Happy New Year! – Exodus 12:1-2

1 God said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, 2 "This month is to be the first month of the year for you."

– Exodus 12:1-2

Happy New Year!

When God does a new thing in your life He does it in a landmark way!  He knows the old year you were having and all the struggles that you had to go through, so when it's time – His time – He gives you a glimpse of the future so you can have hope.  Then He puts on His hat, blows His horn, and shouts Happy New Year!  God is so good!

The hard part for us is that when we get our first glimpse that things are about to change, it's usually when we are knee deep in "Egyptians" holding us back, tying us down, and/or ripping us a new one.  Oh yeah, it's just when we think we can't take it anymore that God shows up, in the middle of our desert, and says "guess What?  This month is to be the first month of the year for you!"

So fi you are facing a big ugly "Egyptian" and he's making you manufacture bricks with no straw, keep your eye on the lookout; check your rear-view mirror; listen for that still-small-Voice, because God's getting ready to pay you a visit.  He's going to walk right in while you are still in the middle of whatever muck you're in, and He's going to calmly say in that great-big-Booming Voice of His, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Prayer

Father, thank You for visiting us during the hard times of our lives.  Thank You for seeing, and for the plan that You have to create a new year for us, a new beginning; a new way to show the world how awesome You are.  Thank You Father, for loving us so much!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

The Main Reason – Exodus 9:16

16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

– Exodus 9:16

The Main Reason

This line of scripture is so amazing!  In it, God is telling Pharaoh that the very reason for his existence – all the power, authority, privilege, wealth, and even his stubborn arrogance – was so that God could reveal who He was in a very real way, and Pharaoh's heart would know the power of God and proclaim His name in all the earth.  God made Pharaoh who he was, then God showed Pharaoh who HE is!  Lives were changed forever and the event is still being talked about today!  Awesome!

This is important and encouraging because we need to know that sometimes, God raises up those difficult people in our live's – He promotes them and then places us in their charge because He needs to show them who He is . . . through us.  The overly demanding boss; the gossiping, back-stabbing, two-faced co-worker; the just plain mean neighbor; even maybe the family member who challenges everything we say and do, just might be strategically placed in our lives because God is trying to show Himself, in a way THEY will understand, by showing who He is . . . through us.

So instead of dreading those unavoidable confrontations with the challenging people in our lives, lets look to the One who may be trying to use us to reach them.  Let's start living Christ and showing who He is in and through us.  Let's BE the Light, expose the darkness, and show off the Power of God – that His name might be proclaimed in all the earth – or at least in our little corner of it.

Prayer

Father, thank You for reminding us that You love even the unlovable.  Help us to always be mindful of who we are so that You are represented in even the most difficult of circumstances.  We praise and Honor You oh Lord!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

RRR-IBBB-IT! – Exodus 8:2

2 If you refuse to release them, I'm warning you, I'll hit the whole country with frogs.

– Exodus 8:2

RRR-IBBB-IT!

Frogs? Really?  Were they huge, man-eating frogs?  Maybe if the frogs had 3-inch fangs and razor sharp claws it would sound more menacing, but cute little croakers hopping around couldn't be all that bad could it?  Hmmmmm.

God sure has a unique sense of humor and a really wild imagination doesn't he?  I mean of all the things He could punish the Egyptian people with, frogs had to catch everyone by surprise.  I can picture it . . . first one frog, then a dozen or so, by day's end a few thousand – which is a lot of frogs – but spread over all of Egypt not too bad at all right?  Well . . . I think my initial "picture" was way off-base.  One thing I know about God – He doesn't do anything half-way.  I bet all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, with not so much as a hocus-pocus or a celebratory "TA-DA," the country was knee-deep in slimy, wriggly, scaly, croaking, hopping, frogs.  Big frogs, little frogs, and every sized frog in-between. There were frogs in the pyramids, the palaces, and every household throughout all of Egypt.  In their pantries, and in between the bed sheets, and in the cookie jars . . . even frogs in the lamb sandwiches!  Holy ToadStools Batman!

