BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY….  “Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.”  Acts 12:24 NLT

This verse and ones like it are the key verses in the Book of Acts. In Acts 6, 12 and 19 you will read similar declarations. They all take place after some event that would seem to bring discouragement and a “step backward” for the work of the gospel.

Jesus’ great declaration to Peter was, “I will build My Church.” (Matthew 16:18) From the first century to the 21st century, the gospel of Jesus Christ has continued to spread and to be declared to the ends of the earth. In our human thinking, we focus on those that the Lord is using a point in time. The natural question is, “what will happen if…or when?” What will happen when the disciples are all gone? What will happen if something tragic happens to this person or church or movement that the Lord is using?

I know I have pondered those kinds of questions. But we are constantly reminded that the work of the gospel is not dependent upon those whom God uses at a certain point in time or in a certain way, but it is dependent upon the true “Head” of the church, Jesus Christ.

In Acts 12, we find three key events that lead up to the statement, “…the word of God continued to spread….” James the brother of John one of the “sons of thunder” is beheaded by King Herod. Peter is then put in prison facing a death sentence. The Lord miraculously rescues Peter and then Herod, receiving the worship of a god, is killed by the Lord.

So, in three brief events, a martyr, a disciple miraculously delivered from prison, God’s judgment on an evil ruler, in all that happens, in the trials and triumphs of life, God’s Word continues to spread.

We see in our day the persecution of Christians in China, drove the church “underground” – but the Word of God continued to spread. We have seen great men of God come and go, but the Word of God continues to spread. We see the assault on Christianity by Islam, but Muslims are having dreams and revelations of Christ and the Word of God continues to spread.

Paul understood that while he was being used by the Lord in preaching the gospel and establishing churches that the gospel was bigger than he was. Paul was in prison and he wrote to Timothy, “I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” (2 Timothy 2:9 NIV)

We have the opportunity as followers of Christ to take a stand for the gospel, to share the good news of life in Christ. The Lord uses those who are willing, available and faithful. What a privilege that is. The Word of God is going to continue to spread, so let’s do our part, and fulfill our call in our generation and in our time in history as the Word of God continues to spread.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “Men and women, don’t prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!” So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project.” (Exodus 36:6,7 NLT)

I recall a comment by a preacher about giving that wasn’t necessarily motivating but carried a degree of truth. He announced, “The Lord has already provided for our need, the problem is the money is still in your pocket!

The Lord gave the Children of Israel the instructions about building the tabernacle and all the furnishings required to complete their sacrifices and worship. But it was the people who provided all the items that were necessary for the project to be completed.

This was not accomplished through a “tax” or an obligation from each of the individuals or families, but rather it was dependent upon those “whose hearts moved them.” We read, So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the Lord had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the Lord. (Exodus 35:29 NLT)

A compelling vision or cause motivates the willingness of people to give and even sacrifice for a project that is bigger than themselves. That is the challenge for every pastor and organizational leader who is “raising funds” for a major project.

I recall a pastor friend who was embarking on a building project for a new church building. He told me that they had several “goals” in mind. They knew what they absolutely needed to at least launch the project. Then they had what they believed as a realistic goal. And then they had a goal in mind that was their “over and beyond” goal – a “miracle” response. When the commitments were calculated they had received a million dollars above the “miracle” goal!

This type of response reminds me of how God’s people responded by giving the articles needed for the original Tabernacle in the wilderness.

Finally the craftsmen who were working on the sanctuary left their work. They went to Moses and reported, “The people have given more than enough materials to complete the job the Lord has commanded us to do!” So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp: “Men and women, don’t prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!” So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project. (Exodus 36:5-7 NLT)

Most translations say, “the people were restrained from giving.” I don’t know of anyone who told someone, “no!” you can’t give any more! But this shows how God is able to work through people as they respond to God’s work.

