God The Holy Spirit; The Third Person of the Trinity. Part II

I said before that God the Holy Spirit is hardly mentioned by Christians because the majority of believers have little understanding and comprehension, if any, of who the Holy Spirit really is. It may come to a surprise to many that He is equal to God the Father and God the Son. This sounds amazing I know, but it is true. And what is more amazing is that He is the dominant God in the world today. We are in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus, God the Son brought Glory to God the Father in the Old Testament, God the Holy Spirit is to bring Glory to God the Son. (John 16:14) I know some are saying this is confusing, I guarantee it will get easier and if you follow this teaching you will qualify yourself as an authority on this subject.

So far we have seen in the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit speaks, teaches, helps, and intercedes just like any person would. If we begin to think of Him as a very powerful person who protects us and fights our battles and win for us, we would do very well for our selves. (1John 4:4) Jesus said: “If I do not go away the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) We know that on the day of Pentecost this promise was fulfilled. When we read the Bible today we would not understand it unless the Holy Spirit counsels our hearts and reveals the meaning of God’s message to us. It is the Holy Spirit who dictated these biblical messages to the writers, and it is Him who now reveals the meaning to the readers.

Let us look further into what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit’s activities. Acts 9:17 states that the Apostle Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit when Ananias, the priest, prayed for him and laid hands on him. The word filled means to energize the body and the spirit, and strengthens one’s faith. As a result, Paul’s vision was restored. He gives assurance to the believers and instills the peace of mind that we are not alone, and that He is always with us. What a joyful feeling to know that all is well with our souls.

In Acts 8:17, we read that Peter and John went down to Samaria when they heard that the Samaritans received God’s Word and were baptized. The apostles laid hands on them and the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit. The infilling and receiving of the Holy Spirit simply means that the believer is given assurance and confirmation of our faith in Christ. It is as if the Holy Spirit takes the center position in our lives and sits in the throne of our lives. This is illustrated in Acts 16:6 where the Holy Spirit forbade Paul and his companion to go to Asia and preach.

Before Jesus left his followers he prayed for them as well as us when he said, “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word.” (John 17:20) Another function of the Holy Spirit is that he emboldens and gives courage to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). The word witness is described as bringing fruit as an offering to God’s kingdom (Leviticus 15). That happens on the fiftieth day, which is the day after the seven weeks.

I can go on endlessly speaking about the person of the Holy Spirit who grieves when we do wrong (Ephesians 4:30), and who intercedes as an advocate on our behalf (Romans 8:26). Another important work of the Holy Spirit is that He appoints individuals to serve in certain positions of authority within the Church (Acts 20:28). When he does appoint the preacher and the teacher, you as the believer will certainly know it. Unfortunately, very few leading our churches today are appointed by the Holy Spirit. This may be the reason why the church of today too often does not display the same power and miracles similar to that of the church in Jerusalem, which consisted of believers gathering in one another’s homes. My favorite part regarding the Holy Spirit is that He resides in your heart, and in mine. We are his temple (2 Corinthians 6:16). There is much more that will follow in our study of the Holy Spirit, but for now, thank Christ for the person of the Holy Spirit.

Philippians, what a Blessing!

The Bible says: “faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by reading the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). In my Christian walk and experience there is no substitute. The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it. I have read the letter from Paul to the church at Philippi this weekend and I could not help but think how many of God’s people miss when they neglect their Bible reading. No wonder there is very little faith in the world today and it is shrinking more and more with every passing day. In fact the Scriptures predicted that when the Son of Man returns, will He find faith upon the earth; the question is rhetorical, it does not require an answer.

Here is a summary of what you find in the precious letter from the Apostle Paul to the Philippians. The first thing that caught my eye is the promise that Jesus does not neglect or abandon His followers. It says, “He who began in you a good work will bring it to completion at the day of Christ” (Ch.1:6). The more I think about this promise the more my heart rejoices. When things are tough in life this reminder comes in handy, especially when Jesus Himself said He will never leave or forsake us, He will be with us always (Matthew 28:20). You see the dominant theme of this Book is the word Joy; what a joy it is to read!

Paul says in verse 14 that his hard times served for a good purpose, most believers are more daring to speak the word of God without fear. As I look around I see fear everywhere, Pastors are timid about speaking the truth, or afraid to demonstrate when social and government decisions are made contrary to Biblical standards. I taught at a School for ministers and I saw it first hand, how politics are used more in the church than outside. We all know many of those issues, such as sexual promiscuity. The other example is removing everything that is good and Godly which reminds us of our creator from our midst. It is time to stand up and be counted without fear for Jesus; the list is endless but you know them.

