You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
TO PONDER
When we first meet Joseph in the Old Testament, he is a spoiled brat, so much so that he really gets under the skin of his brothers. He then goes on a roller coaster ride of being sold into slavery; working his way up to becoming chief servant, highly respected by his master; falsely accused and being sent to gaol; working his way up to be a highly respected chief inmate in the prison; and finally released to be governor of Egypt.
Joseph, for a large part of his life, had little control of the circumstances of what happened to him. But he had a strong commitment to honour his God in how he lived his life in whatever these circumstances were. In time he came to see God’s hand in all the things that had happened to him and he learned to let go of the resentment and hurt he would have been feeling over the unjust way he had been treated. He came to fully forgive all those who contributed to his pain of his earlier years.
And in hindsight, Joseph came to realise the valuable training he had received in administration from both of his senior positions as a slave and as a prisoner. This training would be valuable in his role as governor of Egypt in preparing for the 7-year drought and then looking after the people during the drought.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you that you are always with us in whatever is happening in our lives. Please help us to thank and praise you for all the good things, and to trust your love and purpose in all the challenging times we face. Amen
Today's devotion written by Charles Bertelsmeier, LifeWay Epping
Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
TO PONDER
If you are not familiar with the story, I suggest you take the time to read it in 2 Kings 5:1-19. Naaman is head of the army of Aram and a close confidant of the King of Aram, but he has a dreaded skin disease that doesn’t seem to be contagious. Obviously the disease is distressing to Naaman and his family.
His wife also had a slave girl who had been captured during a raid on neighbouring Israel. The thing that amazes me about this story is firstly that Naaman’s wife would take the advice of a slave girl, then the head of the Aram army would also listen to a slave girl and finally the King of Aram would listen to and act on the advice of a slave girl.
What eventually happens is that Naaman is healed of his disease and dedicates his life to now worshiping Yahweh, the god of the Israelites. We are not told, but the expectation is that his whole family follow him in this worship.
To bring about the transformation in Naaman’s life, the un‑named slave girl didn’t preach a sermon or give a long theological discourse, she just pointed to the one who could bring about the healing change. God did the rest, leading Naaman eventually to the prophet, Elisha, and to his miraculous healing.
We too, no matter how insignificant or unequipped we may feel, can be used by God in very simple ways to point people to Jesus, and then let the Holy Spirit work in their lives with his transforming love.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please lift from me all the fears and insecurities I have of talking to others about you, and give me the courage to share with them what you have done in my life, and then trust your Holy Spirit to take it from there. Amen
Today's devotion written by Charles Bertelsmeier, LifeWay Epping
But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
TO PONDER
In these verses, Paul is talking to the Philippian Christians about his imprisonment. Paul's response to his situations is basically "What does it matter? I may be in prison, locked up in chains but what does it matter? I'm here because I faithfully did what God asked me to do which was to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and I know that whatever happens I'm safe in the arms of God."
Now I don't know if Paul was necessarily talking about his physical safety, or whether he was referring to his assurance of eternal deliverance, but either way, this kind of faith propelled him to boldly proclaim Christ in ever circumstance.
I have to be honest, I have not always had the confidence of Paul, I often think about the possible implications of proclaiming Jesus in different situations. "What if it ruins my relationship with this person?", "What if it impacts my employment or opportunity for promotion?", "What if I don't know how to answer their question and end up looking stupid?" The list of "what if's" is almost endless. And yet, according to Paul, the answer to all those "what if's" is the same; "what does it matter?"
What does matter is that every time we do share the good news of Jesus, we have an opportunity to see God at work. Every time we share Jesus we create an opportunity for someone else to respond to the good news and become part of God's family. What matters is that Jesus has made us free so that we can live free of the burden and anxieties of the "what if's". Paul's joy and fulness of life was not attached to his political freedom, his wealth or status, or anything like that, His joy was found in seeing and hearing Christ Jesus preached and proclaimed. That's what matters!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you are all that matters. I know I often forget that and priorities other things and other concerns. Help me to be able to discern more accurately the things that really matter. Help me to trust that when I seek first your kingdom and righteousness, all the other needs and concerns of life will be taken care of. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him
TO PONDER
If you have ever doubted God's goodness, you are in good company. The Bible, particularly the Old Testament is full of people who question God's goodness. Job has a whinge, perhaps most directly in the book of Job, chapters 23 and 24. Jonah the prophet complains about God's forgiveness of the people of Nineveh, complaining that the 'just' thing to do would be to wipe them out. Many are the prayers and psalms of lament and frustration over Israel's time in exile under the Babylonians and Assyrians.
