A Time For Rain, A Time For Sunshine
I heard a soft hum outside my front door this morning. A light rain had started falling.
I looked at my watch. It was 6:06am on the 6th. (Sometimes we're given signs, sometimes it's insignificant).
The rainstorm — predicted for the 6am hour — was right on time.
I opened the front door to listen to the rain falling (Californians do that because it's so rare).
By 6:13 am, I had to shut the door because of how heavy the rain had started coming down.
This isn't a grumble. It's simply an observation that the noise might be a distraction to transcribing today's Holy Spirit-whispered Bible instruction.
I often liken rainfall to blessings falling from heaven.
Like Elijah praying for rain in 1 Kings 18:41-45 , we pray and pray for this or that in our lives — an unemployed father praying for a job to provide for his family, for instance.
The father gets a job, but spends most of his time at work, climbing that corporate ladder.
Eventually, what started as a blessing becomes a distraction that takes him away from his family (even though he is still providing for them).
We sometimes allow God's biggest blessings in our lives to distract us from Him.
How do we balance blessings with worship of the Provider (Jehovah Jireh, in Hebrew)?
Psalms 103:2 NKJV
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits..."
This is the key scripture in balancing recognition of blessings with acknowledgement of the Giver.
Through intentional prayer and worship, let your thanks shine through in praise and worship.
Build this habit so that eventually, every blessing — large or small - gets acknowldged as a good gift of God.
Staying tethered to God during the bountiful times creates an unbreakable bond in the lean times.
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Exercise your thankfulness muscle so that it remains strong, regardless of the nature of the blessing or challenge.
Colossians 3:17 NKJV
"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
I had a discussion the other day about saying grace before a meal. Many of us grew up saying a blessing before eating, but somehow we outgrew it.
We have taken for granted a daily gift of God as an ordinary occurrence. Let's bring back saying grace before meals. In private AND in public.
Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Are you starting to notice a repetition of Scripture within different subject matter?
I am. I have typed (or cut-and-pasted) the above two verses so often that it came up in my predictive text.
God's commands aren't many and overwhelming; they are few but repeated often in different ways. When you read these verses repeatedly, they get into your soul. The next thing you know, you are living God's Word out loud.
Ephesians 5:20 NKJV
"...giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..."
Giving thanks to God for all things — big or small, important or seemingly insignificant — creates a pattern of thankfulness in our lives.
All of these verses collectively teach that recognizing God’s blessings and offering thanksgiving are inseparable acts of worship that align a believer's heart with God's will.
Teaching our kids thankfulness early in life is the key to future grateful and compassionate generations IMHO.
Mush
TRUSTING GOD'S PLAN IN THE WAITING: LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF JOSEPH
A 22-Day Devotional
GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES
The last time we saw Joseph, he was reassuring his brothers he would take care of them. He kept his promise and the Israelites flourished in Goshen. Joseph lived to be 110 years old, even seeing the third generation of his son Ephraim’s children.
Joseph understood God’s promises and they arrive on God’s timetable and not our own. He saw them fulfilled in his lifetime, but one big promise made to his grandfather, Abraham was yet to be fulfilled – the promise of the Israelites living in their promised land. Lest we forget, the Israelites were happily living in Egypt at this point in history, but God had made a promise and it would come to be. So believing the Israelites would be living in their promised land one day, Joseph made his brothers swear they would carry his bones up from Egypt when the time came.
That promise would be fulfilled by another great biblical hero more than 400 years later.
“Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.” Exodus 13:19
Friend, as we finish up our study of the life of Joseph, I hope you’ve been encouraged as you wait on God. Remember this:
God is never late
God keeps his promises
God’s timing is perfect
God is with you and will never leave you
God is preparing you for His great purpose
God will work all things for your good if you are his child and called to his purpose
(NOTE FROM THE CREATORS OF THIS DEVOTIONAL: "We don’t want to ever end a HealingStrong study without giving you the chance to repent and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to help you forgive others. You see, each of us is a sinner and there’s nothing we can do to earn salvation on our own. But Jesus Christ, God’s perfect Son, took your sin and mine and He died on the cross for us so we can have eternal life. If you haven’t asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life and to forgive your sins, we want to invite you to ask now. Pray this prayer out loud:
“Dear Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust you as my Lord and Savior. Please help me to daily surrender to your will. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Thank you so much for joining us in this study. We hope you were encouraged!
This Bible plan was written by Cheryl Collins, a volunteer with HealingStrong, a non-profit organization of community groups designed to help those battling cancer and other diseases to rebuild the body, restore the soul, and refresh the spirit. We’re here to walk with you on any healing journey! Find us online at Healingstrong.org)
TODAY'S ASSIGNED SCRIPTURE:
Genesis 50:22-26 NKJV
[22] So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. [23] Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph’s knees. [24] And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” [25] Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” [26] So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt."
Exodus 13:19 NKJV
"[19] And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”
John 3:16 NKJV
"[16] For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Romans 6:23 NKJV
"[23] For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father,
Let us learn to praise and thank You in the large and small things of life starting today. Rain blessings on those who earnestly seek You. Shower healing on those who desperately cling to You. In all things, we ask forgiveness first, blessings second. In Jesus' holy name, AMEN.