Years later when the first Temple was being prepared to be built we see a similar response,  ^“The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy.” (1 Chronicles 29:9 NLT)

What we see in the Old Testament is reflected in the words of Paul in the New Testament, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV)

It is interesting that the one response we see in generous giving is “joy” not relief that the need is met. Joy for the giver, joy for the leader. I am grateful that Debbie and I have been blessed over the years with the generosity of others and have been able to give generously as well. I am sure that many others have experienced the joy of generous giving.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” Exodus 32:6 NLT

As I once again was reading this account, the stark contrast in this verse that is easy to gloss over caught my attention. You have sacrifice and worship followed by “feasting, drinking and pagan revelry.”  Those activities should not be found in the same context.

This is the first record of the Children of Israel committing idolatry. The irony is that as Moses is on the mountain receiving the 10 commandments, commandment #1 “Thou shalt not commit idolatry” is being shattered to pieces in grand fashion. It seems that worshipping false gods leads to corrupt behavior.

Idolatry would be the Achilles heel that would trap God’s people throughout time. The God who cared for them, established commandments that were for their good, who won their battles and provided all that they needed was easily traded for gods of their own making.

When you have your own god, you can live by your own rules. That basically makes you a god. This becomes self-deception to the extreme and allows for what we read in Judges when it says, “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” (Judges 2:10)

As Paul writes to the Corinthian church, he draws from this point of time in Israel’s history. To those who needed a moral compass in this church in a pagan culture Paul writes, “These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did.” (1 Corinthians 10:6,7 NLT)

It is just a few verses later that Paul writes,  ^“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)

Perhaps we can understand that the temptation to make our own gods, to live by our own rules, is as great as any other temptation that is faced. It doesn’t seem to be an enticing offer, but the call to follow Christ is just that. It is a call to surrender to His leadership. We commit to His ways. We say “no” to ourselves and “yes” to Christ. As a result, we live in His presence and blessing and provision.

The good news is that Jesus saves us….from ourselves.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY….  (Now the Lord had caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the people of Israel. And Moses was considered a very great man in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s officials and the Egyptian people alike.)  Exodus 11:3 NLT

This parenthetical sentence in the Exodus story would be easy to overlook. But this one sentence gives some good insight into what was taking place among the people of the land. Not just the Children of Israel, but the Egyptians as well.

The Pharoah was regarded as a god. He was “the” supreme ruler. Moses enters that scene as an advocate for a group of Hebrew slaves. This would not be viewed as a position that you would fight to have. This would not be viewed as a “plum” of political power.

As the plagues took place would think that Moses would have been the “most wanted man” in Eypgt. That he would have been blamed, shamed and despised. Yet this one sentence sends an unexpected message. The Egyptians saw the power of the true God, demonstrated through Moses and this elevated his status in the eyes of the people. We read that he was considered a “very great man” in the land. This status was not just among the common people, but Pharaoh’s officials as well.

We can all think of organizations and situations where the person in the “position of power or authority” was not the one who was viewed as having the greatest respect or influence over people. We often use the term, “the power behind the throne” to describe this dynamic. The irony of this situation is magnified since Moses was raised in the palace as a prince.

As the Children of Israel left Egypt, some of the Egyptians followed them. In time it seemed that they wanted the blessings of the Lord without the commitment to the Lord. Scripture refers to this group as “the rabble.” They were often those who complained the most and the loudest when the going got tough.

However, the bottom line observation is we don’t need to count on “positional recognition” to make a difference and to have an impact. When we obey the Lord, trust the Lord, He can give the favor and the influence that we need to accomplish the task that He has for us.

If the Lord opens up a position of power, like Joseph that is certainly a high calling and grand opportunity. But we don’t need to believe that is required to be a person of influence.

Scripture says of Jesus that He, “grew….in favor with God and man.” He didn’t have a title or a position that was awarded to him by virtue of the politics or culture of the day.

As Peter would say of Jesus in the Book of Acts, “And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38 NLT)

We can have respect in a position we hold, but we can also have influence through the respect that is afforded to us when we follow the Lord’s will for our lives.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been involved in some outpatient therapy back at Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital. Randy, the PT, I am working with is very knowledgeable and helpful to let me know that needs to take place for me to see progress with my walking. My challenge is remembering what to do and doing it properly.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you. Exodus 3:11,12 NLT

I have recently read the Gospel of Mark and am now back to Exodus. In Mark when Jesus calls His disciples we read, “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.” (Mark 3:14 NIV)

The assurance of any mission was tied to a relationship with the Lord. When the Lord is on our side we can have the confidence that He will provide the direction and the protection and the power that is needed as we stay connected with Him.

