Psalm 16

 This Psalm teaches that God will make our way secure (verse 5) and in him, we can be unshaken (verse 9). There are times in life when the world around us is shaken and our lives don't feel secure. Jesus warned his disciples many times of the trials and persecutions that would come. This doesn't mean we aren't secure. If we stay faithful to God, ultimately we will be found to be secure and unshaken. 

A great example of this is Stephen who though martyred, testified that Jesus was standing beside the Father. My personal opinion is to welcome Stephen into eternity. Was Stephen's world shaken? Yes. Did he appear to be in an insecure place? Yes. However, was he? No, Jesus was with him and though his world may have been rocked (pun intended), he came out secure and unshaken. 

We can be secure and unshaken also when our faith is fully in God.   

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Genesis 41

 Preparing for the future. God isn't against preparing for the future. We see here that God warned Pharaoh so that they could prepare. Proverbs 13:22 says "A good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children." Proverbs speaks of saving. The issue isn't saving responsibly but hoarding and trusting in your savings rather than God. Yes, Joseph saved but he saved to give it away. The question we have to ask ourselves is why are we saving? 

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Genesis 40

 Joseph did what was right. As it turned out even in prison God blessed him and put him in charge of other prisoners. When the opportunity came to get help Joseph took it. He knew God was going to raise up the cupbearer and asked him to relay his story to the only person who could have had Joseph released. As we know the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph. However, we don't see Joseph getting angry or upset. We see him continuing to do the right thing. 

To me, this is a reminder that we can do what we know to do to get out of trouble, but at the end of the day, we have to trust God to work out the details. 

Did God want the cupbearer to forget? No, there is nothing to suggest it in the scripture. However, as with many things, God works despite people and in the end, Joseph was exalted to the place God wanted him. 

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Isaiah 19

 In verse two, we see the prediction of civil war. The question is why would God bring about violence. There is of course the fact that if anyone has the right to bring about violence to wee judgment fulfilled it would be God. However, there is also the sense that God doesn't make man's heart evil, but there are times he doesn't stop it from carrying out those evil plans. There is also the truth as put forth by some that God's presence will cause people to become, as it were, more of what they already are. To say it another way, the same son that melts butter hardens clay. Whatever the case, God isn't afraid to take the credit/blame. 

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Job 14

 

I have to wonder if the Job of the first part of chapter one would have said these words? I doubt it. Yes, he may realize that life could be hard but there is a difference between seeing it in other people's lives and living them out yourself. It reminds me of a joke an economics professor asked. What is the difference between a depression and a recession? A Recession is when your neighbor is out of work, a depression is when you are out of work. 

My takeaway is to remember that not everyone is where I am. I need to give grace/understanding to them. 

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Luke 18

Augustine points out that the unjust judge isn't an allegory or picture of God. The point of the story is that if a horrible person like this judge can be influenced to do right then how much more will the God we serve, A God of Love, give justice to those who call to him. The question that is hinted at in verse 8 is whether will we hold on to the end. Some look at this as a comment just about the end times, but I think it is more. It is asking if will we keep trusting when it seems God isn't answering? Will we hold on to the end? 

So are you going to trust God? 

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Psalm 15

 I have heard people say that we, Christians, are supposed to love everybody. However, in the same breath, almost, they complain that Christianity is a religion that hates people different from themselves. Perhaps this is because they want us to love everyone (their definition of it) and still have an excuse not to accept it. 

So what does this have to do with Psalm 15? In this psalm, it says that a person who can come before the presence of God finds a vile man contemptible.  This isn't the only place something like this is said, so what is the meaning? Are we to love or have contempt? The answer is yes. We should find the actions of a vile person (flagrant sinners, NLT) contemptible. Yet, we should love them and want to see them changed. God does. God finds the actions of some people so bad it says it angers him*. Yet, it is while we are sinners that the Bible says in Romans that Jesus died for us. The contrast here is key. We should never look up to those who are evil because we may find ourselves pattering our lives after them. 

*Side note, we need to be really careful in the anger area we can't keep it, and an additional side note neither does God.

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