Genesis 2:18 - Eve

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

I am working on a lesson for our ladies class about a woman of the Bible. I chose the most obvious one...Eve.  The first woman. The first wife. The first mother. The first grandmother. Part of the first family (the first dysfunctional family). The first sinner. The first to loose a child. The verse above is the first reference to Eve.

Lord, thank you for giving us the story of creation and humankind. Please help us to learn from this story about ourselves and about you. Amen.

Genesis 2:2 - Sweet rest

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

We go through different phases in our lives. There are times when we are super busy and times when we are not. Right now I am in a busy season and I have this morning off...and I am so thankful to be able to rest. It reminded me of the verse above. God gave us this incredible example of rest. Our bodies require some down time and this morning I am happy to comply.

Lord, thank you for giving us this example of rest. Please help us to enjoy our rest and not feel guilty about taking this time, Amen.

Genesis 50:20 - Transitions

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

God is bigger than us. He can use anything, even mistakes and sin to his purpose. I don't suppose it was God's plan for Joseph to be sold into slavery, but he was able to use this to propel Joseph to Egypt and eventually to Pharaoh. In a Bible class I attend, we have talked about Joseph and his life transitions. How would we have reacted? I expect most of us would have dealt with these transitions kicking an screaming, at the very least we would have assumed God had left us. Transitions are a part of our lives. In the end, we may be able to see the path God intended. Until we are given this clarity, our job is just to trust God and continue to be obedient to him.

Lord, thank you for always being with us. Thank you for using us to your purpose. Please help us to trust you and remain obedient no matter what. Amen.

PS - This verse is similar to one I have already blogged about Genesis 45:5 - Righting a wrong.

Genesis 50:7 - Influence

So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt—

Could Jacob have ever dreamed he would be so celebrated upon his death? What an honor to have Egyptian dignitaries and officials not just attend the funeral, but travel with them all the way to Jacob's requested burial location. We many never know how many people we have influenced, how many lives we have touched. This influence may not come from us directly, but maybe through our influence of our children, family or friends. Joseph was held in such high esteem by Pharaoh and the people of Egypt, they chose to honor the father in gratitude for the son.

Lord, thank you for giving us opportunities to show your glory and to be a blessing to others. Please help our spiritual influence to extend beyond the people we know. Amen.

Genesis 48:21 - GOD is in contol

Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.

Yes, God was with Joseph and the people of Israel (the you here is plural, more like "y'all") and they eventually make it back to Canaan, but I'm sure Israel (Jacob) never could have imagined what would happen and how long it would take. None of them expected to be in Egypt for over 400 years or for their descendants to become slaves. God's time is almost never our time. Discouragement comes easy when things don't happen the way we think they will. This story is evidence of God's faithfulness. Even when all seems lost, God is still in control.

Lord, thank you for being faithful and never leaving us, even when things are not happening the way we want them to happen. Please help us to be patient and remain faithful to you always. Amen.

Genesis 47:18 - Giving it all

When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.

I didn't remember this part of the story of Joseph. Joseph essentially puts all the people of Egypt into servitude, making Pharaoh even richer because of the famine. But, without Joseph's oversight, most of the people would have probably died.  The thing I like about this verse is how everything is given to Joseph/Pharaoh, just like everything we have is to be given to God: our money, possessions, our means to make a living, even our bodies. It all belongs to God. He has saved us, just like in verse 25 the people say “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”

Lord, Thank you for saving our lives. May we find favor in the eyes of our Lord; we are in bondage to you. Amen.

Genesis 47:7-10 - Bless you

7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed[a] Pharaoh, 8 Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”

9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” 10 Then Jacob blessed[b] Pharaoh and went out from his presence.

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 47:7 Or greeted
2. Genesis 47:10 Or said farewell to

I love the use of the word blessed in these passages. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. According to the footnotes the first blessing meant to greet and the second meant to say farewell to, but I like the idea of blessing people when we see them and when we leave them. I think of a blessing as a little prayer to God on behalf of a person. If we did this every time we greet or depart from a person, do you think it would make a difference in their day and maybe also in our attitude when interacting with that person?

