Give What you Have

On January 24, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 40: 8

“Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”

Just one more lesson from Joseph’s life. Do you remember where Pharoah found Joseph? He was in prison. Joseph was imprisoned for assaulting Potiphar’s wife. Egypt did not have a legal system like we are used to. Joseph was presumed guilty because of the words of Potiphar’s wife. Her advances to him were not new but Joseph never exposed her deeds to Potiphar, not even when she accused him of trying to rape her. So, Joseph sat in prison for something he did not do.

Joseph could have been bitter and indeed, I am sure there were days when he doubted the dreams God gave him. He persisted though, and he gave what he had to give. When the baker and the cup bearer had dreams, he interpreted them for them. Joseph told them that it is God who reveals dreams. He did not take any credit for the gift at operation within him. He did ask a favor though. The cup bearer was going to be restored to Pharoah’s service. Joseph asked the man to remember him when he was again in good graces and to help him get released. Unfortunately, the cup bearer’s gratitude did not remain, and he promptly forgot both Joseph and the grace God had shown him.

Hold on though, for the next thing that happened is that Pharoah began to have dreams. Pharoah called for all the wise men in the kingdom, but none could interpret his dreams. Then, the cup bearer remembered Joseph. So, Joseph was taken from the prison to stand before Pharoah. From there, Joseph was elevated to the second most powerful person in Egypt second only to Pharoah.

The point of the story is that Joseph always gave what he had. He knew he was wrongfully imprisoned, that his brothers had done him wrong and that he had only tried to serve Potiphar to the fullest extent of his abilities. He thought he was always doing the right thing but he suffered multiple injustices. He might have become so bitter that he no longer trusted God nor used his Godly gifts to bless others. Had he not agreed to interpret the dream of the cup bearer, there would have been no one to testify about his gift to Pharoah.

The moral is, regardless of the fairness of your circumstance, always give what God has bestowed upon you. Service should be its own reward. I know how hard that is, especially when you are not being treated fairly. Just give as if you are giving to God and do not let God’s promises escape you. Sometimes the vision does not manifest quickly but, hang on. Jacob never thought to see his son again, but he did. God isn’t through with you. Keep believing in the vision, the dream, the Word and always give what you have to give so that it may produce a crop.

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The Blessing Works

On January 20, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 39: 2 – 3

The Lord was with Joseph and blessed him greatly as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.

This passage is astounding because Potiphar not only noticed the blessing on Joseph, but he also knew to ascribe the prosperity and success to the Lord, our God. Here we have a heathen Egyptian. They didn’t worship Yahweh or even know Him and yet when Joseph came to his household, Potiphar recognized that the God of the Hebrews was blessing his household.

I have had a couple of friends over the years that I have tried to help share in the blessing. These two, in particular, would see the blessing on my life. One of them consistently called me lucky. I’m not lucky. I’m blessed. There is a big difference. The other one saw things happening for me often. At the same time, the same kind of matter would not work out for her. I, of course, gave God the glory, but there were many times I thought, “Can’t she see how this walk with Jesus is fruitful? Can’t she see how living with him is a blessing?” I thought for sure the blessings in my life were such a big testimony that she would dedicate her life to the Lord too. It never happened though. The funny thing is, she confessed herself as a Christian. The truth is, she is what I call a “cultural Christian.” That’s a person who follows the forms, but the truth of the gospel doesn’t quite reach down to the heart. She went to church regularly, even volunteered there, but the gospel never had a transformative impact on her life because she never honestly embraced the Word or the Lord. It’s sad to me.

I wish that people would see the great things God is doing in our lives and let it testify to their hearts that there is a better way. I don’t know what they fear or if people are just lazy. It is hard to be in my position and understand what prevents a person from drawing closer to God. I know we are distracted but we are also self-serving, and I expect that to motivate them.

You and I will continue to seek the face of God and live in this blessing. We will continue to give God the glory for all the great things He is doing. Sooner or later, it’s bound to sink in. Even if people don’t follow, they will not be able to legitimately deny the greatness of our God.