OK, OK, so what does a bunch of frogs have to do with us today, and how do we take this line of scripture and apply it to our lives so we can grow closer in our relationship with out Heavenly Father?  Well how about this?  God loves us so much, and He sees, and hears, and knows the struggles we have.  He comes down from His throne, just to get a closer look into exactly what is happening so that He can make things right, at just the right time.  He uses other people to effect change in the world around us so that our individual situations can improve.

The problem is that most people, like Moses, are reluctant to act when God gives them a mission which will set the wheels of change in motion. On top of that, the people that are required to change the way they are doing things, are even more reluctant because, well . . . sometimes they're just too stubborn and arrogant and they won't listen to anyone, especially a reluctant Christian.  That's when God has to step in and do something fantastic in order to make Everyone change.

In today's world, catastrophic events are more sudden and shocking (mostly because of technology and the way news spreads so quickly).  Be it terrorism or tornadoes, God uses events like these to bring about widespread change.  On a more personal level, bad doctor's reports, sudden and unexpected deaths of loved ones, loss of jobs, bank foreclosures, or even something as simple as a fender bender on the way home – all stuff that happens every day, can be God's handiwork as He tries to get our attention and make some much-needed changes in and to our lives.

So if you are going through some "stuff," and you're wondering why God is allowing this to happen to you, take a moment, take a knee, thank Him for being with you in your trial, and then look forward to the blessing and the freedom that's coming.  Everything good comes with a high price that absolutely has to be paid.  So be prepared to suffer through a few frogs every once in a while . . . the warts will go away soon enough, and the changes that come as a result will have you hopping with joy!

Prayer

Father, thank You for the frogs.  Thank You for understanding that sometimes we just need a jolt to get us back on the right track.  Help us to focus on You through the misery and to look forward to the victory.  Help us to endure and to understand that even when we are knee deep in trouble, we are still Your children, and You still love us, and You are working to bring us closer to You.

Have a "hoppingly" Blessed Friday everyone!

– Richard

Whatcha Got? – Exodus 4:2

2 So God said, "What's that in your hand?" "A staff."

– Exodus 4:2

Whatcha Got?

Moses was a shepherd.  The once brilliant adopted son of Pharaoh now spent his days chasing after a wooly flock with a stick. What a turn of events.  Where he once walked the marbled halls of palaces, and bathed in heated pools attended by servants, he now trod the dusty, rocky terrain of mountain folk, and he shared a cold bath with the animals he tended, in fact, he probably dried himself by grabbing the nearest lamb and making quick use of it's wooly back.  Moses was poor, but he was very rich because he possessed the very thing that God would use over and over again to prove who He was to a stubborn people . . . Moses had a stick.

God used what Moses had.  He toppled an Egyptian empire and freed an entire race from a life of bondage with the simplest, most basic, unassuming, shepherds staff.  Moses had to be shaking in his sandals. I mean, he knew the might of Pharaoh's armies, and God expected him to casually stroll into his courts and instigate the greatest prison break in the history of the world (then and now), with only his stick?  You gotta be kidding right?

But that's how God works sometimes.  He takes the least of our talents and the tiniest and most basic of our abilities, and He tells us, "Go!"  

No wonder we hesitate. I mean shouldn't we, as good Christians, be fully prepared to enter into God's work? Shouldn't we have a degree in Theology, and be verified by the "muckety-mucks" of this University or the "so-and-so's" of that Board of Regents, or at the very least we should be a regular Sunday School attender right?  Hmmm, I'll have to think long and hard about that one, because according to God's Word, the folks He used to affect the greatest change in the history of the world, were shepherds, and farmers, and gypsies, and fishermen – just regular folk making a simple living.  Oh there were some doctors, and lawyers, and tax consultants in there as well, and maybe even a politician or two, but the work each was called to, took them way outside of the realm of their training.  God used what they had, but He used it in a way that would bring Him Glory.  He took great delight in taking the least of man's abilities and using them to make His Name known throughout the world.  He did it then, and He still does it today.

