KJB
Daily Devotion – Following
Jesus Through
Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, January 14, 2015
Chapters: Genesis 40-42
Message: Genesis: Never Give Up
Hello My Friend,
Christian or not, we all have struggles in the life we are given, and sometimes it seems the harder we try to overcome them the more we get. Those without Christ do not have the luxury of finding comfort in the Saviour, they turn to things like sex, drugs, and alcohol to figure things out, only to make things worse. Even those with Christ can fall into these traps, but no matter what we have done or what we have been through we can find comfort in Christ, He is the one who pushes us to never give up, He is the one who is our strength to get through our most difficult struggles. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30.
At times it seems as though we face one struggle after another and when that happens we can become discouraged, depressed, even wondering where God is, and why He is allowing all this. I am sure that Joseph had some ups and down while he was a slave and now in prison for a crime he did not commit, but he never gave up on his situation changing, as he always saw God's hand in everything. Even in prison, he managed to make the best of things, and encouraged the other prisoners as well, including two men who had disturbing dreams. He interpreted the dreams through God's help, asking the butler to tell Pharaoh about him being in there when he is released and restored his job.
“And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you. And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.” - Genesis 40:6-8,12-15,23.
“Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?” We may not always like the situations we are in, but we can keep our spirits up, and really the only one who can help us do that is Jesus, He is our strength to get through the most trying circumstances. “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:11-13.
As Christ strengthens us and we continue to make the best of our situations sooner or later we will find an end to our struggles. After spending two more years in prison, the butler finally remembered Joseph only after Pharaoh had some disturbing dreams himself and was looking for someone to interpret them. Now, here is Joseph, cleaned up, and standing before Pharaoh himself to tell him what his dreams meant, and he was not ashamed to say that God was the one who told him what they meant. After he interprets the dreams, Pharaoh is so impressed, that he not only released him from prison, he made him governor in the land, and put him in charge of making sure that there was enough food to withstand the famine that was bout to come.
“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.” - Genesis 41:39-45.
“And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah;” The name Pharaoh gave him has two meanings, in Hebrew it means, revealer of a secret, in Coptic it means, preserver of the age. God used Joseph to preserve life not only throughout Egypt, but even nations surrounding them, including Canaan. While we are in the storms of life, it can be hard to see it coming to an end, but there is always and pretty wonderful end when we trust God. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” - Jeremiah 29:11-13.
We must also realize that no sin goes unpunished, and while we who receive Christ as our Saviour are forgiven, we are still subject to the consequences of our sins if we have not repented of them. When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery years ago they never really got over what they had done, perhaps they moved on with their lives, but the thought of him showing up somehow always crossed their minds. That time was about to come as the famine in Egypt grew as far as Canaan. Jacob sent all of his sons, except for Benjamin, to Egypt to buy food.
“And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.” - Genesis 42:7-11,21-23.
“We are verily guilty concerning our brother,” Joseph's brothers never got over what they did to their brother as well as their father, but now realize that the trouble they were facing for no reason at all was the result of what they had done thirteen years ago. This is a reminder that everything we do comes back to us whether it be for good or bad, no matter how long it takes. If you are struggling with something, first, think about what is going on. Is Christ your Saviour? Have you gotten away from God? Have you been faithful to God? If the answer is no to any of these questions, it's time to seek Christ, and get right with God. If the answer is yes, keep your head up, do not give up, trust in God, know that He is with you, understand that He has great things in store for you, and there is an end to your struggle. “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.” - 1 Peter 4:12,13.