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Beneficiaries

On December 9, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 3: 6      NLT

And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

The third chapter of Ephesians is one of the hardest chapters in the Bible to read. Why? Because it is so rich that first, you can’t read a full sentence before you are stopped by the awe of what you just read so you keep re-reading the same sentence. Second, because there is so much to highlight or scribble notes about, you cannot read it easily from the comfort of a chair or couch. Truthfully, you need to go back and read it again in a new Bible or a different translation because your everyday Bible probably has so many notations and highlights that it is almost difficult to read it with fresh eyes. That is what I am doing. I am reading from a Bible a friend of mine loaned me and I am very much enjoying the new and fresh revelation I am receiving. Today’s verse is taken from that Bible, the New Living Translation. Reading Ephesians 3 today from a version other than my normal New American Standard jogged a few cobwebs loose. I am only going to pick up on one little idea from the passage. It is almost an afterthought rather than the main topic of the verse, but intriguing none the less.

I was taken by the words “the promise of blessings.” This passage was written by Paul who was a Jew among Jews. He had the very best rabbinical teaching available and was steeped in the law. For him to write that God revealed to him His hidden plan is not so much a surprise, but that the plan was to incorporate Gentiles into the family of God was a radical idea. So, it is funny to me that God’s secret plan was the inclusion of non-Jews and that a well-trained Jew was given this revelation. Still, that is not what grabbed my attention today. What struck me is the Jewishness with which Paul wrote this verse.

Modern Christians think of the inclusion of Gentiles in terms of salvation. Yea salvation! That’s great news. It is, however, only part of the good news and Paul knew it. If you notice, he did not write that both Jews and Gentiles enjoy salvation together. He said we all join in the blessings of the Christ. See, Paul understood Deuteronomy. Many Christians don’t even read it, but it is a GREAT book full of the promise and the blessing. That is exactly what Paul was thinking about when he wrote this passage. He didn’t think of the “Great Plan” as merely a golden ticket for the heaven train. He understood that we now stand in the same blessing as the Jews. That means day in and day out here on earth we can, and should, see the blessing of God working for our benefit. We should be living in the blessing every day and in everything we do. We are inheritors of the promise of blessings. Let that one sink in. While Christians mostly think about being the beneficiaries of salvation, Jews know that God is a here and now advocate and friend. They understand that the blessing is supposed to touch all of life.

Some people are going to wait until their physical bodies die to begin to live in the grace and blessing of God because they don’t know any better. I’ve got news, you are now Jewish, and you have inherited all of the promises of the Old Testament. You are entitled to that land flowing with milk and honey and that was not a after-life dream. The Israelites crossed the river and walked in the land and now you can too.

What do you want? Maybe you want salvation for a wayward child. Maybe you want a new goal and new mission for your life. Dig deep and ask yourself what you truly want. Maybe you want to know Jesus better and better each day so that he becomes as real to you as any living person. You can have all this and more. You have the promise of God’s blessings. Now, what will you do with that promise?

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Generous Blessing

On November 2, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Deuteronomy 15: 10        NIV

Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

Yesterday’s Word of the Day set me thinking, so I ran a search on the word “generous.” This verse from Deuteronomy stood out to me in particular because I know that in a few chapters we will learn explicitly about The Blessing! Clearly, Moses had the blessing in mind when he wrote this because we see its operation.

I will be very honest with you. I want to be under the blessing. I want it chasing me down in the street. My life is much easier with the blessing working in it than without. Actually, something didn’t go exactly my way the other day and I was surprised. It wasn’t a big thing but it was noticeable because it frustrated my purposes slightly. On the other hand, a different matter worked out better than I could have orchestrated. The point is, I have become accustomed to the way life works with the blessing.

Now, do I give just so the blessing will work in my life? Not really, but I will say that God’s thoughts on giving do influence me. The blessing only works when you give freely, not begrudgingly. If you cannot give cheerfully, it is best to take the whole issue to God in prayer or even journal it.

Our challenges with giving sometimes have to do with brokenness in our spirits. So, if I don’t want to give, then I immediately begin to question it. What is wrong with me that I need to hold on to this? I think about people I know who are so generous and people like Sister Teresa and it reframes things in my mind. I see myself positioned differently. Then I imagine how I want to think and feel and I see myself in that posture. I see myself confident in my giving and generous. That helps me. If I am having a hard time letting go, it is a good sign something is wrong with me because that certainly is not God’s Spirit speaking within me. When we are in our right place with God, we are always generous. If we find ourselves hesitant to give, then something has gone wrong in our hearts. The most important thing to do is to ask the Father about it so that he can heal us or mend that which broke.