The success of the Apostles ministry was going to be tied directly to having spent time with Jesus and knowing that He was with them through the power of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven, the Apostles began their ministry. We read this account, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13 NIV)

As the Lord called Moses to be the deliverer of His people, the confidence of Moses was not to rest on his leadership ability, his charisma or any virtue he possessed. His confidence as to be in the fact that God was with Him.

I recently heard on the radio a comment related to prayer. It was something like “the power of prayer is not in the person praying, but who the person is praying to.” There is a cliche from years past that does have some truth attached to it. It goes something like this, “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”

When we look at the life of Joseph the repeated observation was that the “Lord was with Joseph.” The Lord’s presence, His favor, His power makes the difference. The Proverb that admonishes us to, “lean not on your own understanding…”  could also include the admonition, “…don’t trust in your own strength and ability.”

It is interesting to see how this basic concept was something that the Lord continually reminded and reassured Moses about. After the exodus as the people prepared to leave Mount Sinai, Moses was praying to the Lord about the ominous task before him, “…if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” (Exodus 33:13 NKJV)

The Lord’s response was this, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14 NKJV)

At times the only assurance, the only certainty is the Lord’s presence. But when we have that, we have all that we need.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY….  “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Genesis 50:20 NLT

Perspective. It is what helps us to understand the events of life when all the “dust” settles. Thirteen of the 50 chapters of Genesis focuses on the story of Joesph. That is almost twenty percent of the book.

We begin the story when Joesph is 17 and end with the record of his death at 120. Joesph is the favored son of his father. His dreams and his bad reports of his brothers don’t help his family relationships. He goes from pit to prison to palace.

Joesph’s life and attitude were tested and refined as a servant and prisoner. We read of Joesph’s attitude and diligence that won him favor regardless of his challenging circumstances. We also see the reference to the fact that “God was with him.”

That in itself challenges us in the difficulties of life. When we have the confidence that God is with us and we possess the right attitude and response to what happens, we can “come out on top.” 

Proverbs 10:25 NLT reminds us, “When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.”

Joesph was able to forgive his brothers before they asked. He as able to put the past behind and to live in the provisions of the Lord’s blessing on his life. As a result, his perspective was radically different than his brothers.

After Jacob died, his brothers were still anticipating revenge and retribution. They lived in the past, not seeing the significance of what transpired over the years. Joesph was able to see the bigger picture and to tell his brothers, “what you intended for evil, God intended for good.”

As the Lord was preparing to punish His disobedient and idolatrous people by sending them captive to Babylon, He sent Jeremiah with this message, “The anger of the LORD will not diminish until it has finished all he has planned. In the days to come, you will understand all this very clearly.” (Jeremiah 23:20 NLT)

We don’t understand the lessons and the outcome of what the Lord allows to come to our life. But we can be confident of the Lord’s presence and work in our life. That is why we call our spiritual life a “journey of faith.” The road may be challenging and difficult and filled with suffering or pain, but we can be confident that the Lord is helping us and working on our behalf as we keep our eyes on Him and trust in Him.

I remember the words of a friend of mine, “God doesn’t give us what we can handle, He helps us handle what we are given.” When it’s over regardless of how long it takes, we will see God working out His purpose in our lives.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…  “Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime. Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed.” Genesis 37:26,27 NLT

When Reuben slept with his father’s concubine, he forfeited his leadership as firstborn among his brothers. The leadership of the 12 brothers was given to Judah. We see this reflected in Judah listed first among the tribes of Israel in the Book of Revelation. We see it as events unfold in the story of Joesph.

There are three specific situations in which Judah is mentioned as exerting his leadership among the brothers. The first was when the brothers plotted to kill Joseph and instead threw him into a pit. Judah was the one who suggested selling Joesph into slavery and avoiding the guilt of him being killed.

Later when Jacob told his sons to return to Egypt to get food, it was Judah who told him that they were instructed not to return without their youngest son. It was at that time that Judah offered to be responsible for the safety of Benjamin.