This should help all of us to understand what is going on in the church in the name of Christ. Men and women are in the church leadership today for various reasons, except the right reason. Jobs, salaries, and retirement benefits, I am certain, top the list. The desire for positions of power and authority probably falls in second place. When you have met a humble pastor, please call me because I want to venerate him. I want to meet a minister who is really in charge of one thing; the spiritual life of the flock. The Apostle Paul says, what is important is that Christ is preached (Verse 18).

I have to continue my summary of this fabulous book in future posts. There is no way I can do justice by one presentation to the book. The last thing I will mention here is the help of the Holy Spirit. I have been presenting the Holy Spirit in His proper person and will continue to do so in up-coming posts. The Apostle is so cognoscente and sensitive to God the Holy Spirit. In verse 19 he mentions the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. God’s Holy Spirit is also Christ’s Holy Spirit, and that He helps us like any person would. It is wonderful to read the Word of God. I thank Christ for His Holy Word. Amen

We, as Believers, are called to be Witnesses!

God, since the creation of man, has never left Himself without witnesses. Adam’s son Able was God’s first witness on earth, and when he died God raised his brother Seth to be the witness after him. This is the way it has been since creation, and today, the followers of Jesus are the witnesses. Jesus said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

This phrase by itself should give purpose to the lives of every man, woman, and child. No one should ever feel that there is no usefulness or mission in life for him or her. The words of Jesus should give importance to every life on earth, no one should ever feel unwanted, undesired, or without a purpose in life. There is no higher calling for an individual than to be called a witness by God.

So how do you become a witness, and how much preparation is needed? The answer is simple, love the Lord with all of your heart, with all of your mind, and with your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. When you do that the nature that you possess will enable you to become a natural witness. Every waking hour will have a purpose and every move we make and every step we take will have the objective of praising the Lord. How can life ever be useless when our existence becomes useful for the Creator!

Jesus could have assigned a million jobs for us that require training and preparation, but He chose us to be witnesses because it is the most honorable vocation we can possess.
Jesus said, “you are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). So, by telling the wonder of His love, we are enlightening others as if we turn the light on for them to see the reality and purpose of life. He also said, ”Let your light so shine before men so that they can see your good life and glorify God in heaven” (Matthew 5:16); this is what a witness does. He also said that our job is to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). He will make us fishers of men (Luke 5:10)! We are to bear fruits worthy of repentance, in other words, as believers our actions in life are to reflect the godliness in us.

Last but not least is the verbal witnessing that is so useful for the kingdom of God, and the benefits for man. By giving our testimony, or by telling others how good God is, we would serve our purpose for existence and bless others at the same time. The Bible states that God’s word and witnessing will not return to Him void, but will accomplish what it was set out to do. A very good example is found in John 4. We read about a Samaritan woman who was of ill repute in the town, was married and divorced five times, and was shacking up with a stranger at the time. But when she met the Savior, like anyone of us can, she changed instantly and became a witness for Jesus and changed the whole village where she lived. That is simply one woman who believed in Christ; how much more we can be if we mean business with God! My prayer for all of you is to begin shining as a Christian in word, and in deed, and in everything that is obeying Jesus’ command to be a witness. Start enjoying your Christian life, and start blessing others! I thank Christ for choosing me to be one of His witnesses. Amen!

God The Holy Spirit: The Third Person of the Trinity!

Sometimes I think the Holy Spirit is the forgotten God. You hardly hear His name even mentioned because most Christians do not know much about Him. God the Son, Jesus, was visible and people can picture Him from being on earth. How can a person not picture Jesus performing all of His miracles? If I say “walking on water,” in your minds eye you see the gentle Jesus as a man walking on water, or standing in front of the grave in Bethany and calling out Lazarus from the dead. I can use many examples, and you would agree that there are many events in which we can depict God the Son. But since the Holy Spirit is not seen, it is hard to speak about Him because it is hard to visualize Him.

Let us first think of what we envision when we mention the Holy Spirit. Some of you would probably picture a dove descending from Heaven as He appeared at the baptism of Jesus. Others would say that they envision Him as tongues of fire spread around as He appeared to the Disciples on the Day of Pentecost. Some for sure would say they think of long hair when the Holy Spirit is mentioned, as the case was with Samson. The Bible says that when Samson cut his hair the Holy Spirit had left him without Samson’s knowledge. Here are some more confusing depictions of God the Holy Spirit. In Acts 10:45 we read about the Holy Spirit being poured out on gentile believers. In Acts 4:8,13 the Apostle Peter was filled with Holy Spirit while fearlessly speaking to the religious rulers of his day fearlessly. Verse 13 states that the Holy Spirit gave Peter strength, baldness and extraordinary power. This is one person I love to talk about and I will definitely in future posts. We live in the age of God the Holy Spirit. I understand much about Him; He is fantastic, to say the least.

