In Genesis chapter 42 we read about Joseph’s brothers coming to Egypt to buy food for their families. The brothers who came did not recognize Joseph, whom they had sold into slavery many years ago, but he did recognize them. Lets’ review the highlights of the Joseph story: 1. He was the favorite of his father Jacob 2. His brothers hated Joseph because it was so obvious he was the favored one 3. Joseph told his brothers he dreamed they would bow before him. 4. Their hatred multiplied and they conspired to kill him. 5. Instead of murdering Joseph, they sold him into slavery. 6. While in Egypt as a slave, Joseph had many low points. 7. Ultimately, he became the number 2 leader in the Egyptian empire. 8. Great famine was in the land and Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy food 9. Unbeknownst to the brothers, Joseph is the one who holds their future. None of the brothers recognized him, but Joseph knew who they were. Joseph toyed with them, by holding one of the brothers in prison until the others returned with Joseph’s brother Benjamin. Additionally, he had their money put back in their sacks which terrified them when they returned home to Jacob. Plus, he required that they bring his other brother Benjamin, or he would not sell them food. It took time but it all fell into place. Ultimately Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and the healing began. This whole story is in Genesis 38-50 and shows the emotion and patience that Joseph took to pay back his brothers for selling him into slavery. Ultimately, he did forgive them, but it was a process. The old bromide to “forgive and forget” is often used but it isn’t so easy as we see in the story of Joseph. It took time. When your brother offends you, it may be easy to say I forgive you. But don’t walk away feeling guilty that you haven’t forgotten the offense. Forgiveness frees us from anger, bitterness and self-righteousness. We are human though but as Christ told Peter “I do not say to you, (forgive) up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Mt 18:22. Over time you will forget as old offenses fade. In the meantime, continue to pray for those who have offended you and for yourself that you will put the problem out of your mind forever. Do not depend on your own ability. Forgiveness is a process. Let us remember that but begin the process prayerfully and the peace of Christ will be with you! Hallelujah what a Savior!

For anyone who has a child, you know the watchful eye you keep over their lives. From early childhood to the point of legal maturity we frequently worry about their safety.  Abraham was known as a friend of God.  Abraham’s faith in God was verified by his obedience to God.  In Gensis 22 we find how Abraham was tested to the utmost when God told him to take his only begotten son to Mt. Moriah and sacrifice Issac him as a burnt offering.  We are not told the suffering that Abraham must have gone through.  We don’t know his thoughts and how he may have tried to figure out how to bargain with God that he, Abraham, would give his life in Issac’s stead.  We don’t hear about the pain and agony of his soul.  We can only see the obedience of Abraham as he carried the knife that would mean the death of Issac and prove his faith. We can rejoice that God intervened and Issac was saved from certain death.   Abraham displayed the ultimate in faith when he was prepared to do what God commanded.  Thousands of years later, God would demonstrate His love for us by allowing His only begotten son to die in our stead on the cross at Calvary. Thinking about faith in action we can give thanks to God that we have a man like Abraham as a guide when we consider our sacrifices to prove our faith.  We can  demonstrate our  faith when Christ says, “follow me?’

The Jewish people’s departure from Egypt heading to the Promised Land is a story of epic proportions.  All happened because the Lord God directed their footsteps from the beginning to the end. God created plagues on the Egyptians, parted the waters, and rained manna down from the sky.  They trusted God to get them out of Egypt, but when they arrived at the gate to the Promised Land, they lost their trust in Him!  They saw giants in the land and concluded they could not overcome them despite the miracles they had witnessed along the way. There is a practical lesson in this.  Many have trusted God to save them from the penalty of sin by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, but then failed to trust Him from the power of sin.  Despite this, they live in defeat.  All their lives they wander in life’s desert as the children of Israel did so long ago.  As a result, they come short of God’s best for their lives.  They made the choice to trust Jesus but failed to follow him into peace, prosperity and power while on earth. God wants His very best for His children just as people want the best for their children.  He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins but more:  following Jesus is entering The Promised Land and leads to peace that passes all understanding! Hallelujah what a Savior!