God wants to bless everything you touch. That is The Blessing that Moses wrote about in Chapter 28 of Deuteronomy. The blessing works through our divine connection with God the Father. You cannot be divinely connected to God and also be stingy. It just doesn’t ever happen that way. He is the supreme giver. This verse attests to that. Jesus’ life attests to that but God’s blessing flows according to the streams of life and one of the most significant of those is generosity. When we get in the flow with the Father, life bubbles along smoothly.

Be a generous giver. Not because I say so, but because it is God’s way. Speak with Him and ask Him to help you be generous in your giving and let the blessing flow in your life.

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Blessing or Labor

On October 5, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 10: 4

Poor is one who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

What about this? I wrote you recently that it was the blessing of the Lord which makes rich (Proverb 10: 22). So, which is it, the blessing or the work of your hand which makes rich?

I heard an expression years ago that stuck with me, “God can’t steer a parked car.” The message was that we are to begin moving and then He will direct us. In recent years you have actually heard me teach this under the moniker, “Partnership.” Therein lies your answer.

Deuteronomy 28: 12 reads, “The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless every work of your hand; and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.” This chapter is about the blessing and you can surely see it in this passage. If you look closely, though, you will also see our part in the partnership. Let me rephrase this combining the verses from Proverbs and Deuteronomy. It is the blessing of the Lord which makes rich as God blesses the work of our hands. We must set our hands to something. Second, we must do so in the name of the Lord, committing our work to Him.  Third, we must allow Him to steer us. The outcome is blessing. If we will allow the Father to be our partner in everything we do, He will anoint and bless the work of our hands. He will show us the way to go.

Neither looking to the might of our hand nor sitting around waiting for God to do something will result in the success we desire. It is the combination of allowing God to direct us and then putting our hand to the plow which yields results. God is waiting to bless you, but you must pull away from the curb and then let Him navigate. It is the combination of our joint labors that wins the day.

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Going Viral?

On March 2, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 91: 3

For it is He who delivers you from the . . . deadly pestilence.

Here is what I have to say about and to the coronavirus, “For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you,’” (Isaiah 41: 13). God has faced this problem before, and He has already spoken to the problem. He tells us to put our trust in Him because He is our shield and refuge. He delivers us from the pestilence. He guards our homes and health. When the plagues tormented the Egyptians, our Father held His people within the shelter of His wing.

Now, if you believe this, if you are with me here, then it is time to pull out what we learned last week from Romans 4: 17 (See the Word of the Day for Tuesday, February 25, 2020). It’s time to speak what you believe. The blessings of God do not rain on you from the sky. They are already yours, yes, but you have to move them from the spiritual realm to your life by the exercise of your faith and your words. This is the critical bit. Of course, you must believe that what God has said is true and that He is well able and willing to back up His Word with His faith and with action, but you must remember that we are in a partnership with God AND that He will not violate your freewill. You can be sick if you choose. You can go to hell if you want. It isn’t God’s will. It isn’t what He wants, but He will respect your choices. So, that means that you must be an active member of the partnership. The blessings are yours, but you must accept them. You must requisition them from the provision warehouse that Yahweh has already stocked for you. How do you know what the inventory is within that warehouse? There is an inventory list. It’s called the Bible and the way you get your order filled is by speaking words which are in accordance with the inventory.  If your words match the inventory list then the order is filled and shipped to your house.

If you fear the coronavirus guess what – you will attract it to you. I am not saying that you will contract the disease, but you certainly will not repel it. Do you remember what poor old Job said, “For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me,” (Job 3: 25). That which you focus upon is attracted to you. Then, God forbid that you say something like, “I catch everything that comes around so I will probably get the flu.” Dear One, please don’t confess anything remotely similar to that! Say, “By his stripes I am healed!” Say, “My Father delivers me from every deadly pestilence including coronavirus.” Get a stiff backbone and refuse to receive the curse. Stand in the blessing. Go read the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy and claim the blessing for you and your household.

Be healed, be whole. Reject the pestilence and remember the Word!

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