”

Now Joseph recognized them instantly, but pretends to be a stranger.  This day was the day that God had appointed to Joseph to begin to deal with his past.

I’m not sure when that day will come for some of you. It has to be God’s timing. But usually the past eventually comes knocking. How you deal with it could change your life.

2. Avoiding the Past Can Keep You From the Blessings of Confession and Guilt.

Genesis 42:21-24 –    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.” [23] They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.  [24] He turned away from them and began to weep, …

Two groups both need the blessings that dealing with the past can bring.

For the brothers the occasion spawns a confession of their sins of almost a decade ago. Notice how fresh the event was in their minds: Their ears still ring with the sounds of Joseph’s bleeding.  Reuben says: I told you not to SIN against the boy.

Rueben calls it what it is… not a misunderstanding… or a business opportunity they couldn’t pass up… or a punishment that Joseph had coming… it was a sin against him.  Joseph tells his brothers that he thinks they are spies.  He tells them to bring back their younger brother to prove they were who they said they were.  He keeps Simeon in prison for insurance that they will do just that.  Joseph is testing his brothers repentance here in a very hard way.

But while Joseph’s brothers needed to confess, Joseph, himself, needed to grieve. Did you catch that? As the brothers bring up that dark day… that day that had filled Joseph’s nights with terror… Joseph’s eyes began to fill up with tears. He’s reliving the moment… And he’s coming to grips with his loss.

3.  Another reason to resist avoiding the past is that it can keep you at odds with God.

Genesis 42:27-28 –  At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. [28] “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”  Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

This is an unusual thing.

Say you just paid someone for cleaning your gutters with your last $50. An hour later you look in your wallet and your $50 is back. Now you KNOW you paid the worker. You mentally can see the $50 leaving your hand and entering his. So how would you interpret this new $50. “Hallelujah! It’s a miracle. Get the kids we’re going to Long Horn’s.”

That should have been the reaction of the brothers, but it wasn’t. Why?

Quick: Draw a mental picture of God.

What do you see in your mind’s eye? A Mean Overbearing Ogre or a Happy Loving Father? Now I’m not asking you what your theology teaches you He is… or even what you believe Him to be… what does your heart feel about Him?  Guilt has twisted the brother’s view of their God.

Papa Jacob isn’t much better.  When the brothers return home and tell him what has happened he declares:  “Everything is against me!”

What is your heart’s cry today?   Guess what?  With God you have a shot at redemption.  “If God is for us, who could be against us!” (Romans 8:31)  God could be bringing up your past today so that he can take those ugly things… that happened to you or that you have done to another… and turn them into a glorious future!

What do you do when the past comes calling?  Know that you have a shot at redeeming that past.  If you are in the place of Joseph’s brothers… you own up to it and repent of it.  If you are in the position of Joseph… you face the pain and forgive.

God longs to heal your deepest wounds.  Would that today be when your healing process begins.

Do you have a hurt from the past that God seems to be bring up again and again in your life?  Isn’t it time to face it with Him?

Blessings!

 

 

Elevator Etiquette

Genesis 41

In chapter 41 Joseph goes from slopping swill for the inmates in prison to crowds parting to make way for his chariot.  Was there ever such a sudden elevation in all of history?

“So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’  Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.” (Genesis 41:41-42)

What do you do when you are suddenly on top after being on the bottom for so long?  Here is some Elevator Etiquette from the Life of Joseph:

1.   Maintain Humility

I once took a ride on a coaster called The Volcano.  It was a VERY quick assent.  During that Volcano ride – it was hard to maintain my perspective… Am I up? Am I down? Rapid promotion can do that to you… you become disoriented.   Imagine how Joseph must have felt!

 Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.  ‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph relied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer He desires.'”  (Genesis 41:15-16)

Joseph exuded confidence that the God who was with him in prison would also be with him on this “all important job interview!”  He didn’t need to wring his hands in worry… or fear that he would say the wrong thing… He could be confident… because his confidence wasn’t in himself

2.  Tell the Bad With the Good.

There was an old radio commercial I remember where a CEO shouted:  “I don’t want any YES MEN in my organization.”  To which his staff responded:  “YES SIR!”   Most organizations are actually FULL of “yes men”… parroting back what their bosses desire to hear.   If you begin to reach the top you will get this feeling that you don’t want to leave your perch.  Maybe you’ll just down play the bad news and feast on the good for a while! Not so with Joseph. Look at his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream:

The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. [27] The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.  (Genesis 41:26-27)

Do shortcut your integrity… even if what you have to say might not be pleasant to some ears.  As author Dr. Henry Cloud is fond of saying:  “Reality is your friend.”

