Tag: God’s Plan

God Made It Turn out for the Best

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2021-03-06
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Genesis 50:16-20
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 16 So they sent this message to Joseph: …. 17 Now we ask you to please forgive the terrible things we did. After all, we serve the same God that your father worshiped.
When Joseph heard this, he started crying.
18 Right then, Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to the ground in front of him and said, “We are your slaves.”
19 But Joseph told them, “Don’t be afraid! I have no right to change what God has decided. 20 You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing. 

OBSERVATION: I believe that most family divisions, murders and in-fighting is caused by revenge seekers, and hatred, that builds up over time because one did not get their own way and because of jealousy. It was no different in Bible days, but in the case of Joseph, we see where the end-result was quite the opposite. Oh that we may use this man of God to help us re-mold our lives into better servants for the most high God.

APPLICATION: If someone steals, we want to cut off their fingers and/or seek revenge through the courts. If someone murders, we want to kill the murderer in revenge, or have the legal system put them to death. If a family member pulls away and has little, to no, contact with parents and siblings, we are ready to disinherit them and cut them off from all family decisions. But is life that ‘cut and dry’? Does it always favor us in the way that others behave or act towards us? In John 3:16 we are told that God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only precious Son. Be reminded that ‘the world’ is not clarified to indicate that He really meant that it was for the rich that He sent His Son, nor the saved, nor just Americans, but that He did this for the world at large. Words from an old children’s song reads: ‘All are precious in His sight’. So as imitators of God; as His children; and as a people committed through salvation, and obeying the commands of God, why are we so different to our Maker? In the story of another child of God – Joesph, we could read in Genesis where his brothers were so jealous of the love his dad had for him, that they thought of killing him, but then decided to just starve him to death by throwing him in a dry well, although they ultimately sold him to passerby travelers, hoping that they nor their dad would ever see him again. But Joseph stayed true to His Maker for he: served the king faithfully; he used every opportunity to give God credit when speaking with others; and he sought God daily for wisdom and direction. This was true in the king’s court, and while in prison (because of false accusations). Jospeh saw God’s word come true through the very dream that caused division between he and his brothers, for they showed themselves before him on bended knees pleading for him to sell grain to them. Friends, God had a plan for Joseph, and He used very unlikely circumstances to get him in position, and to humble the brothers of Joseph who were out to kill him. Is our God still capable of working out His plan in our lives, and in the lives of those that we come into contact with – for His good? I have no doubt that our awesome God is just as powerful, loving, wise and unpredictable (in man’s eyes) as He always was. Joseph said that God worked out His plan for the best of many in the land, so we should not question God when He’s sending us in a different direction than we envisioned for ourselves. God’s plan will turn out for the best, and nothing we can devise could ever beat that. So trust God, be obedient to Him and follow His commands, so that you may be a part of the ‘best’ plan!

PRAYER: Dear God, please forgive us for giving so much credit to ‘happen chance’; to ‘good luck’; to us being deserving of such a blessing; and to any work that we feel like we have done to deserve Your love, wisdom and direction. May Your will be done oh Lord, and may my readers and I be obedient servants so that we may be a part of Your plan. Oh that You may receive honor and glory from everything we are involved in and everything that we share with others. Thank You for reminding us of the awesome work You did in the life of our ancestor, Joseph. I believe You can do it again – even in, and through our lives, as You work out Your plan in our lives. We serve an awesome God, and I praise You for Your goodness and Your plan for us! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

God’s Plan

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, The Plan, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2021-03-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Genesis 45:4-5; 7-8
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT:  4 …. “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 Now do not be upset or blame yourselves because you sold me here. It was really God who sent me ahead of you to save people’s lives. 
7 God sent me ahead of you to rescue you in this amazing way and to make sure that you and your descendants survive. 8 So it was not really you who sent me here, but God…..

OBSERVATION: God built into us a conscience to help us recognize when we have done something that really hurts another person, especially mentally. I’m sure that the brothers of Joseph knew that their time had come when they realized that Joseph knew who they were, and he had the power to revenge himself. But God – full of mercy and love, melted the heart of Joseph and caused him to love his brothers more than anything else. Think of a time that God totally controlled your mind to act completely opposite to what the world would expect. This may help you fully grasp what God did in this reunion of Joseph and his brothers.

APPLICATION: Imagine facing someone, where you may have been responsible for the death of their spouse, child or very close relative. You biggest nightmare would be with them pulling a gun on you and getting even. But what if they acted totally opposite and greeted you in a loving and forgiving manner? You might worry that they have lost their mind, or totally don’t recognize you, right? Can you truly picture this: the brothers of Joseph approaching the King’s assistant (Joseph, the governor) in hopes that he would allow them to purchase food to help their family survive the drought. Surprisingly, Joseph asked way more questions about their family structure than they ever expected, but he seemed more than willing to sell them provisions. But what would you make of the governor then inviting them to his chambers for dinner, and then asked his attendants and guards to leave? Could it be that the Governor wants to eliminate these foreigners personally? But he seems emotionally attached to them, what’s with that? I could only imagine that the brothers were more on edge about the unknown than anyone could possibly understand. But the final blow comes when the governor tells them his true identity – their long lost, or presumed dead, brother? No doubt the brothers are sure of the repercussion they are about to face from Joseph, for they dropped him in a deep well to die of natural causes. They changed their minds and sold him to a passing group Of warriors. But friends, don’t you find it interesting that God used even the wickedness of Joseph’s brothers to fulfill His perfect will for Joseph, for the king, and for Egypt and the neighboring countries? Wouldn’t it have been awful for Joseph to hold a grudge and possibly kill his brothers who were a vital part of God’s ultimate plan for Joseph, his dad and his family? Remember how Joseph gave credence to God while in prison and in foretelling the meaning of dreams? Remember how Jospeh gave credit to God when he gave the meaning of the King’s dreams? Remember how God gave confidence to the king to trust Joseph with being governor at this critical time? Think of the times that you reflect back on your life and could now see clearly how God was clearing the path for the fulfillment of His will in your life. Isn’t it amazing how awesome our God is? For my readers who may have enjoyed this story, but due to lack of relationship with God, you may not be able to identify; let me encourage you to have a little talk with Jesus. Consider reading my Footnote below, especially the underlying scriptures behind the link ‘To Know Jesus’. I pray that you will be convinced of your need for submission to the King of this universe – Jesus, my Lord! He has a plan for your life also, just as He did in the life of Joseph.

