In the song “God’s Christmas List” which inspired this year’s Advent Devotional series, the second verse goes “As children we believed/ The grandest sight to see/ Was something lovely wrapped beneath the tree/ Well heaven surely knows/ That packages and bows/ Can never heal a hurting human soul” and then launches into what grown-ups would […]
In 2 Peter 3:9, we read that God wants everyone to come to repentance. It doesn’t matter if we’re a butcher, baker, candlestick maker, or even a priest. Since we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), there’s repentance God wants from each and every one of us…individually. And sometimes, the means […]
Perhaps since I announced this year’s theme “God’s Christmas List” you’ve been thinking it’s mighty presumptuous to imagine God’s Christmas “Wish” List, especially since He doesn’t need anything. There are plenty of Scriptures that lay out clear as a Christmas bell what God wants. From you. From me. From us. He wants willing shepherds and […]
As we conclude our look at the life of Joseph: A Life With Many Colors as well as the book of Genesis, we can see God’s story of timeless love and forgiveness. Bad stuff happens in this life. People harm us. Mistakes occur. Intentional misdeeds are uncovered. And sometimes grudges are kept. But not always. […]
Jacob’s life on earth is nearing its conclusion… in Egypt. In Egypt? Reading on in our series Joseph: A Life With Many Colors, Genesis 48:1 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son […]
As we continue our series Joseph: A Life With Many Colors, Jacob’s family is prospering even in the famine. Genesis 47:27 Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number. Genesis 47:28 Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years […]
Genesis 47:7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, 8 Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?” 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the […]
Joseph’s whole family has just descended upon Egypt and in our series Joseph: A Life With Many Colors, he’s about to share some wisdom with them, paving the way…out of the way. There’s no way Pharaoh was going to have a bunch of shepherds hanging around. Ewwww…. Genesis 46:31 Then Joseph said to his brothers […]
Joseph has made himself known to his brothers and now Pharaoh knows too. And Pharaoh gives the best of the best in honor of Joseph. As we continue our series Joseph: A Life With Many Colors, Genesis 45:17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land […]
Genesis 45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! As we continue our look at Joseph: A Life with Many Colors, his revelation and proclamation probably wouldn’t have been reassuring for the brothers to […]
