January 19, 2006 - Genesis 46-49 and Matthew 13:1-30
Isn't it wonderful how God can work in our lives to produce good fruit or good results, when we trust him? He can do it, even though we do not have the best circumstances. He can use unusual people to accomplish His will. The key is trusting God to work in us and through us for His glory. Think about these principles as you read this passage.
God brought Jacob and his family to Egypt through the famine. Then, he fulfilled His promise to make Jacob a great nation. He did this in a strange land, and part of the time they were slaves. God will keep His promises. Don't tell yourself that He can't do what He has said to you, just because the conditions aren't the best. God is able. God even worked that way for the Egyptians. They hated shepherds, but God raised up a shepherd, Joseph, to save them from the famine. He was a slave, a prisoner, and a shepherd. I am sure that none of those types of people would be expected to be a deliverer, but he was used by God in that way. Let's be sensitive to what God is doing around us and to who He is using to do His will.
Genesis 47 has another good principle. Joseph did not give the people food without requiring them to pay something for it. He did not give something for nothing. The result of his plan was that they were saved from starvation, and they were thankful. They ended up not owning their land and paying 20% in taxes. However, they paid for what they got. I believe that we need to learn from this. The government did not take care of them. The government allowed them to work for what they received. This is the principle of personal responsibility.
In Genesis 48 we have another example of the younger son being blessed more than the oldest. It was not by accident or by chance. It was because of God's choice. It was because God saw his heart and how his descendants would be great. God looks at the heart, and He is able to do great things if we trust Him. Ephraim became the Northern Kingdom, when the nation of Israel split. They were doing well until then. God had blessed them. However, at that point they turned from God, so He ceased to bless, and He brought them down. That is another case of personal responsibility.
Look at Matthew 13. What does it teach? God is looking for fruit. What does it take to have good fruit? It takes the seed and good soil. The seed is the Word of God, and the soil is our hearts. If people have faith in their hearts, they will hear the Word in parables or otherwise and receive the Word. Then, they will allow the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit in their lives. However, if their hearts are hard or the cares and trials choke out the Word, there is no fruit. Do you have fruit in your life? If not, what is missing? You are the one who is in control of the fruit. You are to take in the Word, and you are to prepare your heart to receive it. If there is no fruit, you will be held responsible.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 49-50 and Matthew 13:31-58.
God brought Jacob and his family to Egypt through the famine. Then, he fulfilled His promise to make Jacob a great nation. He did this in a strange land, and part of the time they were slaves. God will keep His promises. Don't tell yourself that He can't do what He has said to you, just because the conditions aren't the best. God is able. God even worked that way for the Egyptians. They hated shepherds, but God raised up a shepherd, Joseph, to save them from the famine. He was a slave, a prisoner, and a shepherd. I am sure that none of those types of people would be expected to be a deliverer, but he was used by God in that way. Let's be sensitive to what God is doing around us and to who He is using to do His will.
Genesis 47 has another good principle. Joseph did not give the people food without requiring them to pay something for it. He did not give something for nothing. The result of his plan was that they were saved from starvation, and they were thankful. They ended up not owning their land and paying 20% in taxes. However, they paid for what they got. I believe that we need to learn from this. The government did not take care of them. The government allowed them to work for what they received. This is the principle of personal responsibility.
In Genesis 48 we have another example of the younger son being blessed more than the oldest. It was not by accident or by chance. It was because of God's choice. It was because God saw his heart and how his descendants would be great. God looks at the heart, and He is able to do great things if we trust Him. Ephraim became the Northern Kingdom, when the nation of Israel split. They were doing well until then. God had blessed them. However, at that point they turned from God, so He ceased to bless, and He brought them down. That is another case of personal responsibility.
Look at Matthew 13. What does it teach? God is looking for fruit. What does it take to have good fruit? It takes the seed and good soil. The seed is the Word of God, and the soil is our hearts. If people have faith in their hearts, they will hear the Word in parables or otherwise and receive the Word. Then, they will allow the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit in their lives. However, if their hearts are hard or the cares and trials choke out the Word, there is no fruit. Do you have fruit in your life? If not, what is missing? You are the one who is in control of the fruit. You are to take in the Word, and you are to prepare your heart to receive it. If there is no fruit, you will be held responsible.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 49-50 and Matthew 13:31-58.