PRAYER: Lord You are good, and Your mercies are never ending. You care for us, even in our stubbornness and disobedience. You love us unconditionally, like you did Joseph, and even in spite of who we are. Thank You Jesus! Please forgive us for being less than perfect, and give us more strength, wisdom and power to overcome our weaknesses. May today be a brand new day of seeing us imitating You and obeying Your commands. The world needs to see Jesus in us today. May they not be disappointed, Lord. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

To Experience The Life God Has Planned For Us

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Eternal Life, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-07-10
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Galatians 6:7-10
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 7 Make no mistake: God can’t be mocked. What you give is what you get. What you sow, you harvest. 8 Those who sow seeds into their flesh will only harvest destruction from their sinful nature. But those who sow seeds into the Spirit shall harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 May we never tire of doing what is good and right before our Lord because in His season we shall bring in a great harvest if we can just persist. 10 So seize any opportunity the Lord gives you to do good things and be a blessing to everyone, especially those within our faithful family.

OBSERVATION: I believe that if we were planning a trip to a larger country, perhaps to visit relatives or friends, we would seek advice about what to do in preparation for a safe and enjoyable trip, and we would check our list multiple times to make sure that we have everything in order for our trip. In life, each day that we awaken we have one more opportunity to check our list and make sure that everything is in order for our ultimate destination after this life here on earth. Let us meditate on the recommendations and requirements God gave Paul to share with us in today’s Scripture.

APPLICATION: No matter how trivial, or even silly, some of the recommendations may sound that we receive for our trip imagined above, we usually pay attention, especially if this is our first trip to this new location! For those of us who have accepted Jesus as Lord of our lives, we made our decision based on the truth of God’s Word about the awesome, unconditional love Jesus has for us. We were also overwhelmed at the thought of Him preparing a home for us to be with Him in Heaven after transitioning from this old world. Our Scripture today is an awesome reminder of what we should be doing as a child of the King, while still here on earth, for you see, we are Christ’s ambassadors who should be striving to be more like Him in every way. In fact, I believe that God saved us so that we might share that great news with others that we come into contact with each day, with hopes that they too might see and believe. Our Scripture gives us some very sobering facts though, and I believe it might help for us to be reminded of these: 1). What you sow, you will reap; If you sow only things of the flesh (worldly things), then you could expect eternal damnation. That is promised for those of the world – those who follow it’s leader, Satan. Friends, we are not ignorant to the things God has taught us through His Word. The things He expects of us. But like some may sadly say in humorous fashion: ‘But I did it anyway’; 2). Those who sow seeds of the Spirit – things inspired and prompted by the Spirit through our relationship with Him, could expect to enjoy eternal life with the God of our universe. This is a good time to stop and ponder what a just God should do for those of us that look to the Spirit for our guidance, yet proceed with doing the things of the world and its master – Satan. It’s just not right, and we should expect nothing but the worst possible outcome. But for those who choose to please God, and do the things taught by God, they will be with Him in glory some sweet day! 3) Never tire in doing the will of God. If there’s something confirmed in God’s Word, then we know it’s His will. If He practiced it while here on earth, then we know it’s His will that we imitate Him. We are, after all, created in His image to follow His example! And 4). We are to look for opportunities of service, and make it our goal to jump in there and be God’s hands and feet on the ground. Our Scripture today encourages us to especially be on the lookout for possible acts of service to fellow believers. You see, they know what Jesus looks like (His actions; His character; His love; His caring attitude), so fellow believer will recognize you for what they see in you. Try doing this often for believers, because it will be a lot easier trying to please them than doing the same for unbelievers. Friends, I believe that Paul wanted to remind us that we are to act like who we claim to be. If we are truly followers of Christ, then it should be clear to the world whose we are. If there is hypocrisy in there, then we had best clear things up between ourselves and Christ, for we are either His saints, or we are not, and our actions will align with either #1 or #2 above. I pray that for everyone who reads this devotional today, you, and God, will know without a shadow of doubt that you fit into #2 above, and that God has a home prepared for you in Heaven – even today!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, it seems that being exposed to the world, we are so easily swayed by its wicked ways. Yes, even those of us that have sought You out and invited You into our lives. Yes, we tend to be influenced way too much by the things of the world. Additionally, many of us ‘ride the fence’ and seem incapable of truly letting our light shine for You in every circumstance of life. Please Lord, through Your Holy Spirit, tug on our hearts door and give us strength to stand firm for the One in whom we believe. Please help us to seek Your power, especially at those times when we struggle to escape worldly influences. We need You each and every day, for we are determined to live just like You, even in this world of heartaches, strife and troubles. We must depend on You, and we must follow Your will for our lives. We need You every hour dear Lord. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!