Reaching Forward~

April 20, 2020 - Debbie Graham
Reaching Forward
Focus Verse
Genesis 41: 51 “Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: ‘For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.’ And the name of the second he called Ephraim: ‘For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.’”

As we have read in Genesis 37 – 40, we see that Joseph was sold into slavery, bought by an officer of Pharaoh, unjustly thrown into prison, interpreted dreams of a couple of prisoners, had asked the chief butler to remember him, and forgotten about for two full years.  In Genesis 41, Pharaoh had dreams and called for all the magicians and wise men to come and interpret them.  None were successful.  It was at this time that the chief butler remembered Joseph.  He told Pharaoh that while in prison, Joseph who was also in prison, had interpreted his, and the chief baker’ dreams. Things happened just as Joseph had interpreted.  Pharaoh sent for Joseph.

I don’t know about you, but if my life looked like that, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have handled it as well as Joseph did.  After 13 years of being a slave and prisoner, he was going to be free.  13 years of remembering what his brothers did to him. 13 years of missing his father.  13 years of living with unjust treatment and punishment… and he’s about to forget it all.
Joseph had two sons.  The first born he named him Manasseh, “for God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house”.  He forgot all his toil and his father’s house.  It is not an easy thing to do, but it is good for us to forget our toil and the past that has hurt us.  It can weigh us down and prevent us from being successful.  It is important to note that God made him to forget.  Paul tells us in Philippians 3:13 to “forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead”.  It is in the reaching forward, that we are able to forget what was.

Joseph’s second son was named Ephraim “for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction”.  He credits God for the successes he had during his affliction.  We see throughout the passages in Genesis that Joseph was favored.  He was his father’s favorite, Potiphar made him overseer of his house, the keeper of the prison put him in charge of all the prisoners, and Pharaoh put him over all of his house, and all of the land of Egypt.  Matthew 5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”.  Joseph lived his life in a way that others saw that the Lord was with him.

Joseph’s life is inspiring… not that I want to experience all that he did, but in how he handled everything.  May we live life reaching forward to the things ahead, and always giving credit to God for what He does through us.  The people Joseph encountered saw that the Lord was with him.  May we live in such a way that when we are around people, they see that the Spirit of God is in us. As we go through times of uncertainty, unfair treatment, and suffer at the hands of others, may we remember all He has done, wait patiently on Him, and trust that He has great purpose for our lives!

Prayer
Father God, help me to be patient and trust that You have great purpose and plans.  Help me to remember that ALL things work together for good, and that the trials in my life are shaping me for Your glory.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Seen and Loved~

April 11, 2020 - Debbie Graham
Seen and Loved 

Focus Verse
“So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me” (Gen: 16:13).

Hagar was the maid servant of Abram’s wife Sarai.  Sarai had not given Abram offspring that the Lord told him He would (Genesis 15:4), and so Sarai gave her maid servant to her husband in marriage so that through her, Sarai and Abram would have a child heir.
Sarai decided to “help” God, and in doing so, ended up hurting herself and others.  If she had simply waited on God and not tried to “help” Him, she would have avoided the hurt and the pain she inflicted on herself and others.  The consequences of her actions affected many, including an unborn child and the descendants for generations.

Like Hagar, if you have ever had to pay the consequences for the actions of someone else, then you know it is not a place that you want to be.  That is what happened to Hagar when she did what she was told.  She fled… ran away from what was troubling her.  While she was fleeing, she was visited by an angel of the Lord who comforted her.  She felt lost and unseen, but God saw her.  He saw her, and He loved her where she was (Genesis 16:13).  I have been on the end of the consequences of someone else’s bad decisions.

I didn’t physically run away, but in my darkest times when I felt unseen and alone, I was comforted by God letting me know that He saw, He was with me, and I was not alone.  God meets us where we are.  In the times of uncertainty we are currently facing, we can trust that God sees.

While Sarai took matters into her own hands and harmed others, I find it encouraging that we go on to read in chapter 17 that God changed her name to Sarah and blessed her.  We often make some of the same choices that Sarai did, and God can, and will still bless us.

