Listening to the Word

Genesis 39-41; Luke 16   “’…My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”...So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’” Genesis 39:9; 41:38 Joseph was anointed by the Spirit of God and it was evident to those around him. The presence of the Lord is the most valuable reality in our lives. The enemy of our soul will attempt to rob us of the anointing of the Holy Spirit through temptation and willful sin. However, God’s mercy, grace, and restoring presence will prevail. God’s presence in our lives is a deterrent to sin and functions like salt and light in whatever context we are in. God’s presence also gives us favor, wisdom, insight, and authority. Joseph rose to leadership in whatever context he was in because God’s presence was leading through him. The Creator of the universe has offered us his very presence to give us peace, joy, love, stre...

Genesis 37-38; Psalms 7; Luke 15   “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more…His brothers said to him, ‘Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?’ And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers.” Genesis 37:5, 8, 9 Not all dreams from the Lord are meant to be shared with others. Prophetic dreams are meant to encourage us in our circumstances. We put them ‘on the shelf’, and when the circumstances that the dream points to happens, the Lord reminds us of the dream and it serves as a confirmation of God’s hand at work. However, when we unwisely share prophetic words or dreams prematurely, they stir up the anger of the enemy of our souls. Joseph experienced God’s sovereign blessing through his trials and tests in Egypt, and through this learned self-control. He later used that self-control in the disclosure of his identity to his brothers an...

Genesis 34-36; Luke 14 “…’Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.’ Jesus replied: ‘A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests…Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town   and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame…Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet….And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.’” Luke 14:15, 16, 21, 23, 24, 27 Jesus told the story of inviting guests to a wedding banquet and being rejected. So, the invitation was expanded to the poor, crippled, blind, and lame, with the goal of filling the banquet hall. He then spoke to large crowds which probably included the poor, crippled, blind, and lame. He said that anyone who wants to be his disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him.   So, which one ...

Genesis 31-33; Luke 13 “Jacob answered Laban, ‘I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.’…In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups…Then Jacob prayed, ‘O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, “Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper…Save me, I pray from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid…”’” Genesis 31:31; 32:7, 9, 11 Jacob, the deceiver, had run out of tricks and options. God’s call to return to Canaan put him on a collision course with his father-in-law, Laban, and his brother Esau. Fear gripped Jacob’s heart and mind. Often our greatest fears are connected to relationships with those who are closest to us. God’s call exposed those fears in Jacob’s heart and drew him to cry out to God for salvation. God’s tests are not meant to destroy, but to transform us if we repent, humble ourselves, and cry out to him. What fears or ...

Genesis 29-30; Luke 12   “…’Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions…That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know…will be beaten with few blows.’” Luke 12:42-44, 47, 48 When we live as steward-servants in Christ’s kingdom, with an expectation of his return, we serve differently. When we understand that our service in Christ’s kingdom now is an apprenticeship for future responsibility, we also serve differently. Living and serving as stewards of the King’s resources and people means we don’t use people or resources to advance or enrich ourselves; they don’t belong to us! The rewards for faithful service are not the s...

Genesis 27-28; Psalms 4, Luke 11   “He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.” ‘…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’” Luke 11:2-4, 13 Jesus’ teaching on prayer focused on worship and full dependence on our Father in heaven. We have often isolated this prayer from the teaching around it; but, Jesus was clear that through persistence we, too, could receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who empowers and enables us to live a life of prayer. The 120 early disciples spent ten days in the Upper Room asking the Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Why do we believe there isn’t more of the Holy Spirit’s presence that we could discover, and why are we so casual about this gift? The Lord’s Prayer comes alive in the power of the Holy Spirit. It becomes our life, ...