Joseph
I have preached for ½ century & I can only think of one sermon that was worst than the one today. In my heart I felt as though I had what God desired but it was flat, empty & a struggle. Sadly it will be a month before I can preach to the teens again. God put their souls in my hands & I made a mess of it today.
Gladys will stay in our house with the 5 boys & 2 girls while we are gone.
Cindy is in the hospital having a hemodialysis catheter inserted in her leg.
We have seen great men and women of the Bible all of whom were very normal and even carnal people of God. Now arises a young man by the name of Joseph. He will be the first person in the Bible to demonstrate that it is possible for a natural man of God to demonstrate restraint, obedience and the ability to forgive beyond what natural flesh desires.
He is the 11th son of Jacob and the 1st born by Rachel who was the most loved of all Jacob’s wives and concubines. Favoritism had brought disaster to Jacob’s family and now we see how jealousy can lead to resentment, bitterness and enough hatred in the hearts of a family to actually contemplate murder.
He is sold into slavery and assumed a few years later that he had died so his brothers were off-the-hook although they had broken their father’s heart to where he was still mourning years later. And since Rachel had died Jacob really had a hole in his heart that nothing on this earth could fill the emptiness.
Joseph will make good decisions. He will remain faithful and pure. He will make good decisions and eventually become the second most powerful man in Egypt.
To be continued.