Now don't get me wrong, I fully believe in being prepared to do Gods work, and I believe even more in serving God with excellence, and using the talents He gave us to serve him wholeheartedly.  But sometimes God just wants us to trust Him and to see what HE can do, despite what we think we "can't" do.  If we will put aside the fear of the unknown and then let our pride take a much-needed holiday, God will work out all the details.  He will supply the educational opportunities, and He will make a way for the tuition to be paid, and the resources to come in at just the right time.  And the very thing we thought could never happen because we just didn't have it in us, will take root and blossom into more than we could have ever imagined, because He will show us that as long as He is in us, we can do anything.

So what is it that you have?  What's your proverbial "stick?"  

Let God, then Watch God . . . you'll be amazed at how wonderfully incapable you used to be.

Prayer

Father, search me, and take my pride that tells me I must be capable.  Make me capable according to Your plans Lord.  Use me, and show me how big You are through my inabilities.  Help me to always rely on You – despite the me I think I can't be.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

So . . . What's Your Name Again? – Exodus 3:13

13 Then Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the People of Israel and I tell them, 'The God of your fathers sent me to you'; and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What do I tell them?"

– Exodus 3:13

So . . .  What's Your Name Again?

We all think of Moses as this "got-it-together" kind of guy, you know, the kind of man who always has the answer and knows just what to do.  The reality is that he was kind thick-headed and often needed to be hit over the head with obvious answers.  I mean, he is talking . . . WITH GOD!  And the question he asks is, "What do I tell them Your name is?"  REALLY?!  C'mon Man!

OK, before you get all over my case for 'dissing' one of our great Bible heroes, just know that God chose Moses specifically because of his thick-headed, stubborn, speech-challenged, goat-herding, murdering ways.  He (God), needed an incapable, faith-wavering "every man," to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.  He needed this man, Moses, who ran away in shame and gave up all the power and prestige he had as an Egyptian dignitary, to go in his shepherd rags, and carrying nothing but fleas and a stick, back to the ruler of all of Egypt, and say, "Um . . . God sent me to tell you to release all of Egypt's laborers so that we can go on a three-day journey into the desert."  WOW!

But isn't that just like God?  When He called you out of your sin and called you to serve Him, what situation were you in?  I know I was a lot like Moses – a complete failure in need of a spirit boost.  I was about as low as I could be, and I am thankful that God didn't appear to me in a burning "bait shop" (I used to spend my Sundays fishing), and ask me to do something as grand as lead anybody anywhere.  I couldn't lead myself or my family at the time, and all He asked me to do was to follow . . . follow Him.  God.  The Great I Am.  I don't know if I was just dumb-struck or what, but I didn't question His call.  I didn't ask His name.  I didn't wonder how, or why, or what.  I just knew I had to follow.  And I'm pretty sure that's how most of you were called as well.  

So here's the rub . . . if we recognize and know that we are blood-bought, by the Blood of Christ, and we are called by God Himself . . . then why do we, in all our wisdom as "seasoned" Christians, question Him now?  Why do we not recognize His voice when He tries to talk to us?  Why have we allowed the world to be a greater influence over our lives than His Word?  C'mon Man!

We need to get back to the simple, un-complicated, un-cluttered relationship with God that He first called us to.  We need to stop adding God to the spare time of our day and give Him ALL of our hopes, and dreams, and hurts, and pain, and emptiness – after all, that's how He found us right?  We need to recognize The Great I Am as our source of Joy, and Peace, and Hope, and Fulfillment, and we need to press in to HIm so that we can recognize His Voice once again.  He wants to talk with us.  He desires to walk with us, and to laugh with us, and He so longs to share in our successes and yes, even our failures.  He wants to be involved with everything we are about.  He wants to be our God.  The One who saw us.  The One who called us.  The One who saved us.  The One who holds our very breath in His hands.