Lord, thank you for the opportunity to come to you in prayer and to ask for a blessing for others. Please help us to think of every interaction with people as a blessing. Amen.

Genesis 46:30 - Are you ready to die?

 Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”

This phrase reminds me of my mother-in-law. She was so happy to see her son getting married, she said she could now die. Are we ready to die? For Joseph and my mother-in-law this may have just been an expression, but it's a good thing to think about. Are there things our life which are unsettled? Is there something we can to to settle them? Maybe we need to forgive someone or reunite with a family member. As a Christian, I hope to always be ready to die, to go home to my father. 

Lord, thank you for giving us hope of eternity with you. Please help us to be ready to die. Amen.

Genesis 45:24 - Don't quarrel on the way!

Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”

Why is it we seem to do the most fighting with family? These brothers have been through a lot together. They have dealt with jealousy, favoritism, a family secret, the disappointment of their father, the death of one of their father's wives and famine. Joseph must have seen them fighting among themselves to have made such a statement. We often do the same thing, arguing with those who are closest to us. Joseph gave his brothers and us some good advice.

Lord, thank you for family and the people who are close to us. Please help us to cherish them and not take them for granted by fighting with them. Amen.

Genesis 45:5 - Righting a wrong

And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.

Joseph completely had the right to be angry and tell his brothers how horrid they had been, but he doesn't. Not only does he forgive his brothers, he comforts them and tells them how God was using them to his purposes. How do we react when someone had wronged us? What an opportunity Joseph had to shame his brothers! It is easy to take delight in this kind of circumstance. 

Lord, thank you for being there to comfort us when we have been wronged. Please help us to react correctly and see your hand in every situation. Amen.

Genesis 44:33-34 - True Repentance

 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”

I think these were the words Joseph was waiting to hear before he revealed himself. His brothers were truly repentant. They were now thinking of their father before themselves. They loved their youngest brother and understood how much the father loved him. They weren't jealous of this love. They were willing to sacrifice themselves to return the youngest brother to their father. How do we show our repentance to God? Do we just do what he wants because we have to, or is there true love, understanding and thankfulness in our obedient actions. Are we truly repentant?

Lord, thank you for loving us beyond our comprehension. Please help us to move beyond our past sin and on to true repentance. Amen.

Genesis 43:30-31 - Reaction

 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.

After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.”

Reaction. This is a word which keeps coming up for me. How do we react in difficult situations? The way we react is evidence of our relationship to God. When we jump before we think, we usually choose the wrong reaction or simply overreact. Our first thought is rarely the right one. In this passage, Joseph was carefully controlling his emotions in order to properly react to seeing his family again. How would we react to seeing the brothers who had sold us into slavery?

Lord, thank you for giving us minds to think things through. Thank you for allowing us to come to you to work through situations. Please help us to remain calm in any situation and thoughtfully react appropriately. Amen.

Genesis 42:21 - Long term consequences

They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”

How can we avoid sin? One way is to consider the long term consequences. In addition to sinning against God, sin has a way of following us. If we lie, cheat, steal or harm someone, the truth may eventually come out. Even if it does not, we remember and it can eat away at us from the inside. So before we act, think...If I do or say this thing, how am I going to feel in the future? How could this potentially effect me and others I love? Am I prepared to face the possible consequences of this action?

Lord, thank you for giving us minds with the ability to think through situations before we act. Please help us to slow down our reactions and consider the consequences of our actions. Amen.

Genesis 41:36 - Saving for famine

This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.

This verse reminded me of the importance of saving for the future and/or catastrophe. I am a Dave Ramsey listener and my husband and I are working the baby steps. Here is a quote from Dave about saving:

If you have savings and then experience a car wreck, a busted heater or A/C unit, or a job layoff, money works for all three. It causes you to relax because you have cash saved up for Murphy visits. It's like being in a fender bender and having your seat belt on—you don't get hurt because you had something in place to protect you.

