Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Today's Passage : Today's Passage: Subject:Joseph Forgives His Brothers
Bible Verse:Genesis 50:15-21 (ESV)
"When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.”
Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people [a numerous people] should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them."
Message:
The message of repentance and forgiveness in the last chapter of Genesis is inspiring. In itself the story is straightforward. Notice, though, that there has been no commandment from God concerning forgiveness, either generally to mankind or specifically to Joseph. Even centuries later, when the Hebrews finally receive the law, the idea of forgiveness is not the powerful concept that characterized Christ’s teachings and, in fact, His very existence.
Joseph’s treatment of his brothers is as much about acceptance as forgiveness. The doctrine of acceptance teaches us not only that we are often not in charge, but also that we should not be in charge. If we are actors on a stage, it sometimes seems as if every cast member wants to direct the play.
But Joseph can see that if his brothers had not sold him into slavery as they did, he would not have gone to Egypt and would not have encouraged Pharaoh to store up grain against the coming famine. Egypt would have starved; more important, the Hebrews might have starved and they surely would not have come to dwell in Egypt. Joseph sees this clearly and realizes that God is in charge of the tribe of Israel; He had a purpose that no human knew, or could possibly know; what seemed to be an evil to the human viewpoint was part of God’s plan to save the Hebrews.
Marie Antoinette, the essence of pride
The triumph of pride over
acceptance: Marie Antoinette
Acceptance is a primary Christian virtue; it is the opponent of the great sin, Pride. The first line of the famous Serenity Prayer — “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change” — could use an addendum: “and grant me the humility to realize that, even if I could change anything I wanted, I might only make things worse.”
God is in charge; we are not. He has a plan that we do not and cannot know or understand. Our foremost duty is to tend to our own garden. There is nothing in the Gospels that requires us or even authorizes us to try to reshape the world, except one: The duty to spread the Good News of Christ.
Meditation
:
Prayer :
h God who has made me, oh God who keeps me, oh God who will be my Lord through all eternity, shine down Your blessings and wisdom upon me like the sun upon a field; and may I keep You in the forefront of my every thought and deed, throughout this day, and evermore..Amen
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