You probably know the account of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers and subsequently becoming very powerful in Egypt. I don’t imagine that Joseph had any idea about the good that would occur later in his life as a result of what his brothers did.

In Genesis 50:20 he reveals himself to his brothers and says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

How often do things happen to us that we think are terrible, but they result in something good later on. God has a plan for each of us which may include events that are not pleasant, but are necessary to accomplish something good.

Dear Lord, we cannot even begin to understand the reasons and complexity of Your plans. Help us trust that you have things under control in our lives and when we do, even what seems terrible You will use for good. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Peter provides direction to the church leaders in 2 Peter 5:2-4, “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.”

I think this is direction for all of us on how to lead those we are responsible for, including our families, if we are parents.

Today is my parent’s 60th wedding anniversary, and they are tremendous Christian examples to their family flock of 17 children spouses and grandchildren (plus 5 dogs). They live as clear examples what Paul describes in Galatians 5:22,23, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

We are all so blessed to be in their flock. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Dear Lord, thank you for the blessing and outstanding example of our parents Paul and Nancy, who lead, guide, and demonstrate their faiths every day, living by the fruit of the Spirit. May we all learn from their example. To your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I read a Swedish proverb written on a small tag it that said, “Love me when I least deserve it, because that is when I really need it.”

As Christians, we need to remember that sentiment; Not waiting until people deserve it before loving them. Paul tells us that God did just that for us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

God didn’t wait for us to solve all our sinful problems before loving us enough to save us. We need to do the same, and love people first, even when they have sin problems, like all of us do.

Dear Lord, you presented the perfect example for us by sending Jesus to save us while we were undeserving sinners. Then Jesus showed the same example by loving and caring for those who had their own sin problems. Help us follow this example and love first rather waiting for people to deserve it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Think of some famous person, U.S. President, Business Leader, or Celebrity. How many generations back do you think we can identify the names of their ancestors? How far back can we identify our ancestors? Most likely, we can identify our great grandparents, or maybe their parents. That would be four generations back.

Matthew 1:1-16, lists the fathers and some of the mothers of Jesus’ ancestors back to Abraham. Matthew 1:17 says, “All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.”

Luke 3:23-38 also has the a list of Jesus’ ancestors recorded all the way back to Adam, 76 Generations.

Though there are some variations between the Luke and Matthew list, historians have logical reasons for these variations. I find it amazing to have this type of information for a person that lived 2000 years ago. It is difficult to dispute the significance of Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord, What a blessing it is for us to have historical information about Jesus. The extensive consistency and authenticity of Biblical accounts of history are being identified every day. Help us use this information to support our understanding, our faiths, and our witness to others, that they may come to know you, also. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is an expression first recorded several hundred years ago that goes, “There but for the grace of God go I.” This expression was used when seeing someone who’s mistakes or bad behaviors resulted in punishment or terrible consequences. In modern language, it would be like saying, “If not for the grace of God, that could be me.” It was used when looking at someone we would normally be inclined to judge, like the panhandler, drunk driver, or shoplifter.

James says in James 4:11-12, “Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?”

So when that thought comes to mind about tempting us to judge or condemn someone, we should remember, “but for the grace of God, it could be me.”

Dear Lord, Thank you for your saving grace and mercy. Help us remember that it is you working in us that allows us to believe and be saved, not anything to do with our abilities. by your grace we go. In Jesus’ name. Amen.