With the 20/20 vision of hindsight, we might now be able to see how God was at work through those situations, but it is another thing entirely when we are in the midst of a difficult, or unjust time of trouble.
There is a song that plays a lot on the christian radio station in Newcastle called 'Joy in the Morning', by Tauren Wells. There is a line in that song which says this...
"If it's not good, then He's done; no He's not done with it yet. There will be joy in the morning."
I wonder if this verse from Nahum was not some of the inspiration for that song. Sometimes in the midst of trouble, all we can do is remember that God is good, that he does care for those who love him and trust Him to see us through. If things do not look good, then hold onto Him because he is not done yet.
PRAYER: Lord, you are good and your mercy endures forever. When things inevitably go wrong Lord, and I feel out of control, help me to trust that nothing is ever beyond your control and that you are good and that you will see me through. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
TO PONDER
I'm keeping things short today. I think when we talk about God's calling on our lives or discovering his 'purpose' for each of us as individuals, we tend to over complicate it. God has never hidden his purpose from us. In fact, if you actually read through scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, God's purpose seems pretty clear, to restore what was lost at the fall. To restore humanity and all of creation to God's original sin free plan. To bring back into a right relationship with himself, all things.
This is why he chose Abraham and his descendants, 'to be a blessing to all nations'. He was at work through the descendants of Abraham to bring about his plan of salvation for all the World, Jesus Christ. Now Jesus has sent us, his followers and disciples to go and make more disciples. There is almost an echo of God's command to all living things in Genesis 1, "go forth, be fruitful and multiply, ... fill the earth". In the same way Jesus says, 'go forth you disciples and make more disciples in all nations of the world, go fill the earth with disciples."
That's the purpose God has for each of us, it might be carried out in different ways and through different gifts, but the purpose is the same, to reunite us with himself, and then to be at work through us, calling and uniting others to himself. That's it, God works all things towards that end. You've been called to be part of the process.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to walk each day according to your plan and your purpose.
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
TO PONDER
Our focus has been on the story of Rahab and the Israelite spies in Joshua chapter 2. But today I want to talk about the fall out of the events of that story. Many of you might already know this but Rahab is one of four women, apart from Mary, mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew's gospel. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba all get a mention, and all had lives that had been affected by scandal or tragedy in one way or another. Not the kind of thing you might expect to see in the family tree of God's promised messiah. Tamar was the widowed daughter-in-law of Judah who refused to offer her the protection she should have had under Jewish law so she had to disguise herself as a prostitute to finally seek justice for herself, Rahab was a foreigner and a harlot in a doomed city, Ruth was another outsider and widow who turned her back on her own people to care for and support her Jewish mother-in-law, and Bathsheba's husband was killed when King David decided he wanter her for himself.
And yet, despite the mess of this family tree, God was faithful to those who put their trust in Him, even these women who for the most part were from outside of the tribes of Israel. To them he showed that his love remained with them and his righteousness with their descendants because it was through their descendants, that Jesus came into the world and God's righteousness made available to all.
So, if your life, or your family, feels like a mess at the moment, just take a deep breath. Remember that God has redeemed bigger messes than the one you might be facing. Hear again the words of the Psalmist, "the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children." God loves you, he is with you, trust him.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You know better that I do, the messes that are part of my life at the moment. But you are the great redeemer of mess, and have shown time and time again how you bring good from the bad and turn everything to your purposes. I ask that you would do that again with my life, redeem the mess and grant me and my children's children your righteousness, for Jesus sake, Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.
TO PONDER
Do you have any enemies? I don't think many of us here in Australia would answer 'yes' to that these days. We are not facing any immediate military threat from neighbouring countries and those of us who try to just live as decent people living on the right side of the law, generally do not have anything to worry about from our own government or law enforcement agencies, no one is 'out to get us'.