Our God.  Our Father.  I Am.  No other name; no other source; no other need for no other "thing."  Just Him.  That's ALL.  Amen!

Prayer

God, You ARE my God!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

But Why Me? – Exodus 3:11

11 Moses answered God, "But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

– Exodus 3:11

But Why Me?

Has God ever asked you to do something you feel you're not capable of doing?  Has He ever asked you to take the reins in a ministry, or to teach a Sunday School lesson, or maybe even to share your testimony in front of a group of strangers?  How did it make you feel? Were you suddenly gripped with fear?  Did your hands start sweating and your heart start beating faster at the prospect of having to take on a task that would take you way out of your comfort zone?  Well take heart, calm your fears, get that heart-rate back down – You're not alone!

Whether your name is Abraham, or Jacob, or Joseph, or Moses, (or even Frank, Bob, Harry, or Jimmy), God has tasks for us that will take us beyond what we think we are capable of.  Surely there are others who are more qualified to do these tasks, but for some reason, and in His infinite wisdom, God chooses us because we don't see the potential He created us with, and He wants to help us grow by stretching us.  It's really the only way we will ever find out what we are capable of.  For some of us, it's the only way we will ever try things that are new or different – we'd much rather stay where we are and stew in the familiar juices of mediocrity – it's just easier, and it requires no effort, and if we're really honest, it lets us stay off the ministry radar and allows us to live a benign Christianity – we are "there" but not effective.

It is through the "stretching" that we grow.  It is going beyond ourselves that lets us see God move.  It is the "new thing" that creates in us the kind of faith that God needs us to have in order for us to realize that through Him, ANYTHING is possible.  It's His design, His way, His nature, and He wants us to realize the potential He created us with, but we have to be willing to answer His call and step forward.  We have to say "yes" to the challenge, whatever it is, and then we need to let God give us the tools we need to succeed.  

So take heart, calm your fears, get that heart-rate back down to a normal level . . . just know that your task is to simply say "yes."  Once that's done, just let God lead you, because He's already cleared the path for your success.  All He needs is for you to take that first step. Once you're on your way, the journey you take will show off how wonderful God is, and it will show you that your life was not meant to be spent as a spectator . . . you were created to be a servant of the Most High God, worthy and able to be called a leader – capable of any and every task!

Prayer

Father, thank You for reminding us that it's OK to wonder "why me?"  By asking the question, we are able to see Your answer unfold before our very eyes, and we are able to grow and to increase our faith in You.  Help us to never be fearful of serving You.  Help us to have the confidence that by saying "yes," You will be faithful to help us and to see us through whatever task we face.  Thank You for creating in us, the ability to grow beyond ourselves and to realize the potential You have created in each one of us.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

It's Raining F.O.G.! – Genesis 49:25

25 The God of your father – may He help you! And may The Strong God – may He give you His blessings, blessings tumbling out of the skies, blessings bursting up from the Earth – blessings of breasts and womb. 

– Genesis 49:25

It's Raining F.O.G.!

Have you ever needed God's Help?  Have you sat there thinking, "Man! I could really use God's help right about now!"  I know that's a bit simplistic, but sometimes that's exactly what we need – simplicity in our pleas to God. "God, I need help!"  He knows you need help.  He's just waiting for you to say it and He wants you to stop trying to figure it out on your own and just let Him help you.  In fact, He'll more than help you.  He'll help you in a way that will show everyone how good and awesome He is.  He'll fix things you didn't even know were broken – He's that willing to put His hand to your purpose.