3.  Be a Good Steward

It is helpful to remember this on your elevator ride to the top: Wealth isn’t yours to squander; and you may need some of that wealth tomorrow.  Joseph lived by these principles.

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt.  During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.  Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.  Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.  (Genesis 41:46-49)

Joseph’s plan to store up in the prosperous years so that they might survive the lean ones… is still a good one. Now matter how golden we imagine our futures… we can only see so far. Being prepared is a Biblically sound idea!

4.  Share the Wealth

 With all the perks that came with Joseph’s new job, he never forgot that first and foremost in his job description was to be a blessing to the world.

“When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.  And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.”  (Genesis 41:56-57)

We can either treat our homes as a treasure chest… or a store house. When we treat them as a treasure chest… we invest time and energy protecting our stuff… and life can become a hassle. When we treat them as a store house… we realize that God can bless others through the “stuff” we are temporarily holding for him… and life becomes a blessing.

I was so moved when I heard the following story in  Skip Heitzig’s book,  Jesus Up Close.  He told the story about a man named Josh who was sailing down a Chicago neighborhood street in his two-month-old, 12-cylinder Jaguar XKE when  a brick sailed through the air and struck its shiny, black passenger door. Brakes slammed, gears ground into reverse, and tires spun the Jaguar back to the spot from which the missile had been launched. The young executive jumped out, grabbed the kid, and pushed him against a fender. “That’s my new Jag,” he shouted. “That brick you threw is gonna cost you lots of money!” “I’m sorry, mister! No one would stop! I didn’t know what else to do,” the youngster sobbed, pointing. “It’s my brother. He rolled off the curb, fell out of his wheelchair, and is hurt. He’s too heavy for me. Please, help me lift him back.” Josh’s head of steam evaporated. Straining, he lifted the boy’s brother into the wheelchair, wiped the scrapes and cuts with his handkerchief, and checked to see that there was no serious injury. He then watched the younger brother push the wheelchair down the sidewalk toward their home. Josh never did fix his door. He kept the dent to remind himself not to go through life so fast that someone would have to throw a brick to get his attention.”  (Skip Heitzig)

Okay… so the elevator doors are opening.  Let me hold the door for you.  “Going Up?” I ask.  Somewhat embarrassed you respond:  “Yes…” Great!  But just remember… don’t let your success destroy your humble confidence… or let it tear at your desire to speak up for the truth… or let it stop your from displaying good money management skills… or… above all this… I say this to you as you enter the threshold… don’t let it keep you from blessing others!

Rise up and bless the world. That is your calling!

Blessings!

Tears in a Bottle

Genesis 40

If there is something I have learned from my time on this earth is that sorrow can be a lonely time.  No matter how supportive others can be… one can still feel all alone.  Forgotten.  Like a leaf in a stream at flood stage.  You have lost connection from the tree and are now swirling out of control… will you ever be found?

I wonder what state Joseph was in when he entered jail for a crime he did not commit?  Well Joseph did what he always did… made the best of the situation and was soon a trusted helper for the warden.  But as the story continues we learn that God is not through with Joseph.

Some time later, the cup bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. [2] Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cup bearer and the chief baker, [3] and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. [4] The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. (1-4a)

One day Joseph saw these two men and they were both disturbed. “Why are your faces so sad today?”   They explained that they had both had dreams and didn’t know what to make of them. I love Joseph’s optimism. “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

The two recount their dreams which are quite similar. The chief cup bearer tells his dream: “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, [10] and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. [11] Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.” (9-11)

Joseph tells him that the three branches meant three days… and that within three days he would be restored to his position and would again place a chalice of wine into the Pharaoh’s hand. Joseph bids that the cup bearer remember him to Pharaoh when he is restored to office.

The chief baker likes what he has heard and offers his dream up to Joseph:  “On my head were three baskets of bread. [17] In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” (16-17)

Joseph, looking a bit more somber this time, states truthfully: In three days, Pharaoh will have you executed.  And so it goes:

“Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: [21] He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand, [22] but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.”  (20-22)

Now after the cupbearer is restored a travesty occurs. He NEGLECTED TO DO ANYTHING ALL ABOUT JOSEPH’S PLIGHT!