What do you say to a new person in Christ or a person who has been attending church but has let their spiritual life wane when they ask, “how do I grow in Christ?” What an opportunity to witness  right now!  What an opportunity to tell them what the Lord has in store for them!  This is not the time to tell them to see one of our pastors to get guidance.  You want to be prepared to help them right then.  Some may think, “well I just don’t know how to express what I know to be true, and I am shy about it.”  The following are some easy things to remember and say. 1.       Read your Bible every day.  Set aside quiet time to be with the Lord.  As you read you will find spiritual lessons in almost every verse.  Remember who wrote the Bible using different men to pen the words.  It was the Holy Spirit who inspired every single word.  It is best to read it first thing every day then you will carry it in your heart all day. 2.      Pray!  We are told to pray without ceasing.  No, not every minute of the day but in all things ask for guidance and direction.  Your prayers will be answered.  It may not happen right away, but God answers prayers.  He never fails! 3.      Attend church.  Make it a priority.  Don’t work it into your schedule, make your schedule around church.  4.      Be active in the church and surround yourself with other believers.  Reach out to the sick and home bound people who need a loving touch of kindness.  Perhaps you have skills that you can use to help those in our community who need painting, carpentry or other helpful things.  5.      Give them your telephone number and tell them to call any time.  Be available. Helping others to grow in Christ will also help you to grow.  The blood of Jesus was shed for us, and we need to be ready to proclaim boldly that we are His and He is ours.

In Hebrews 11:1 we read that “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Some people are a little confused by this statement and even say faith doesn’t even exist.  If something is going to happen, well, it just happens.  It is a sad state when someone does not believe in an eternal God who knows everything from beginning to end.  Can you see faith?  Not the result of faith but faith itself?  No, is the quick answer, but those who have a belief that God sent His own Son to die for our sins have something that non-believers do not have.  We call it faith.  Faith is like the wind and time.  You can see neither of these natural events, but they do exist, and we know it.  The wind of summer is a cooling balm and the ticking of time marches on no matter what happens.  As the pastor said Sunday, these things are providential or better said, “the unseen hand of God”.  Our belief in the finished work of Jesus Christ is faith and it is real.  We do not physically see Him or hear Him.  We did not see Him crucified, resurrected from death or ascend back into heaven, yet we know through our faith that these events happened.  We also know through faith that He loves us with an everlasting love and Jesus will never leave us alone.  He made a promise that the Holy Spirit would always be with us no matter what the circumstances.  Just like time passing which we   cannot see, Christ is always with us because of our faith in Him.

I recently heard Andrea Bocelli singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir “The Lord’s Prayer”!  It was unbelievably beautiful.  I had heard this before but this time I had headphones on, and the song went to another level of beauty.  As I type this, I continue to hear the beautiful sound.  I know that the Lord God hears it every time it is sung, and God must smile. I am equally certain that when Jesus instructed the disciples how to pray, He also knew the beauty of the words!  Then I wondered how I could even compete with those professional musicians in showing or telling God how much I love Him for sending His Son Jesus to die in my stead. Finally, it dawned on me.  Christ told us to “Follow me” in Matthew 4:19.  Does it mean to join a church so we can say I have done my duty?   Or is it more complex?  The rest of the sentence in Matthew 4:19 is “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men .”  So, we do have an opportunity to show our love for the Father.  The sound in heaven of our witness to the lost is music to His ears.  As we tell the story in words and deeds, certainly the angels must sing for us.