Today's Prayer: God, We may not always see You working in our lives or that Your presence is even with us, but that is when You are preparing us for something great. Lord, be with me, when I am discouraged and have no clue what's going on, lift up my spirit, help me to never give up, remind me that You are using me for something great, and will reveal it when the time is right. You are my strength and guide, without You, I feel dead inside, give me vision to see what is ahead, and let me never lose sight of what You have waiting for me at the end of all my struggles. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Date: Thursday, January 14, 2015
Chapters: Genesis 40-42
Message: Genesis: Never Give Up
Hello My Friend,
Christian or not, we all have struggles in the life we are given, and sometimes it seems the harder we try to overcome them the more we get. Those without Christ do not have the luxury of finding comfort in the Saviour, they turn to things like sex, drugs, and alcohol to figure things out, only to make things worse. Even those with Christ can fall into these traps, but no matter what we have done or what we have been through we can find comfort in Christ, He is the one who pushes us to never give up, He is the one who is our strength to get through our most difficult struggles. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30.
At times it seems as though we face one struggle after another and when that happens we can become discouraged, depressed, even wondering where God is, and why He is allowing all this. I am sure that Joseph had some ups and down while he was a slave and now in prison for a crime he did not commit, but he never gave up on his situation changing, as he always saw God's hand in everything. Even in prison, he managed to make the best of things, and encouraged the other prisoners as well, including two men who had disturbing dreams. He interpreted the dreams through God's help, asking the butler to tell Pharaoh about him being in there when he is released and restored his job.
“And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you. And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.” - Genesis 40:6-8,12-15,23.
“Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?” We may not always like the situations we are in, but we can keep our spirits up, and really the only one who can help us do that is Jesus, He is our strength to get through the most trying circumstances. “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:11-13.
As Christ strengthens us and we continue to make the best of our situations sooner or later we will find an end to our struggles. After spending two more years in prison, the butler finally remembered Joseph only after Pharaoh had some disturbing dreams himself and was looking for someone to interpret them. Now, here is Joseph, cleaned up, and standing before Pharaoh himself to tell him what his dreams meant, and he was not ashamed to say that God was the one who told him what they meant. After he interprets the dreams, Pharaoh is so impressed, that he not only released him from prison, he made him governor in the land, and put him in charge of making sure that there was enough food to withstand the famine that was bout to come.
“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.” - Genesis 41:39-45.
“And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah;” The name Pharaoh gave him has two meanings, in Hebrew it means, revealer of a secret, in Coptic it means, preserver of the age. God used Joseph to preserve life not only throughout Egypt, but even nations surrounding them, including Canaan. While we are in the storms of life, it can be hard to see it coming to an end, but there is always and pretty wonderful end when we trust God. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” - Jeremiah 29:11-13.
We must also realize that no sin goes unpunished, and while we who receive Christ as our Saviour are forgiven, we are still subject to the consequences of our sins if we have not repented of them. When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery years ago they never really got over what they had done, perhaps they moved on with their lives, but the thought of him showing up somehow always crossed their minds. That time was about to come as the famine in Egypt grew as far as Canaan. Jacob sent all of his sons, except for Benjamin, to Egypt to buy food.
“And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.” - Genesis 42:7-11,21-23.
“We are verily guilty concerning our brother,” Joseph's brothers never got over what they did to their brother as well as their father, but now realize that the trouble they were facing for no reason at all was the result of what they had done thirteen years ago. This is a reminder that everything we do comes back to us whether it be for good or bad, no matter how long it takes. If you are struggling with something, first, think about what is going on. Is Christ your Saviour? Have you gotten away from God? Have you been faithful to God? If the answer is no to any of these questions, it's time to seek Christ, and get right with God. If the answer is yes, keep your head up, do not give up, trust in God, know that He is with you, understand that He has great things in store for you, and there is an end to your struggle. “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.” - 1 Peter 4:12,13.
Today's Prayer: God, We may not always see You working in our lives or that Your presence is even with us, but that is when You are preparing us for something great. Lord, be with me, when I am discouraged and have no clue what's going on, lift up my spirit, help me to never give up, remind me that You are using me for something great, and will reveal it when the time is right. You are my strength and guide, without You, I feel dead inside, give me vision to see what is ahead, and let me never lose sight of what You have waiting for me at the end of all my struggles. 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
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