You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good

Years before this exchange, Joseph’s brash, boastful and unwise revelation of dreams God had given him, had set off a chain of character polishing events. Provoked to jealousy, his brothers had sold him into slavery in Egypt where Joseph, falsely accused of raping Potiphar’s wife, was thrown into jail. And he languished there for two full years even after it was clear the Lord had plans to get him out. Finally, being the only one who could interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, and correctly predicting seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, Joseph was put in charge of the entire land of Egypt, second only Pharaoh himself. In this way Joseph’s dreams of dominance were fulfilled when, in the midst of the famine, his brothers came looking for grain. These events enabled the whole family to move to Egypt. It then become clear that this was God’s plan from the beginning, to deliver Jacob’s family from the famine (see Genesis 37-50).

After Jacob’s death, with their father no longer there to protect them, the brothers feared that Joseph would take his revenge on them for what they had done. The words in the title of this post were Joseph’s gracious response to their fears (Genesis 50:20). Missing from the above account of what happened, is the way all through the story, Joseph responded to the abuse. In particular over and over he found favour in the sight of those who, in human terms, had control of his destiny. Joseph, like the Lord who came much later, learnt obedience by the things that he suffered (Hebrews 5:8).

My own response to the trials and injustices of life, have not always been so mature. But after trying the kicking, screaming and fighting option, and discovering that that did not work, I too began to learn obedience through suffering. And sometimes the suffering was a result of my own sinful choices, and sometimes because of the choices of others. And sometimes the choices of others had evil intent, and sometimes not! But in all cases God remained in control! And whether it was intended for evil or not, God intended it for good. And as a result I can now safely say, that I would not be the same man had God not allowed what He allowed. And for this I give Him thanks and praise.

Father, as we see from the story, the very best thing that Joseph did for his family, for those he loved, was to submit to the character portion polishing You accomplish through the trials and tribulations of his life. And in the end it was through it all, that he was able to deliver the entire family. Likewise Lord I have come to the place where I realize the very best thing that I can do for my family and those I love, is for me to get free, to grow in grace, wisdom and knowledge, and in this way point the way to freedom. And while I know that I have not arrived, I am nevertheless grateful that I am not what I once was. And for this, I give You thanks and praise again this morning, in Jesus Name Amen

Though the fig trees do not blossoms …. Yet I will rejoice in the LORD

The NLT version of this extract from Habakuk 3:17ff has “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet will I rejoice in the Lord.” Habakuk is telling us that in spite of the devastation happening all around, still he chooses to rejoice in the Lord. And he goes on to say that the LORD “will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.” In other words, when Habakkuk in spite of it all chooses to rejoice, the Lord will lift Habakuk's spirit above the circumstances.

Habakkuk had seen the devastation as God’s discipline on Israel. The Scripture tells us, “Whom the Lord loves he disciplines” (Hebrews 12:6). And whether we see the devastation and chaos in our own culture is direct intervention from God, or the natural consequences of reaping what we sow, we do need to choose to rejoice. In fact it’s a command “Rejoice in the Lord always,” and just in case we didn’t get it “again I say rejoice” (Philippians 4:4)!

I am remembering this morning the opening line from the novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” There is so much in our culture that causes me grief, but I’m not going to go there this morning. Because what I think the Lord is telling me, is that I need to look at what He is doing, not at what I do not see Him doing! But actually, as the scripturally based chorus puts it “He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me.” And as I choose to believe this, it helps me to rejoice.

Father, Your words tells me that You always lead us in triumphant procession in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14). Help me this morning Lord, to keep my eyes on You, to thank and praise You for what you are doing even for those things I cannot see! And I trust You again this morning that you have my back, and my best interests at heart. And I thank You for the strength You gave to make my feet like deer's feet so that I can rise and live above the circumstances. And I give you the honour glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen

… those who Love God and are called according to His purpose. All things work together for good (II)

So what is His purpose? Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:9,10, that He has made known to us the mystery of His will, and it is that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. And He calls us to partner with Him in this purpose. The point is that we find fulfillment, satisfaction and direction when we discover our purpose. And in calling us to partner with Him in His purpose, then His purpose becomes our purpose too!

