From the category archives:
Genesis 48:1-50:26 Forgiven! But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of manylives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you [...]
Perhaps, like Joseph, people close to you have deeply hurt you. To trust that God will use what was hurtful for his glory and your good may be the hardest thing in the world for to do right now—but do it anyway. To grow bitter and withhold forgiveness is not only to discount the Sovereignty of God, it is to activity work against it—and that is always bad for you. As Anne Lamont says, “Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.” So don’t be a rat.
Genesis 40:1-43:34 Two Views The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him…Genesis 40:23 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream…Genesis 41:1 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.Genesis 41:14 Go Deep: As you read the prison portion of [...]
Genesis 36:1-39:23 Staying Pure On A Sexually Polluted Planet Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wifetook notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused!Genesis 39:6-8 Go Deep: A while back a Newsweek article began with this attention-grabber: “In [...]
Genesis 32:1-35:29 Who Was That Masked Man? Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you havestruggled with God and with men and have overcome.Genesis 32:28 Go Deep: There was a day when entertainment didn’t come through the television set; it came through the radio. Believe it or [...]
One of the delightful gifts God has given mankind is the ability to dream—to see into that which is not yet, to envision a brighter tomorrow, to reach for the stars. And though our dreaming and our reaching may be perverted by human pride, selfishness and greed, even still, the very capacity to dream has been implanted in our DNA by the Creator to remind us of the kind of inexpressibly delightful world he once created for us, and will recreate for his redeemed children in the age to come.
We need to be ready for some unintended consequences if we desire to live under Divine blessing. It just might be that God’s favor upon your faithfulness will painfully expose a tender area in another’s life, and there will be a hurtful reaction toward you. Some people won’t be able to handle your success, and will do everything they can to pull you down to their level of dissatisfaction. For that reason, it could be that God’s favor upon you will force you to leave your comfort zone. But fear not, for if that’s the case, that forced move will always be to a larger zone where greater blessing can be received.
Ray Noah
Lead Pastor of Portland Christian Center
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