Are you facing something that is beyond your ability to take care of?  Even if you're not, are you in a place where you just need to get closer to God?  Do you want to really understand what it really means to live in His favor?  Simply ask, in the simplest of prayers, with the simplicity of a child's heart – in a plain, humble, unpretentious way – ask Him to give you His blessings.  You are His child. He just wants a simple relationship with you.  Just a, "Good morning Pops!  What-r-we gonna do today?"  or a "Good night Dad, I'll be watching for you in my dreams!"  Your conversations with Him don't have to be religious-speak, or long and drawn out "holy sounding" prayers filled with Thou, Thus, or Thee in every sentence.  Just normal conversations – intimate and familiar – like the kind you would have with your best friend.

The key is, that you have to have relationship with Him first.  You have to understand WHO is in charge (and YOU is not!).  You have to seek HIm out with all your energy and all the effort and ingenuity you can muster.  You have to willingly and expectingly open yourself up to HIm so that He can take all the junk out of your life.  You have to know who He is, and then act like you know who He is.  Then, when you simply come and say, "Father, I need You!"  The Strong God will bless you, and His blessings will come tumbling out of the sky and bursting up from the earth!  Just like His love does . . . for you!

Prayer

Father thank You for wanting to bless Your children.  You are the Strong God, the MIght God . . . my Papa!  And Your blessings are so very cool!  They come in all shapes and sizes and they pour in from every direction!  You so freely give, and I just ask your forgiveness for the times I take You for granted.  Thank You for Your Love and Your blessings, and I pray blessings over all my brothers and sisters today. Help them to see You today and to understand how simple a relationship with You can be.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Are You Listening? – Genesis 46:2

2 God spoke to Israel in a vision that night: "Jacob! Jacob!" "Yes?" he said. "I'm listening." 

– Genesis 46:2

Are You Listening?

Do you know when God is talking to you?  Can you tell when He is trying to get your attention?  Sometimes it's subtle, but then sometimes He shouts your name twice, "Jacob! Jacob!"  I'm afraid that I'm such a heavy sleeper that I probably would snore right through an earthquake, but I don't think I would sleep through God shouting my name.

If you're like me, you spend a lot of time trying to figure out what it is that God wants you to do.  In fact, I am always asking Him, "Lord, what do You want me to do?"  I never hear Him shouting my name (let alone shouting it twice!), but I trust that in the everyday things that I do and the places I go, God speaks to me through people, and in circumstances, and through events that are always taking place around me.  I try to keep myself in position to be in just the right time and place so that when God is ready to move, I'll be ready to get in on the action.

Now there was one time when I was awoken in the middle of the night by what seemed like an audible voice shouting "Go Home!"  I was living in Oregon at the time, and I believe it was God telling me to move back to Texas.  I had spent enough time escaping from the pain of my divorce and it was time for me to grow in God's new plan.  I went back home and a lot of healing took place. I also grew closer to the Lord and I learned a lot about myself.  The Lord blessed me and He used me in ministry. 

God speaks to us in many different ways but we have to be listening in order to hear what it is He is trying to say.  We have to be talking with Him every day, throughout the day (not just for 5 minutes during an obligatory prayer and devotion time).  We have to be in relationship with our Father in order to hear and recognize His voice and the way or the mannerisms He uses when He speaks.  It could be through music, or maybe conversations with friends; it could be in times of quiet and reflection, or it could even be in the middle of a crowded office during working hours.  God speaks all the time, we just have to be in a place where we can understand that it's God, and then act as the Holy Spirit guides us.  

Who knows, God could be getting ready to take you on the adventure of a lifetime . . . you got your ears on?

Prayer

Father, help us to hear Your voice. Help us to recognize that it is You and to answer without fear or reservation.  Birth in us the desire to listen and to obey.  Draw us closer in so that we can know You better and so we can understand what it is You are trying to say to us.  Thank You Father!