So what has this got to do with God working all things together for our good? Well much in every way, and this is brought out in the next verse, Romans 8:29. In particular, in His calling He determined to work two things in us. Firstly He determines to conform us to “the image of His Son.” In other words He uses the trials, tribulations in temptations to make us more like Jesus. And when we choose to trust and believe in and through it all, then like buddies in a war, we share in the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). He never calls us to do what He has not already done, and done in spades, for “though he were a Son, yet He learned obedience through the things that He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

Secondly He works in us in such a way, that “we would be the firstborn among many brethren.” For those of us who love the Lord, there is surly nothing more fulfilling than knowing that our lives and our words influence others to come to know Him! He is amazing really, He uses our transformed lives, and our words to bring others into the kingdom, and then turns round and rewards us for the work that He does in us.

Father, You are the potter, and we are the clay. And we become mouldable, as we submit to Your character polishing in and through the trials and tribulations of life. And part of this submission, as it was with Your Son, is to learn obedience through our suffering. It’s relatively easy to trust and obey when it costs us nothing! But it is pleasing to You when we submit when it’s hard. We need Your grace for this Lord, I do! In particular Lord, I need your grace to continue to wait on You for the fulfillment of Your promises. But I know that in the end I will see that You have done all things well, in Your precious name I pray Amen

And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God (i)

In the context of this partial quote from Romans 8:28, Paul has been talking about the sufferings of this present time (verse 18), and the inner conflict that that causes within us (verse 23). Paul is not here saying that evil is good, rather that for those of us who love God and are called according to his purpose, God uses the evil we encounter to work for our good. The trials and temptations of life are universal, they happen to us all (1 Corinthians 10:13), but the promise that God works through the evil for our good is for those who have responded or will respond to His call.

The “And we know” part of this morning’s verse is is key to our responding the way the Lord would have us respond to our trials and tribulations. In particular the settled knowledge that our sovereign Lord is in control, and is somehow or other working behind the scenes , for our good, is designed to help us to face these trials and tribulations with faith. In fact there are times, when the Lord shows us exactly how He’s doing this. But most of the time, at least in my life, I don’t have a clue. But then I tell Him “At this point in time I really don’t know how this could possibly ever work for my good, but I choose to trust You, and with Your help to stop obsessing about it!”

And to be realistic, compared with the persecution and the trials of other brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe, my trials are pretty small. The Lord had shown Paul how much he would suffer for his sake (Acts 9:16), yet Paul could talk about “this light momentary affliction which is not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed in us (verse 18 of this chapter).

Father, thank You that as I bring my trials and tribulations, great and small to You, You remind me over and over of this Your perspective. Thank You that eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what You have prepared for those of us who love You (1 Corinthians 2:9). And thank You for the grace You give not only to carry on, but to rise above the circumstances. There is no one like You Lord, and I thank You this morning that you are actively at work in all things for my good because I love You and You have called me for Your purposes in Jesus Name Amen

For the word of God is living and effectual …. piercing …. and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart

If there was something wrong with your body, would you want to know? Some people don’t, especially if it is serious. I know of cases of those who fearing they had cancer, refused to go to the doctor. But what if there was a cure? In some cases, you know there’s a cure, for example if you have an abscessed tooth. Of course the cure may cause you more pain for a little while, but short term pain for long term relief only makes sense! However somehow for many, many people, when it comes to dealing with emotional, mental and spiritual problems, this type of common sense seems to go out the window.

What seems to be at play here, it is our propensity to rationalize, it’s called a denial. The saying seems to be true that if someone wants to do something he or she will find a thousand reasons to do it. On the other hand if that same person does not want to do the very same thing, they will find a thousand reasons not to do it! But if what we want to do, or don’t want to do, is wrong, there are always negative consequences. The Scripture talks about the pleasures for a season (Hebrews 11:25), and the immediate short term pleasure seem to be a huge part of the problem!

This morning’s verse from Hebrews 4:12, gives us the cure. The point is, that the Word of God cuts through the crap, cuts through the rationalization and denial, and exposes our hidden motives and our twisted thinking (the thoughts and intents of the heart). Jesus told us that those who are well do not need a physician (Mark 2:17), that is those who are in denial, those who don’t see the need. And yes it can be painful to have sin exposed. But surely it’s better to do it sooner rather than later. Sin not dealt with leads to more and more destruction (Proverbs 14:12), and in the end we will have to give an account of what we have done or not done (Matthew 12:36). On the other hand as I keep saying, He came that we might have fullness of life!