Genesis 40:23 reads:  “The chief cup bearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.”   I wondered how many nights Joseph lay awake wondering when his friend would come to his rescue.   41:1 tells the sad truth:  “…two full years…”

Joseph was forgotten for two more years. It was one thing to have no hope, but to see hope rise and fall had to have ripped at his heart.  He was at the rock bottom of his faith.  The chief question at rock bottom is this: Has God Forsaken Me?

Have you ever been searching for a road out in the country that even Google Maps can’t help you with? Eventually you throw up you hands and say: “Where is this God Forsaken place?”  Well that is not a Biblical statement at all!  There is no place on this earth that is “GOD FORSAKEN!”

Isaiah 40:27-29 reads:   “Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?  [28] Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of 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.

The Bible teaches us that there is no place we can go or be sent that escapes his notice.

Matthew 10:29, 31  says:  “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. [31] So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Just as he sees every bird that falls from the sky. He can see where you have landed. And you are still worth everything to Him.  He knows your situation. He feels the pain in your heart. And he sees every tear you’ve cried.

Psalm 56:8 (The Living Bible) reads:  “You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one in your book.”

Pastor Bill Hybels remarked on this verse:  “In Middle Eastern culture when every a soldier would go off to war he would buy a “tear vial” – a little tear bottle—he would give it to his wife or his mother.  She would promise, “Your absence will make me so sad, I will cry every night. And when I do, I’ll collect those tears in this bottle. When you come back, you’ll see my tears and you’ll know how precious you are to me.”

Psalm 56:8 says that God will one day be able to show us our “tear vials.” For he has witnesses each one of them. He will say to us: “Didn’t miss a one. Not a single one.”

Joseph might have thought near the end of that second year that his story was over.  But it was actually just ready to begin.

Feeling forgotten?  Know that God sees every single tear… and that your story isn’t over until HE says its over.  Hang on for one day more.

 

Fleeing Sexual Temptation

Genesis 39

A while back I was working on a blog regarding Paul’s visit to the city of Corinth.  I was searching for a graphic to go along with it and was stumped as what to use.  I got to thinking about how much ancient Corinth was like modern day Las Vegas.  Maybe a Las Vegas skyline might work!  But I couldn’t find one that struck me as suitable.  Then I had another thought:  “I know!  I’ll get a graphic of one of those XXX signs they hang out in front of some of their clubs.”  So I typed “XXX” into Google Images.  Okay… I did not think that one through.  I won’t tell you what came up but I could not X out of that screen fast enough!

I’m sure it has happened to you.  You typed something innocent into  a search engine and got an eyeful of something you wished you had never seen.  It is becoming increasingly hard not to stumble into porn.  We talk a lot about avoiding sexually charged material and situations… but what happens when you didn’t see it coming?  What happens when an innocent conversation turns to flirtation?  What happens when you are at a friend’s house and the movie they suggested takes a raunchy turn?  What do you do then?

I’m telling you right now what to do.  But its something that you can’t do in the heat of the moment.  You must do it NOW… and not wait until THEN.

Here it is:  “Be Prepared!”

Stop pretending that this world will never be able to seduce someone as spiritually adept as you.  If you are still breathing… lust will continue to be one of the 7 deadlies Satan will use in his attempt to bring you down.

Take Joseph.  He was a young attractive, junior executive for Potiphar enterprises.  He is quietly and effectively minding his boss’s business when he becomes the target of the CEO’s wife!  “Lie with me.” She commanded.

Yet Joseph was able to escape her clutches.  How?  Because he was prepared for it!  Here is was his plan.

1.  He knew his character ahead of time!  Joseph knew who he was as a person.  He was a faithful person.

He was faithful to Potiphar.  He tells the wife:  “There is no one greater in this house than I, and [Potiphar] has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife.  How then could I do this great evil…?” (v. 9)  The consequences of sexual sin (sex outside of marriage, adultery or porn) affect more than just oneself.  They affect the lives of loved ones with cuts too deep to ever heal properly.  And Joseph’s faithfulness to his master had been a witness to Potiphar.  Why would he chuck all of the capital he had accumulated for a quick fling?

Also, Joseph was also faithful to his God.  I mean, Joseph could have given in and Potiphar might have never found out!  (Unlikely… yet possible).  But to Joseph that didn’t matter.  God would have known.  That is why Joseph exclaims:  “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”  Not against Potipher… Against God!