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Sometimes Bad is Good – Genesis 45:5

 5 But don't feel badly, don't blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives.

– Genesis 45:5

Sometimes Bad is Good

Sometimes I think we give the devil way too much credit.  Whenever something bad happens to us we immediately think we are under attack from the enemy and we go into survival mode.  But then there are times when what we should be doing is running head-first into "thrive" mode because God has a plan, and even though we can't know it in the moment, His plans are all about saving lives.  He wants to do it through us, but in order for us to get to the right place in His plan, He has to refine us . . . He has to build our character

Building character takes time.  It also takes going through stuff – and it's often pretty bad stuff – so that we can see and know the resolve that we have through the power of God and His Holy Spirit.  Sometimes we have to be stripped of everything we think we know, and we have to go places we'd much rather not go, and we might even have to find out some things about ourselves that cut a bit too much.  But through it all, if we stay strong in the Lord, and we serve Him with a joyful heart – even in the midst of the most difficult struggles – His plan will unfold before our eyes, and our walk, our faith, our hope, and our love for Him will deepen beyond measure.  Oh, and a few folks will get saved along the way.  Who knows, like Joseph, your whole family could get saved!

So the next time you are faced with a big problem, or something terrible suddenly happens (which at first glance looks like it's going to take you into the pits of despair), praise God first (because He should always be your Go-to-Guy).  Don't give the devil any credit (because He's just a wimp anyway).  Put your working gloves on (because you got some heavy lifting to do).  Take a deep breath (and breath in the power of the Holy Spirit), and run!  Run fast!  Run hard . . . headfirst and with wild abandon, straight into the heart of the problem.  Thrive in the circumstances and let the world see your resolve.  Smile – always smile – and then smile some more.  And each day . . . every day . . . SEE God work.  HEAR God speaking to you.  FEEL God, because He's right there with you, holding you up and cheering you on.  

Sometimes God puts you in a bad situation, because He knows you, and He believes in you, and He needs you to know that.  He needs you to have His character so that you can be the instrument through which He will save lives.

Prayer

Father thank You for reminding us that sometimes You want to build our character, and to do so, we have to go through eye-opening, hope building, and faith-strengthening stuff.  Thank You for letting us know that in those times, You have a plan, and we can trust that You will work out all the details to pull us through.  We just have to keep our eyes, and our hope, and our faith, fixed on You, no matter what the circumstance.  You are The Strong God, and we can overcome all things . . . through You.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

But What If They Take My Donkey! – Genesis 43:18

18 But they became anxious when they were brought into Joseph's home, thinking, "It's the money; he thinks we ran off with the money on our first trip down here. And now he's got us where he wants us – he's going to turn us into slaves and confiscate our donkeys."

– Genesis 43:18

But What If They Take My Donkey!

Do you know anyone who constantly worries? Someone who frets and ponders the what-if scenarios over and over in their mind?  They can take the simplest situation and turn it into a huge dramatic production because (in their mind), every bad thing that could possibly go wrong weighs heavier than the freedom that comes from simply experiencing the moment.  They are prisoners to their self-imposed uncertainty and their wild imagination gone wilder.

Now don't get me wrong, sometimes it is good to run through the "what-ifs" and to be prepared, you know . . . just in case.  But when we go from being practical and prepared, to being taken over by the fear of the unknown, we can become paralyzed and useless.  And what's more, we drag everyone else down with us – like some Titanical, Poseidon Adventurous, Towering Inferno-like movie, it's just one disaster after another.  

Pretty soon worriers find themselves isolated because, well . . . no one wants to be around a Gloomy Gus.  If it can be helped, we avoid them like a plague that is going to come soon – which will make things a lot worse than we expected – and then it will continue to grow into something bigger – and we don't have the room for something bigger – and even if we did, there wouldn't be enough chairs for everyone – and not only that, we forgot to go to the store so we don't have enough napkins – and the ones we do have don't match, etc., etc., and on-and-on-and-on!

The funny thing is that in today's scripture story, Joseph was about to lay out a feast for his brothers.  He was about to pour out a blessing so big that in their wildest dreams they would not have been able to think up anything this good. No, they couldn't have known this, but instead of trusting in God, and taking on the situation with the confidence (and humility), of one of God's own – His Favored children, they begin to let their imaginations run amuck with what-if scenarios – even to the point of worrying about the donkeys!  Really?!  The donkeys?!  C'mon Man!