Do you ever ask yourself, “Do I have to do something to increase my faith?  Isn’t a little faith good enough?”  Then you justify yourself, “Hey, I’m busy all the time.  I have a family, a job and other things that keep me occupied.  Oh yes, I also go to church most every Sunday morning.”   Romans 10:17 states, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”  Where can we find the word of Christ?  There are so many places it is hard to avoid them.  First and foremost, there is the Bible.  In it we find THE WORD.  How many times we find ourselves saying, “I just don’t have the time to read the Bible.”  Here are a few suggestions: 1)      Get up 45 minutes earlier than you do now.  Commit to reading scripture every day.  Find out what the Lord has for you each day. 2)      Put God’s word into practice at home, on the job and at play.  Let people know that you are a child of The King. 3)      In hard times keep trust in the Lord Jesus.  He never leaves you or forsakes you.  While you are in the middle of problems you may not see His hand, but He is there and in the end your faith in Him will pay off.  The results may not be what you thought they would be, but the results will be as Christ would have them to be. 4)      Grow in faith by service.  There are many things you can do to serve the church.  Volunteer to visit the sick, teach a Sunday school class, attend Wednesday night service, join small groups and many other things that the Lord will direct you to do when you are in His presence.  You can increase your faith by reading and living the Word of God.  Jesus came to the earth 2,000 years ago to show us the way and to sacrifice Himself for our sins.  God gave us the gift of Grace, now we can increase our faith by giving ourselves to Him completely.

Almost everyone has heard about the battle of Jericho where the walls collapsed. This was a miraculous event as described in Joshua, chapter 7.  Jericho was surrounded by 2 walls and considered impenetrable.  Both walls were 30 feet high.  The outer wall was six feet thick, and the inner was 12 feet thick. It wasn’t likely that anyone could overcome these obstacles unless divine intervention occurred.  Jericho was the first place on the way to settling in the Promised Land.  God directed the Jewish people, and they followed His instructions to the letter and the walls tumbled down.  Shortly after conquering the city, Joshua decided to conquer a small city just over the hill from Jericho.  This little place was AI.  Joshua thought it would be easy for the men of Israel to win this battle after the Jerico victory.  Joshua was wrong!  The sons of Israel were soundly routed and fled from the Ai warriors as their hearts melted within them. What happened?  Two things had happened that spelled defeat.  First, the Israelites were told not to take anything from Jericho.  Everything was to be destroyed and that didn’t happen.  One warrior decided to take some booty against the direct order of God.  Second, Joshua did not seek the guidance of God.  Joshua took the matter into his own hands. Today, believers face new battles every day.  Some are big and as believers we turn to God through prayer seeking guidance.  When believers like Joshua decide they do not need God for “little” things   they often find themselves in “big” messes like those men at Ai.   Our take from this is to always be careful to seek God in everything we do. Note:  There is an Ai, Georgia in Gilmer County.  There is only one way to Ai and the same road to get out of town.  Ai is located on Fightingtown Creek.  It is believed there is only one resident left.  History says that the community was named after Ai in Canaan.

Answer They are the earthly father and mother of Jesus who is the Son of God. Bible Reference Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 Discussion The Christmas story is outlined in the two gospels of Matthew and Luke.  In them we find that Mary, a young girl, was engaged to marry Joseph.  Even though she was not married, the power of the Holy Spirit came upon her, and Jesus was conceived in her body. (This was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14.)  Because of the Holy Spirit, we know that Jesus is the Son of God.  Mary was His earthly mother tending to His earthly needs and loving Him as mothers do.  His earthly father Joseph loved Jesus too and taught Him to be a carpenter. Practical Lesson:  There are times when things happen that seem to be unexplainable.  No matter how hard we try we cannot seem to grasp how some things happen and when they do, we call them miracles. Jesus Christ’s birth was a miracle.  And, while on earth, He performed many miracles by healing the sick and raising people from being dead.  The most important thing is that He preached the Good News that He would take our sins upon Himself, sacrifice Himself for our sins, and we could live eternally with Him in heaven. Jesus Christ’s life on earth was filled with miracles from beginning to end.  The good news is that the miracle of eternal life can be yours if you are faithful to confess your sins and declare your faith in Him.