God doesn’t need our help.  If He speaks and says He will do something, He will!  He has been doing it, well, forever!  If He tells us to go and do, then we must submit to Him and be obedient.  We need to believe, have faith, and wait on Him.

Prayer
Father God, please help me to wait on You.  Help me to be still and listen, and trust that You will do what You say.  Allow my past to remind me to trust You more.  Thank you for loving me and being the God who sees me.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Check On Them~

Check on them~

Do you have single friends who are not working or are working from home?  Check on them.

Do you have single parent friends who are not working or are working from home?  Check on them.

Do you have widowed friends who are not working or are working from home?  Check on them. 

Do you have single parent friends with adult children living at home who are not working or are working from home?  Check on them.  Maybe any of the prior mentioned are still working in an office.  Check on them.

You may look at their Facebook pages, read emails, or see them in a Zoom meeting and think they are just fine because they laugh, smile, and are cheerful.  Some are, but there is still deep pain and concern inside that they don’t want you to see.

 

People who seem to be fine can be battling a whole slew of things.  They don’t have anyone to help them make the critical decisions that need to be made.  They don’t have anyone to help with groceries.  They don’t have a 2^nd income to pay the bills.  They don’t have anyone to co-teach the kids who are doing virtual schooling.  They may have lost their jobs or have taken significant pay cuts.  Some don’t have any way of getting groceries.  Some can’t afford groceries.  Some can’t risk going out in public because of a compromised immune system. 

All of them go to bed alone at night.  No one to comfort them and reassure them.  No one to talk to.  Of course God is always with us, but the tangible being. 

We will say we are fine, we will smile, we will joke, but we still need to be checked on.  The suicide rate has increased significantly since this crisis began (this is not a cry for help, though I cannot lie and say that my Covid mind has not wandered).  We are on an emotional roller coaster and want it to stop.  I fit into several of the categories above and can tell you without a doubt… we need you.  Please do not read this and think that I am only concerned with singles, single parents, and widows.  I know that we are all on the same emotional roller coaster, and all need the comfort, reassurance, support, etc. etc. etc. during this crisis.  I am just sharing from my heart where I am, and know others like me, are with no other adult in the house to share this burden with.  I am sharing so that someone might reach out to someone who is contemplating something none of us want to hear about.

Context~

March 23, 2020

During this time of crisis in our world I hear many people saying, while joined on the internet or social media, “wherever two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).  As all scripture, we must look at context.  This scripture is preceded by going to your brother when he sins against you. I see verse 20 as a result of following what is instructed in going to your brother for reconciliation.  While I don’t disagree that God is in the midst of two or three, the idea that He is only there when there are two or three is not sound.  The Bible tells us “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6).  Go into your closet… alone.  God is with us, and God hears us if we are alone talking to Him, and when we are gathered talking to Him.  Jesus Himself went off by Himself to pray (Matthew 14:23). 

Hebrews 13: 5 says God will never leave you nor forsake you.  I think it is important for everyone to know during this time that what Jesus did on the cross gives us access to the Father, and that He wants to hear from us whether we are alone or gathered in a group.  Let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)!  Let us cling to the hope we have in Him during this time and share with others so that they can be freed and have access to the Father!  

Our daily time with the Lord is just for Him and us.  Let us share the hope we have and the encouragement that it is found in the awesome privilege it is to be able to go to our Lord in prayer.  Always… but especially in the days like we are currently experiencing.  

Father God, I ask You to continue to reveal Yourself to each of us, and to fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we may know you more.  Teach us to pray, and to share our hope with those around us.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Let Go~

Branches with the little leaves hanging on, just let go.  Don’t hold on to what needs to drop.  Release that which has sustained damage done by insects and weather.  What awaits you in just a few short months is so much better than allowing the damaged leaves to stay longer than necessary. Release them and feed on to the nourishment that is within you that will sustain you until new life comes forth.  Just let go.  Allow the decay to fall away so that you are prepared for the fresh new life to come.