But isn't that what we do?  Even if we aren't prone to worrying about things?  We get faced with an uncertain situation and instead of going into it with the full confidence as God's Favored, we start trying to figure out the whys, and the hows, and the what about this, and maybe that.  We can get worked up about nothing pretty quickly and if we aren't careful, we can miss out on what God is trying to show us because we are so blinded by the fear of the unknown.  Our Heavenly Father must sit and shake His head sometimes at how silly we can be.  We have seen Him work in, and through us; we have watched Him pour out His blessings time-and-time again; we have been witness to the abundant Love that flows freely from God's hand, and yet we STILL doubt, and we STILL lack trust, and we STILL battle the pride that causes us to wonder, "But what about me?  What's going to happen to me?"

Let's stop doing that!  Let's stop telling God that we don't trust Him.  Let's stop showing Him that we think we can handle things better than He can.  Let's stop being silly "Prayer Worriers," and let's start acting like we know who we are.  We are Victorious Warriors!  We are Overcomers!  We Believe, and we Trust, and we Live in Him!  We walk in the Power of The Holy Spirit!  We have been Purchased with the Grace of the Blood of Christ!  We Fear Nothing!  We Want for Nothing!  We Stand, United as the Favored Children of THE Strong and Might God!  Hallelujah!!!

Prayer

Father, forgive our lack of trust in You when we worry.  Help us to remember that we walk in Your Grace, everyday, in every way, in every situation, whether we know what's about to happen or not.  Help us in our unbelief so that we can reflect who we are – Your Favored Children!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Shiny New Me! – Genesis 42:8

8 Joseph knew who they were, but they didn't know who he was.

– Genesis 42:8

Shiny New Me!

So what's your transformation story?  Is it an amazing rags-to-riches kind of thing, a slow-and-steady wins the race kind of thing, or is it more of a wild and crazy 180° tailspin saved at the last second kind of thing?  Each of our stories is different, but one thing we all have in common is that we aren't who we used to be.  Heck, for some of us, the difference between the saved us and the old sinner us is like night and day.  The life we left behind, the people from our past, those who voted us most likely to die young, would never be able to recognize us now, and even if we told them, "This is who I am - we used to be good friends," they still wouldn't be able to connect the dots.

The Blood of Jesus, which washed away our sins, has made a new creation! And even though all the DNA is the same, and our general appearance is probably pretty much the way our gene-pool dictated, the inner man is different, our countenance is different, the way we look at the world and everyone in it . . . is different.  The Love of Christ has made us different and we have been made new - Hallelujah!

Joseph's brothers, who years earlier threw him in a pit and then sold him into slavery, are now kneeling before him and asking for his help.  They had forgotten all about him, and even though I'm sure a few of them were probably still having nightmares about the events that separated them all those years ago, meeting up with their brother was the last thing from their minds as they cowered before the one who held their fate in his hands.

Joseph, the scrawny dreamer of a kid; the spoiled brat who always got the best of everything; the brother that was hastily swept under the rug like an unwanted mess, was now the most powerful man in their known world.  He, ironically, held their fate in his hands, and they were all unaware that if not for the Favor of God over Joseph's life, their necks could very easily be on the chopping block.  But God . . .

God changed everything, and even though it took many years and many trials for Joseph to truly understand the meaning of Grace . . . not receiving it, but in giving it, out of pure Love - even though undeserved.  He now had the opportunity to grow beyond himself and to understand how God works and how He worked in his own life.  

Grace is a gift.  It frees us.  It changes us.  It transforms us and creates in us the capacity to Love and to Forgive.  It is ALL God.  It's who He is.  It's what He's ALL about.