Judah said to his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will be on our way. Otherwise we will all die of starvation—and not only we, but you and our little ones.” (Genesis 43:8 NLT)

This was a similar offer that Reuben had made when they returned from their first trip to Egypt, but Jacob refused to accept. Now Jacob felt the desperation of their situation and Judah offered to take full responsibility personally. He told his father, “You may hold me responsible if I don’t bring him back to you. Then let me bear the blame forever.” (Genesis 43:9 NLT)

When they returned to Egypt we see the fulfillment of Joesph’s dream. “When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought him, then bowed low to the ground before him.” (Genesis 43:26 NLT)

We don’t see Joesph ever reminding his brothers about his dreams, but when Joesph sets them up to further test them, and attempts to keep Benjamin as his “prisoner” we see Judah stepping up and speaking up,

“Then Judah stepped forward and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant say just one word to you…My lord, I guaranteed to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever. “So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.” (Genesis 44:18,32-33 NLT)

It was after this self-sacrificial offer that Joesph could not keep his identity hidden from his brothers. He reveals himself to his brothers and tells them to go and bring his father and their families to Egypt to live for the remainder of the famine.

If leadership is influence we see that reflected in Judah. He was willing to “step up and speak up” before his brothers, his father, and Joesph at a critical time. We see leadership recognized by others as they followed his advice and listened to his words.

Leadership is also sacrifice and humility. That is what Joesph recognized in Judah during a pivotal moment in their interactions. Over the years, Joesph had changed and he was able to recognize that his brothers had changed as well. Although he did call out to them as they returned home to get their father and told them, “don’t argue on your way!”

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!” Genesis 37:19,20 NLT

Family dynamics are more complicated than those found in politics, business or other relationships. It is interesting that Jacob knew what it was to be the “favorite” son of his mother and to be hated by his older brother. So it is not without some irony that we find him showing favor to Joseph the oldest son of Rachel, his beloved wife who died in childbirth when Benjamin was born.

When you have a favored and protected son and that son shares his dreams that indicate his future superiority over his family, it is not a good combination. Then we see that Joseph was noted as giving a “bad” report to Jacob about his brothers which did not help.

Joseph’s brothers “hated” him for all of this, but they also harbored resentment against their father for how he treated Joseph. When they were out in the fields alone with Joesph they were presented with a prime opportunity to execute some revenge.

We don’t know which brother instigated the plot to kill Joseph, but we know that Ruben and Judah were instrumental in keeping him alive. Ruben suggested throwing Joseph into the pit (planning to rescue him later) and then Judah suggested selling him into slavery to keep from killing him.

Ruben is an interesting study in contrast to his uncle Esau. Esau lost his firstborn position and reacted by creating pain for his parents. Ruben lost his firstborn position by sleeping with his father’s concubine and spent his years trying to regain his father’s favor.

We see this in his plan to rescue Joseph from the pit and return him to his father. I’m not sure how that was going to play out, but we see his desire to take advantage of Joseph’s favored status to regain some favor in his father’s eyes.

Then 13 years later when Joesph is Prime Minister in Egypt and accuses his brothers of being spies and keeps Simeon in prison until they return with Benjamin, Ruben steps up and asked his father to entrust the boy to his care. I believe it is noteworthy to see Ruben act like a leader and to seek to win back his father’s favor opposed to becoming filled with resentment and bitterness over his own failure.

We then see how the actions of Joseph’s brothers haunted them the rest of their lives. Instead of “settling a score” they found themselves carrying a burden instead of a grudge. When they encountered Joseph and were accused of being spies we read Ruben’s response,  “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?” Reuben asked. “But you wouldn’t listen. And now we have to answer for his blood!” (Genesis 42:22 NLT)

Even though Joesph eventually revealed himself to his brothers and provided for their care, we see their lingering fear and guilt revealed years later when their father died.  “…now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him….” (Genesis 50:15 NLT)

Through all of this, we can see that forgiveness, not revenge brings true freedom. We see a proper response to failure is better than resentment. In Revelation, we find the Tribe of Ruben listed second among the tribes of Israel.