Outlook~

February 24, 2020

I drove 885 miles to Florida last week.  When I got out of the car in the driveway of the home I was staying at, I saw 3 areas of concern on my front driver side tire.  I called a friend and asked if he would look at it.  He thought upon looking at it that I needed a new tire.  I was headed to visit family and plans fell through.  On my way back, I saw a Tire Kingdom and a few guys in the shop.  I drove in to ask them their opinion about the tire.  They all said that the tire needed to be replaced.  That tire is much newer than the other three and I was mad.  I thought to myself that I shouldn’t have gone to Florida at all and should have stayed home.  I asked the guys if I was ok to drive on it and they said yes that it would only lose air, but I should be ok.  I went to church on Sunday morning and to visit some friends right after.  I had plans to visit my brother and drove to his house in the late afternoon.  He looked at my tire and asked me if I wanted him to plug it.  I said no, and that I would take it to a garage.  After only a little encouraging, I let him do it.  To both of our surprises, the “nails” that were in my tire were actually only one that had gone in one part and out another.  When he used his pliers to pull them out, they hadn’t gone deep enough to puncture the tire.  We both said it was a good thing that they were in that tire and not one of the others.  I drove for a week in Florida, and another 885 miles back home with absolutely no issues.

I love how God uses things like this to help me see how He sometimes works.   Things happen that I think “That is my best tire, why did it have to be that one?!” but God knows that is exactly the one that needed to take whatever it is.  Perhaps the strongest part is able to take the trial without it hurting too deeply.  God is able to remove the thing that appeared to harm us leaving only minor damage. 

Thank You Lord God for protecting me and using something like this to show me more of who You are.  Thank You for reminding me that while what I see as the worst possible case is actually the best thing that could happen overall.  Thank You for Your sovereignty.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Lead~

I vividly remember watching a man yell at his wife that he was her lord and master, and that she needed to submit to him.  He proclaimed that he had read the Bible several times and that he was head over her and she needed to submit to him, and do what he said.  Clearly he failed to go on and read the rest of the passages in Ephesians 5 that he was to love his wife as Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself up for her.

Similarly, I have watched leadership lord over those under them.  Domineering over those in their charge, and being poor examples to the flock.  Prior to these verses in 1 Peter 5 that talk about this, Peter exhorts the elders to shepherd the flock of God that is among them, to exercise oversight, not because they must, but willingly, as God would have for them, not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering (bullying) over those in their charge, but being examples to the flock. Encouraging them that when the chief Shepherd appears, they will receive the unfading crown of glory.  My responsibility is to submit to the authority over me, clothing myself with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  We are all to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt us, casting all of our anxieties on Him, because He cares for us. We need to be sober-minded and watchful because our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

It sickens me to see people lording over others with no regard to the consequences of their actions...  to themselves, and to those they are lording over (aka bullying).  

Compromising the faith and commands of the Lord to obtain some kind of glory here is not at all what the Scriptures teach.  Wars and fights come from the desires for pleasure that war within.  James tells us that we do not have because we do not ask, or because we ask wrongly to spend it on our own passions.  Friendship with the world is enmity with God.  God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  At what point do you say enough is enough?  How long do you sit under toxic leadership? 

Lord God, I ask You to intervene and reveal Yourself to leadership who is seeking their own desires above Yours.  Lord, show me where I need to submit, and where I need to stand up for You.  Lead me in Your ways.  Teach me to follow You more closely.  I ask that you make my heart soft for You and strong against the wiles of the devil.  Open blind eyes and infiltrate Your church.  Allow me Lord to fulfill Your calling on my life, to fulfill Your purpose.  May I honor and glorify You and be a light to those around me that they too may glorify You.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

For personal reflection:
Are you a leader?  How are you leading?  Parents, what kind of example are you being to your children?  Are you a mentor?  Are the people you are investing in growing, maturing, and developing into good leaders?  Mentoring people on their own?  Pastors, and elders, are you shepherding the flock?  Looking for the best for them?