So today, why not reflect on how God's Grace and Forgiveness transformed your life.  Remember your chains and the pits you were in before He brought you out, dusted you off, and changed your life forever.  Grasp the concept that it wasn't done for you.  Huh?  What?  OK, I know it WAS done for you, but it was also done SO you . . . so you could affect change.  So you could change someone's life.

It was done so you could show God to someone else.  Perhaps to the very ones who expected you to be dead by now.  Maybe it was for the member of your family who you haven't spoken to for years because of some silly thing no one can remember anyway.  It could be for that person who just rubs you the wrong way no matter how nice you try to be.  You see everyone deserves forgiveness.  Everyone should have the chance to experience Grace.  Will it be through you?  Will it be through me?   

Hmmmmm . . . now there's something to think on today.

Prayer

Father, Thank You for pulling me out of the pit and for transforming my life.  Thank You for the Grace and for the Blood of Your Son.  Thank You that You Loved me so much.  I pray that I can take the change that You have made in me, and that I can BE Grace to someone else.  Help me to see the need and to recognize the opportunity to help You change another life . . . forever.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

It's God In Us! – Genesis 41:16

16 Joseph answered, "Not I, but God. God will set Pharaoh's mind at ease."

– Genesis 41:16

It's God In Us!

Joseph was one smart hombre.  He knew where his wisdom came from.  He knew that it was God who gave him favor, and he enjoyed living in the F.O.G. every day.  But it wasn't always the case, and it took Joseph quite a few years to get to the point in his life where he was able to understand that it is God who gives, and it is God who takes away.  In his youth, Joseph was pretty self-centered and very spoiled.  He thought very highly of himself and was oblivious to what was happening around him.  It took half of his life spent as a slave and a prisoner, being able to see and experience God moving in and through him – through his adversity – to get to this point of understanding and wisdom.

God is our source of power.  He is the One who gave us the ability and capability to speak, to think, to move, to feel, and to breathe. He designed our very first heartbeat, and He is the One who gently pulled our first breath out of our tiny lungs.  Our life, our being, our very existence, is all about God, and He alone is wise.  Any "wisdom" we presume to have, any street-smarts, or business savvy, or keen intuition that we think we've developed throughout our lifetime, is only through the providence of our Heavenly Father.  So with that understanding, why then do we try to do things out of our own abilities?  When a problem arises, why do we make God the last resort?  It happens all the time, and it proves my point.  If we were really wise (and street smart, and business savvy, and with a keen intuition, etc.), then we would recognize Who has the answer for any and all of our problems and we would go to Him FIRST!  We would trust His council and heed His advice.  We would pour over every letter of His Word so that we could gain some understanding of His heart and His love for us.  We would seek Him every day, and we would draw as close to Him as we possibly could so that our confidence in His authority would be our go-to pitch.

Joseph was confident in God.  He knew that God could do anything because he'd experienced it for himself.  He understood that no matter the circumstance or situation, God was there and that the only way through it was to trust completely and wholly in Him.  Joseph was not afraid to tell Pharaoh, "I can't do it," or "I don't have the answer," or "I'm not able."  He was bold, in fact, in these statements, but he was bolder still when he proclaimed, "God will set Pharaoh's mind at ease!" "God CAN do it!" "God WILL do it!"  Joseph knew that by honoring God first, the situation would resolve itself, and things would turn out good for him as well.

You see, God is in us.  He is always there, and if we will just acknowledge Him and allow Him to be God in and of our lives FIRST, then no matter what we face, we will have the answer we need, when we need it, and how it needs to happen.  It's God.  God in us.  God through us. God with us.  The Strong and Mighty God.  The Wise God.  Our Father . . . who loves us very much!

Prayer

Father, You are God!  Your Will be done!  You are my Portion and my Shield, and my Strength!  Thank You for always having my back and for handling all my situations.  Forgive me for the times when I leave You behind.  Forgive my pride and my ignorance.  Help me to always be mindful that You are in me!  I love You my Father!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard