Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Today we are going to focus on a man named Joseph. It all starts when one day he has a dream and he decides to tell his older brothers about it. He tells them that in the dream they BOWED to him!!! Well I don’t know about you but if one of my younger siblings said that I BOWED to them, I wouldn’t be happy. His older brothers make a plot to throw him in a ditch and leave him to die. Well Reuben’s plan was to rescue him at night so his brother would live. But instead all of the brothers stay and decide to sell him. By now I would have gone crazy… like on a rampage. But Joseph stayed cool. He gets to Egypt and the thugs sell him to a guy named Potiphar (Pharaoh’s head bodyguard.) It says that the Lord was with Joseph so he had found favor in Potiphar’s eyes. Joseph became head of the household but then… Potiphar goes out of town on a business trip. And his wife tries to get Joseph to sleep with him. Joseph was very strong in his relationship with God; so he said just plain “No.” but the sneaky wife tells Potiphar that JOSEPH tried to SLEEP with HER. If you couldn’t have guessed, he gets in trouble…. Jail trouble, but as always he trusted in the Lord and found favor in the head guard. Well one day Pharaoh calls for him because an old cup bearer mentions that Joseph can interpret dreams. When Joseph comes and interprets Pharaoh’s dreams he tells him that there will be 7 years of great crops and 7 years of horrible famine. And guess what He puts Joseph in second in command of all of Egypt.
What can we learn from Joseph? Hmmm..... We can trust him!!! You need to trust him no matter what; through thick and thin. Everything happens for the good of God’s will.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Words of Encouragement
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
How many of you constantly put someone down or make fun of just random people throughout your class? I know I do. How do you feel when someone calls you an insignificant name that half of you wouldn’t think about calling someone else? It hurts… it stays with you throughout the day doesn’t it?
If it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:8 Do me a favor and read that verse again. Ok, what that verse is trying to say is that we need to only open our mouth if we have something that is not going to put down someone else. Let’s say you tell one of your friends that you’re a good Christian and you’re trying to get him/her to go to church with you. Five minutes later you tell someone not to be such a retard. Why do we say, “What is the world coming to? Everyone is so evil! I hope the Lord will come back soon!” COME ON, we are not setting an example for the world to follow. If we can’t stick together and encourage others, why do we expect others too. What can you do to change the world?
1 Thessalonians 5:11
How many of you constantly put someone down or make fun of just random people throughout your class? I know I do. How do you feel when someone calls you an insignificant name that half of you wouldn’t think about calling someone else? It hurts… it stays with you throughout the day doesn’t it?
If it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:8 Do me a favor and read that verse again. Ok, what that verse is trying to say is that we need to only open our mouth if we have something that is not going to put down someone else. Let’s say you tell one of your friends that you’re a good Christian and you’re trying to get him/her to go to church with you. Five minutes later you tell someone not to be such a retard. Why do we say, “What is the world coming to? Everyone is so evil! I hope the Lord will come back soon!” COME ON, we are not setting an example for the world to follow. If we can’t stick together and encourage others, why do we expect others too. What can you do to change the world?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Age Doesn't Matter
The Lord does not look at the things a man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; the Lord looks at the heart.
Samuel 16:7
I have just looked at Samuel 16 and it seems to me that God has some pretty big plans for David. I’m guessing he was about 16 or so…. That’s a pretty young age. He ends up playing the harp for the king…. You would probably be really nervous if you had to do anything for Barrack Obama. If you read ahead into Samuel 17 we find that David’s older brothers, Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah go off to fight the Philistines. Well, they go and find this dude that is massive; we’re talking 9’3”, that’s humongous. So they chicken out. Well Jesse, David’s dad, sends David to the camp his older brothers are staying at to give them food. For 40 days David does that until one day he over hears a group of soldiers saying, “Have you seen this man that is coming to fight…. Surely he will beat us! But the king will give great wealth and his daughter's hand in marriage to the man who slaughters the giant.” David replied, “Who is this man that he should taunt the living God Almighty?” Eliab, being the big brother and all had to say, “What are you doing here? Who is watching the sheep?” Try and think about what David was thinking at the moment. Do you ever have an older brother or sister that thinks they're the boss? And they’re always right? Well David was probably thinking…. Who died and made you in charge because last time I checked you weren’t God!!! But David replied, “What have I done? Was it not just a question?”And then he turned around and did it again!!!
What can we learn from David? You’re probably thinking what does this have to do with me? Think real hard. Look back at Samuel 16:7. What do you think that means? It means all of us, every age, race and religion have a purpose in life. Just because your picked on, or judged doesn’t mean God has forgot you or doesn’t care. Does it not say in the Bible that we as Christians will have more trouble…? Satan wants you to feel like God has left you. He hasn’t, He loves you and has a plan for you. It could be that he wants you to be a preacher, or take care of younger kids that need a Christian role model or be a role model for you siblings. You could work in a soup kitchen for the homeless. I don’t know what He has in store for you; all I know is that you were made for a specific reason.
Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. What a man desires is unfailing love, better to be poor than a liar
Proverbs 19:20-22
Samuel 16:7
I have just looked at Samuel 16 and it seems to me that God has some pretty big plans for David. I’m guessing he was about 16 or so…. That’s a pretty young age. He ends up playing the harp for the king…. You would probably be really nervous if you had to do anything for Barrack Obama. If you read ahead into Samuel 17 we find that David’s older brothers, Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah go off to fight the Philistines. Well, they go and find this dude that is massive; we’re talking 9’3”, that’s humongous. So they chicken out. Well Jesse, David’s dad, sends David to the camp his older brothers are staying at to give them food. For 40 days David does that until one day he over hears a group of soldiers saying, “Have you seen this man that is coming to fight…. Surely he will beat us! But the king will give great wealth and his daughter's hand in marriage to the man who slaughters the giant.” David replied, “Who is this man that he should taunt the living God Almighty?” Eliab, being the big brother and all had to say, “What are you doing here? Who is watching the sheep?” Try and think about what David was thinking at the moment. Do you ever have an older brother or sister that thinks they're the boss? And they’re always right? Well David was probably thinking…. Who died and made you in charge because last time I checked you weren’t God!!! But David replied, “What have I done? Was it not just a question?”And then he turned around and did it again!!!
What can we learn from David? You’re probably thinking what does this have to do with me? Think real hard. Look back at Samuel 16:7. What do you think that means? It means all of us, every age, race and religion have a purpose in life. Just because your picked on, or judged doesn’t mean God has forgot you or doesn’t care. Does it not say in the Bible that we as Christians will have more trouble…? Satan wants you to feel like God has left you. He hasn’t, He loves you and has a plan for you. It could be that he wants you to be a preacher, or take care of younger kids that need a Christian role model or be a role model for you siblings. You could work in a soup kitchen for the homeless. I don’t know what He has in store for you; all I know is that you were made for a specific reason.
Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. What a man desires is unfailing love, better to be poor than a liar
Proverbs 19:20-22
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