Lord, thank you for giving us jobs so that we can earn the funds we need to live, give and save. Please help us to have the wisdom to do all three. Amen.

Quote from:
http://www.daveramsey.com/blog/when-and-why-to-save-dr/

Genesis 41:14 - In the presence of royalty

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

This verse makes me think of comming into the presence of the Lord. How do we prepare for such a meeting? Fortunately, because of Christ, we are granted access to God any time. Most of the time we don't concern ourselves with our appearance before we approach God in prayer, but we may need to clear up our mind. Sometimes we "clean up" physically (and hopefully mentally) before we go to worship. There may be times in our lives when we have been in the dungeon or come through the valley. These times may merit an actual physical, spiritual and mental cleansing before approaching the throne of God.

Lord, thank you for the opportunity to come before you. Please help us to be physically, spiritually and mentally ready to approach your throne. Amen.

Genesis 41:16 - I can't, but God can

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

Pharaoh asked Joseph if he could interpret his dream. This was the perfect answer. Joseph was humble enough to know that he was not the source of the interpretation. Do you think that maybe he tried to interpret some dreams and realized he couldn't do it on his own? We make that mistake all the time. We try to do things and get through difficult times without God. Once we realize and accept I can't but God can, God will use us to do great things and will bring us through any difficult times we face.

Lord, thank you for being there for us and for having the ability to do so much more than we can even imagine. Please help us to turn to you first and to let others know the source of our strength and abilities. Amen.

Genesis 41:9 - Remember when...

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.

It had been two long years since Joseph had interpreted the cupbearers dream. Pharaoh's dreams reminded him of Joseph. Sometimes we remember things from our past just at the right time. God may be using this memory for a purpose. Maybe it will be an opportunity to help someone. Maybe it is a cautionary tale to avoid making a similar mistake. Maybe it is a memory meant to give us strength in a difficult time. God can use anything to his purpose, even our memory.

Lord, thank you for using every part of us to your glory. Please help us to know when to pay attention to the memories you remind us of and know how to use those memories. Amen. 

Genesis 40:6-7 - How are you?

When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”

I am so impressed that Joseph even cared about the other prisoners. He was unjustly in prison, but because he was so trustworthy, he had been given responsibility over other prisoners. It is a rare person who would actually care about the prisoners in his care enough to notice they were sad. Do we care about the people around us? It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own problems and not even see those who are struggling. A co-worker of mine every day asks, "How are you doing today?" and she asks it in such a way that I really believe she cares about me and recognizes when I am having an off day. 

Lord, thank you so much for those special people who really care about us and thank you for caring about us. Please help me to care about others and notice when they need some encouragement. Amen.

Genesis 39:20-21 - Thriving in difficult situations

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

Through no fault of his own, Joseph was sent to prison. How would you react? He could have thrown a fit and demanded justice. He could have sulked and been angry with God. Instead, Joseph apparently accepts this new situation and thrives. The Lord was with him each step of his journey to this point and will continue to be with him. The Lord also promises to be with us on each step of our journey. We only have to trust in him and allow him to guide us no matter the situation in which we find ourselves.

Lord, thank you for taking care of us and for being with us. We know we can expect hard times in life, but you promise to get us through these times. Please help us to rely on you. Amen. 

Genesis 39:5 - Success at work

From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.

Sometimes I feel like God is leading me to the same topic over and over, and that is true of this topic: work. When we are Christians and work as Christians for our earthly masters (bosses), they prosper because of us. Potiphar knew the Lord was with Joseph. He put Joseph in charge of his household because he saw the Lord gave him success in everything he did.

Lord, please make me successful in everything I do. Please allow my employer to prosper because of this. Thank you for my job. Amen.