The secret of power is the secret of character, says Griffith Thomas, and the secret of character is the indwelling of God. Though Pharaoh was a pagan he recognized in Joseph a man who communed with a high and mighty divine being. When we live with God, people know it! When we live with God, our whole being is affected. Because he lived with God, Joseph became a person who could git-r-done! We can be that person too.
When God gets ready to open a door no one can stand in His way, not even the most powerful potentate in the world. God walked right into the most private and intimate place of this Pharoah’s life and accomplished His will. You and I may be locked away in a prison somewhere, but God knows no boundaries. In His perfect timing, He performs His work on our behalf.
Griffith Thomas wrote: Even the smallest circumstance in life has its meaning, and it may be said, literally, that we do not know the profound significance of many of the simplest details of daily life. Happy is the person whose eyes are open to see the hand of God in everyday events. To that person, life always possesses a marvelous joy and glory. Though a circumstantial case could be made that God had deserted him, Joseph kept himself free from fret, strain, hardness, and despair. Consciousness of God made all the difference.
As a ten-year-old child, I loved cars, especially the 1987 Lamborghini Countach. I once saw a Lamborghini Countach in the garage of a neighbor who lived next to my dad’s parents. That car met all the expectations of my heart and mind. However, the man who owned it rarely drove it. For all practical purposes, that car was only for show.
Then it occurred to me that many believers go at Christianity like that Lamborghini Countach. They never get their Christianity out on the road of life, but treat it as a show car only.
Verses 1 & 2 in Genesis 39 present a paradox. In verse 1 we are told that Joseph was sold for a second time as a slave, yet verse two tells us that Joseph became a successful man. Does that make sense? It seems that nothing had gone right and that things would get worse. Yet, Joseph became a successful man? How can that be? Let’s dig a little deeper, and brace yourself for success.
Jealousy is not the result of what we see wrong in someone else. Jealousy the result of what we see wrong ourselves. However, instead of facing up to our own deficiency, we cover the deficiency by belittling the one whom we actually perceive as having more on the ball than do we. Of course, we would never admit it! Is there a cure? Yes!
Genesis 36 deals entirely with Jacob’s brother, Esau also known as Edom. Yet, who cares about Esau? Why this great emphasis upon Edom? We have Abraham, the father of Israel as a nation. Jesus is traced back to Abraham and Jacob, not Esau. So, spending time in Genesis 36 has got to a waste of that time, right? To the contrary, Genesis 36 not only impacted the ancient world but the world in which we live today, even our own lives.
Esau might be referred to as a wild child of ancient Israel. Yet, God blessed him beyond measure. Think about this. If God blesses so abundantly those who are not believers, what is the magnitude of His blessing for those who are? If non-spiritual people experience such outpourings of God’s gifts, how great must the gifts be for believers! Get ready to be blessed.
Top cats and bottom dwellers. Bottom dweller is the default position, but top cat is a choice. Which will it be?
June 29, 2022
God gives people special graces for what some call the sunset years. His enabling can transform any sunset into the first glimmerings of eternal day. Jacob’s final years were like that. His life had been filled with troubles, almost all of his own making. Yet, as he entered upon the last years of his life, he returned to Bethel and experienced a fuller measure of the presence and joy of God than at any time previously. You can too!