KJB
Daily Devotion – Following
Jesus Through
Every Chapter
Date: Friday, January 15, 2016
Chapters: Genesis 43-45
Message: Genesis: Confession Is The Best Option
Hello My Friend,
We have all been there, done something we are not proud of and some how escaped the punishment we deserved for doing it. We have all been here, been persecuted for something we have not done. Did you ever notice when you are facing affliction that you begin to think about all the bad things you have done? Well, most of us do, and it all stems back from realizing that we have gotten away with something. The truth is, we never get away with the things we have done, our past will always catch up to us, especially if we have not repented of it. The good news is that as Christians we know that God is faithful to forgive us of our most treacherous deeds, and not only that, turn it into something good. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” - Proverbs 28:13.
When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery and deceived their father into believing he was dead, they never thought they would see him again. Now, with one brother in jail and the others being told not to return until they bring their youngest brother, they could not help, but fear that it was all repercussions of what they did yo him. Running out of food, Judah convinces their father to let them return to Egypt with Benjamin, when they arrived they got a huge surprise, Joseph greeted them kindly and treated them to lunch.
“And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.” - Genesis 43:18,23-26,33,34.
“And they drank, and were merry with him.” What is the best way to avenge our adversaries? Be nice to them. It is the guilt of the past that haunts us, unless we confront and repent of it it will always be the first thing we think of when we are facing affliction. Always remember that chastening is used to bring us closer to God and prepare us for something He has waiting for us. We are to be a testimony of God's mercy, grace, and love as well as His just judgment. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” - 1 Peter 4:12,13,16.
After the feast they thought their fears were over only Joseph set them up by placing his silver drinking cup in Benjamin's sack as if he took it and sent the guards them. Joseph tells them that Benjamin must remain there a servant, but Judah pleads with Joseph to let him go.
“And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.” - Genesis 44:1,2,4,14,15,18,30,31.
“and let not thine anger burn against thy servant:” It is fear that keeps us from admitting we have done wrong. Coming clean and admitting we have done wrong is the best option, the chastening is less severe when we confess our sins. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” - 1 John 1:8-10.
One of the amazing things about God is that He always takes care of His children, He might wait until we realize we need Him, but He always provides us with the necessities we need. And when we get right with Him, there is nothing He will not do for us. We must realize that even if we do wrong, God can turn it into something good. Joseph could not take it anymore, he reveals to them who he is.
“And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” - Genesis 45:3-8.
“for God did send me before you to preserve life.” Can you imagine the look on their faces and what fear they had after realizing he was telling the truth? Yet, Joseph was not angry, he did rub it in their faces that they bowed down to him as in his dreams, he simply told them to forgive themselves, assuring them that it was God's plan all along. There is truly nothing to fear when we are facing affliction, God is always in control, we do not need to be afraid to go forward, we just need to put your trust in Him and He will take care of the rest, regardless of our past. Being saved does not mean we will never sin or face chastening for past sins, it does mean that God is faithful to us, and will turn our bad into good when we come to Him. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” - Proverbs 3:5-7.
Today's Prayer: God, How thankful are we that You are not only merciful, but loving and forgiving too. No matter how many times we mess up we are forgiven, and the only thing we need to do to get right with You is confess our sins to You. Lord, Help us to come to You no matter what we have done, give us peace from our past and let us just find freedom from any guilt or shame by coming to You and just acknowledging that we need and love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
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Copyright © 2016 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Friday, January 15, 2016
Chapters: Genesis 43-45
Message: Genesis: Confession Is The Best Option
Hello My Friend,
We have all been there, done something we are not proud of and some how escaped the punishment we deserved for doing it. We have all been here, been persecuted for something we have not done. Did you ever notice when you are facing affliction that you begin to think about all the bad things you have done? Well, most of us do, and it all stems back from realizing that we have gotten away with something. The truth is, we never get away with the things we have done, our past will always catch up to us, especially if we have not repented of it. The good news is that as Christians we know that God is faithful to forgive us of our most treacherous deeds, and not only that, turn it into something good. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” - Proverbs 28:13.
When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery and deceived their father into believing he was dead, they never thought they would see him again. Now, with one brother in jail and the others being told not to return until they bring their youngest brother, they could not help, but fear that it was all repercussions of what they did yo him. Running out of food, Judah convinces their father to let them return to Egypt with Benjamin, when they arrived they got a huge surprise, Joseph greeted them kindly and treated them to lunch.
“And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.” - Genesis 43:18,23-26,33,34.
“And they drank, and were merry with him.” What is the best way to avenge our adversaries? Be nice to them. It is the guilt of the past that haunts us, unless we confront and repent of it it will always be the first thing we think of when we are facing affliction. Always remember that chastening is used to bring us closer to God and prepare us for something He has waiting for us. We are to be a testimony of God's mercy, grace, and love as well as His just judgment. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” - 1 Peter 4:12,13,16.
After the feast they thought their fears were over only Joseph set them up by placing his silver drinking cup in Benjamin's sack as if he took it and sent the guards them. Joseph tells them that Benjamin must remain there a servant, but Judah pleads with Joseph to let him go.
“And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.” - Genesis 44:1,2,4,14,15,18,30,31.
“and let not thine anger burn against thy servant:” It is fear that keeps us from admitting we have done wrong. Coming clean and admitting we have done wrong is the best option, the chastening is less severe when we confess our sins. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” - 1 John 1:8-10.
One of the amazing things about God is that He always takes care of His children, He might wait until we realize we need Him, but He always provides us with the necessities we need. And when we get right with Him, there is nothing He will not do for us. We must realize that even if we do wrong, God can turn it into something good. Joseph could not take it anymore, he reveals to them who he is.
“And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” - Genesis 45:3-8.
“for God did send me before you to preserve life.” Can you imagine the look on their faces and what fear they had after realizing he was telling the truth? Yet, Joseph was not angry, he did rub it in their faces that they bowed down to him as in his dreams, he simply told them to forgive themselves, assuring them that it was God's plan all along. There is truly nothing to fear when we are facing affliction, God is always in control, we do not need to be afraid to go forward, we just need to put your trust in Him and He will take care of the rest, regardless of our past. Being saved does not mean we will never sin or face chastening for past sins, it does mean that God is faithful to us, and will turn our bad into good when we come to Him. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” - Proverbs 3:5-7.
Today's Prayer: God, How thankful are we that You are not only merciful, but loving and forgiving too. No matter how many times we mess up we are forgiven, and the only thing we need to do to get right with You is confess our sins to You. Lord, Help us to come to You no matter what we have done, give us peace from our past and let us just find freedom from any guilt or shame by coming to You and just acknowledging that we need and love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2016 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
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