Are you a faithful person… to others and to God?  Be faithful with your sexuality as well.

2.  He Knew This Kind of Battle was a Daily One.  Note that Joseph was propositioned by Mrs. Potiphar… daily.  (v. 10)  He could not avoid her frequent advances.  He was a slave after all.  It wasn’t like he could quit his job!

It is the same for you.  You cannot 100% avoid the bombardment of sexual images in our culture today.  When you get up in the morning you better be prepared to fight!

I particularly want to reach out to those who are married.  Never EVER let your guard down.  I read years ago the words of a famous Christian author that had given into an affair.  The year before it happened he had been asked by a friend where he thought Satan could attack him.  Was he weak in any area?  He wasn’t sure how to answer, but he told his friend that he knew for sure where Satan couldn’t attack him… in his marriage.  He had a strong one.

This author went on to warn his readers:  “Satan will often attack your strong side, because it is the least defended.”

3.  Finally… He Knew When to Run!

“Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside.  She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!”  And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.” (v. 11- 12)

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians and told them to “flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18) I wonder if it was Joseph’s story that was in the back of his mind.  Likewise Paul wrote to Timothy and told him to “flee youthful lusts.” (2 Tim. 2:22)  He, like Joseph, knew that when all else fails… you better have an exit strategy!

Perhaps your exit strategy might be to pull out a photo of your family and show it to the person who is flirting with you.  Perhaps it is to go “unplugged” for a while… staying out of places where porn can be accessed.  Work out this plan with God and then follow it.  Memorize it like the fire escape plan on the wall where you work.  It could save your life.

_______

Know this… He who made you is working to complete you one day in Christ Jesus.  If you have fallen it is not too late to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and then continue on developing His character in your life.

And remember… when all else fails… you can always run!

God Can Even Use “That!”

Genesis 38

Wow!  What a story!  How did this make it into the Bible?  What do we make of this story of sexual sin, deceit and hypocrisy?  It is a story we often avoid.  Liz Curtis Higgs writes in her book, Really Bad Girls of the Bible:  “Anyway you tell this story you eventually come to a scene that, even in our anything-goes society, doesn’t sit well on the psyche:  A young woman poses as a prostitute so she can sleep with her father-in-law.  On purpose.  …You won’t find much enthusiasm for sermon skits about Tamar and Judah at church.  Not many weekly women’s meetings are called: ‘The Tamar Circle.'”

And yet Tamar is called by Judah at the end of the story “more righteous” than he.  What is going on here?

Well this story is a mess from the beginning.  Judah begins by marrying a Canaanite woman named Shua.  This was not God’s will.  He began a little family and chose a bride for his oldest son named Er.  He chooses a Canaanite woman named Tamar.

Er then angers God and is killed as a result.  Onan is expected to father a child by  Tamar.  This child will not be his, however, but his dead brother’s.  This does not sit well with Onan and so he spills his semen on the ground and refuses to impregnate Tamar.  God kills Onan.  (Picking up on a pattern here?)

Judah has just one son left, Shelah.  Thinking that Tamar is somehow responsible for the death of his other two sons… he tells Tamar that she needs to come back when his last boy is older.  He sends her back to her father’s house… effectively sentencing her to live as a childless widow until the day she dies.

Thus the desperate plot by Tamar to have a child by Judah.  It is a risky, immoral, deceitful… yet effective plan.  Soon Tamar is found to be with a child by Judah who doesn’t even know who it was he who had slept with.

It is only when Tamar produces proof of paternity that Judah remarks that she is “more righteous” than hIm.  The story ends with birth of Tamar’s twin sons being born.  The baby’s room is done up in blue.  Everybody’s smiling.  But wait…

What is the take away from this bizarre story?  I can think of four:

1)  You might have a twisted testimony and you might not have done things that you are proud of… but God is into redeeming lives… forgiving sin… and setting people free of their past.  People “with a past” can be “born again” into His family.

2)  Children are NOT mistakes.  A person’s birth story does not mark them for dishonor.  God had great plans for Tamar’s son, Perez.

3)  God can use anyone as an example of his grace.  Tamar is the first woman mention in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew Chapter 1.  Some of have pointed out that her inclusion was to foreshadow the inclusion of the Gentiles into the Kingdom of God.

4)  God’s plans are higher than ours.  He transcends even the bad decisions we make in desperation.  He is carving out a plan that will ultimately bring glory to himself.

Blessings!

Pastor Wayne