Father, thank You for the gentle and merciful way that You deal with us. We see this so clearly in Your dealing with the woman caught in the very act of adultery (John 8:1-11). Thank You that there is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Thank You that as the great physician, You want take out of our lives those things which are spiritually cancerous. Thank You Lord that I have learned to welcome Your Word, You scalpel, which is designed to cut out such cancer. Thank You that You who have begun a good work in me, will bring it to completion on the day of Christ. In Jesus Name Amen

Jesus is THE life - the way the truth and life (IV)

Proverbs tells us that there is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12). In a culture that so prizes individualism, it is far too easy to live a life that is independent of God. But Jesus is telling use here, that life in all its fullness comes to those who in child like dependence on Him, bring every issue, every dispute, every though captive unto the obedience of Christ. It is to swim against the cultural current, but in doing so He is telling us that we will find direction (the way), the Truth that sets us free, and life abundant and eternal.

In this quote from John 14:6 Jesus is telling us that He is not only the way to life, not only is He the Truth that sets us free to live the abundant life (John 8:32; 10:10b), but He is the very essence of life itself. Again He is not saying that He is one of many ways to the abundant life, but with the definite article (the life) He is claiming to be the only way so such a life. To put it another way, what is being claimed here, is that life truly worth living is to be found only in a vital connection with Him who is the way, the truth and the life.

Here is the exclusivity of Christianity again. Again this is not exclusivity of the Church or my little group, but it is Christ Himself who is saying this about Himself. Many would perhaps object that they have a life worth living outside of Christ. I would however ask if it is truly a life of abundance. We are not talking here about material possessions, but rather a life full of rich and satisfying relationships, a life where love is given and received, a life of grace and hope and peace. I am not saying that I have arrived here, because part of this is that the Kingdom is both here and not yet. We are promised this life, but we are to contend for it. And when we do, keeping our eyes on Him who is the way the truth and the life, we enter into life in spite of the circumstance.

Lord Jesus, when Paul tells us that for him to live is Christ (Philippians 1:21), he is not telling that life is not without difficulties. Indeed my troubles compared to Paul’s seem insignificant (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). What Paul seems to be telling us though, is that when we are vitally connected to You, we are able to rise above the circumstances. Indeed Paul’s letter to the Philippians from jail is full of joy. You are reminding me this morning Lord, that my life is hid with You (Colossians 3:3). But this does not mean that I hide from life, rather that in You and with You I am fully engaged in life. And this brings meaning and purpose and hope in the midst of the chaos. Truly you are the life, and I praise You and bless You again this morning in Your precious Name Amen

Jesus is THE Truth - the way the truth and life (III)

Pontius Pilate asked Jesus a question, but it wasn’t really a question, at least he expected no answer. He said “What is truth” (John 18:38), and then walked away. Like many today, Pilate felt that truth was unknowable. We hear “That may be true for you, but it is not true for me.” And certainly there are subjective truths i.e. “My favourite fruit is raspberries.” But there are also objective truths, either the God of the Bible exists, or He does not. It is illogical and unscientific, contradicting the law of non-contradiction, to suppose otherwise.

In yesterday’s prayer, I talked about the mystery and the foolishness (to the World) of faith. And Jesus statement here in John 14:6 not only qualifies for both mystery and the foolishness to the World, but it is also (to the World) offensive. And to further muddy the waters of mystery, we need to see that Jesus is the Word (John 1:14), and the Word is Truth (John 17:17) and as here (to complete the circle) Truth is Jesus.

I can’t help remembering the little boy’s statement that faith is believing what you know is not true! And I am so very aware this morning that all this is complete and utter nonsense to those who do not believe. But with Peter (John 6:68), I have learned not to easily dismiss what He says, and what I know is that when I take His Word into my heart and mind, then I am drinking in life both abundant and eternal. In particular, when I “eat” His Word I am, as in the Lord’s supper, eating and drinking Him. I am sounding very Catholic this morning mmm!

Lord Jesus I am humbled this morning as I come to You. I am remembering the verse “If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8:2). In particular what do I know? Well I do know that I want as a little child to be, and to stay, teachable by You Lord. I want to be as wise as a serpent, but as harmless as a dove, and I know that the way to get there is by following You, the way and the truth. And I do know (again with Peter) that notwithstanding how little I know, I am finding life and health and peace in You. As I keep jokingly saying “I think I will keep You.” It is of course You who keeps me! In Your precious Name Amen.