Yet what is kind of strange is that from the time God chose Abraham and his descendants to be his specially chosen people, other nations were out to get them. They were enslaved by Egyptians, heckled, raided, and resisted by the Moabites, Amelekites, Canaanites, and all-the-other-'ites'. They were conquered and exiled by the Babylonians and Assyrians, and by the time that Jesus arrived they were rules by the Romans. These were a people beset by enemies of one kind or another in almost every generation.
And while our relatively isolated position on the globe offers us some protection, or at least distance, from international or foreign enemies, I think we are beginning to look for enemies within. The 'us' against 'them' mentality seems to be a commonly heard kind of language in the public square these days. We may be a bit light on for physical enemies, but now we are wanting to draw the battle lines over ideologies. You're either "one of us", or "one of them". It's in our media, it's throughout the culture, and sadly it's in the church.
Let's put all that aside and listen to the wisdom of this verse today. Wouldn't you rather turn your attention, your energy and devotion to the God who has already given you victory over your enemies, victory over sin, death, and the devil? Remember that in Christ there is on 'us' and 'them', we are all one in Christ Jesus who died for us. Wouldn't you rather worship the Lord your God; because it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies. Trust him to do what he sys, and give all your effort and attention to Him and let him take care of the rest.
PRAYER:Lord Jesus, you are the victor over sin, death, and the devil, the only three real enemies that I have. Help me never to see other people as the enemy, but rather as your dearly loved children, created in your image, just like I am. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
TO PONDER
The two spies in the Bible story from Joshua 2, this past Sunday had an anxious 3 day wait in the hill country outside of Jericho before it was safe for them to travel back to Joshua and the Israelite encampment. I imagine that whole time could have been spend wondering when the kings men would find them because they had been betrayed by Rahab. But of course, that never happened.
Sometimes it is our fears that rob us of the joy of living in the moment. Sometimes it is the fears of what might be, that make us unable to see what God is doing in the here and now. think of it this way. You have three days to wait, you can wait in confident trust that you are in Gods plan and that he has things covered, or you can wait for three days expecting at any moment to be found by the agents of the king of Jericho.
Either way you have to wait. In one scenario you have peace and courage, in the other you have only anxiety and fear. Waiting and trusting in the Lord is not about simply waiting around doing nothing. Waiting on the Lord is about seeking his presence even in the waiting, especially when it feels like maybe he has abandoned you. Those are the times to seek him and be reminded of his promises to never leave or forsake you.
So wait on the Lord this week. Seek him in all circumstances. May he be your strength and your shield, the rock on which you stand.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, you are my strong tower and refuge my comfort and my defender. Help me to rest in you and wait on you in all circumstances knowing that you plan will work it's way out in your perfect timing. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”
TO PONDER
This week we are looking at living courageously through the story of Rahab and the Israelite spies. You probably heard a lot about Rahab at church in the sermon today and there's good reason for that, she is really the focus of the story. However, spare a thought for the courage of the two spies as well. They also put their trust in this woman who had a 'reputation' around town. She was not an Israelite, she had no real reason or motivation to help them except the fear of their God which she had shared with them.
But a deal, or covenant, was struck between them. The spies had to trust that Rahab would not give them away or sell them out to the King of Jericho, and Rahab had to trust the Israelite spies to keep their word as the Israelites took the city a short time later.
It just reminds me that while God promises to be with us and protect us, especially while we are busy trying to do His will in the world, the help he provides may sometimes come from unexpected quarters. At those times we have to ask ourselves, is God at work here through this unexpected person to deliver me from whatever danger or trouble I might be facing?
God used incredibly unlikely people in many situations to bring about his will throughout the Bible. Don't write off the help he might be sending you just because it doesn't look like the help you had expected. Likewise, don't write yourself off as the help God might be sending to someone else, even though you may feel the most unlikely of helpers.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me to see the ways you are at work delivering me from harm and danger. May I always give you thanks and praise for the ways you sustain my life, even the unexpected ways. Amen