To me, the Holy Spirit is a person just like God the Son and God the Father; please remember that the Holy Trinity is not a simple god like the god of fertility or the god of beauty, etc. Our God is a complicated God, hard to understand in the human mind, but He reveals Himself to us in many ways. The following biblical references will begin to give you some evidence that the Holy Spirit is a person and not power or energy, or wind.

The first verse I want to share with you is John 14:26, where the Holy Spirit is a teacher; a teacher is a person, not a dove. The verse states, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things.” The following references will show us that the Holy Spirit speaks; keep in mind that wind can not speak. Acts 21:11 states, “And coming to us (a prophet named Agabus) he took Paul’s girdle and bound his feet and hands, and said, ‘Thus says the Holy Spirit,’ So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this girdle and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles (The Romans).” Revelation 2:7 also states, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The last example I will use for this post is that the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf as an advocate would; this certainly tells me that He is a person. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.”

Lord willing I will continue to write about God the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God!!!

Who is Daniel?

There is plenty that can be said about the Prophet Daniel. He is known for being thrown into the den of starving lions, and coming out unscathed. In my book, he was a godly man who lived among heathens, but never forgot who his God was. He was willing to die for what he believed in, and certainly the true God of Abraham never forgot him or let him down.

Daniel lived in the days of the King Darius of Persia. In those days the king’s authority and decree was so forceful that the king, himself, could not change it. One day some of the leaders of the kingdom got so jealous of Daniel that they tricked the king. They told the king that they wanted him to issue a decree where no one in his kingdom would be able to ask anything of men or anything of the gods except from the king, for thirty days. Darius fell for the trick and signed the decree. So they monitored Daniel and saw him kneel toward Jerusalem with the window open and pray to the Almighty. Immediately the jealous conspirators ran to the king to tell him that someone violated the royal decree and must be thrown into the den of lions, so the king ordered the decision. When he found out it was faithful Daniel he tried to change the law, or find a loophole to help Daniel, but was unsuccessful. So Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den and the king sealed the stone covering so no man could touch it, and he said to Daniel “may your God rescue you.” That night the king could not sleep or eat. The Bible says that the king ran to the den to check on Daniel and was pleasantly surprised to find Daniel untouched by the vicious beasts. So the king asked Daniel what happened. He was told that God sent an angel and shut the mouths of the lions. The king was overjoyed and ordered the conspirators to be thrown into the den. On their way down they were all torn apart and eaten by the beasts. Also, the king ordered that his entire kingdom worship the God of Daniel.

When I read this story I am reminded that when God is with me, no one can be against me. We do have a wonderful God who loves and cares for each one of us, and his eyes are always watching out for our interests and safety.

I will explore more of the theology of the book and the person of Daniel, and his prophecies. Thank the Lord for watching over you today. Amen!

Honor Your Mother!

It is said that the hand that rocks the cradle has a right to rule the world. The implication here is that when a mother teaches a child to become a man, and in turn that man becomes a ruler, then his rule will be influenced by her upbringing. This is very true. So it is important that mothers rear well adjusted, godly, and emotionally healthy kids. Nothing and no one can be, or should be, more influential than a mother; the mother is the closest to her child and her responsibility is beyond measure.

The Bible instructs us to honor our mother (Exodus 20:12). With Mother’s Day coming up this Sunday, it is good to take time and reassess our relationship with our mother, although I do not think that this should be the only day to be nice to our mothers. It has to be a continuous relationship of love, honor and respect. It also has to be relative to the need and response of the mother. Some mothers do not care about what God has said in His word, or care about a continuing relationship with the child, so the child’s good intentions could be an intrusion on the mother’s life. It is good to remember that some mothers value and need a good relationship. While it is true that everyone has a mother, not every mother has the same disposition, or the same circumstances.

Most churches, during the Easter weak, preach on Jesus’ last seven words on earth. Here, Jesus’ sets a very good example about fulfilling God’s Word by remembering His mother. In spite of His agony and anguish on the cross, He is concerned about who will take care of His mother. So He looks at His most dedicated disciple and says to him, “Son behold thy mother” (John 19:27). I do not think that there is a better example than this for us to follow! Jesus, at these last moments of His life on earth, could have made the most dramatic and earth shaking statements, yet He saw the need for His mother’s caring and His priority of concerns; so He expressed them.

No mother lives forever, so while the mother is still capable of enjoying the love, the care, the help, and the attention of the child, the duties must be performed. Early on in my life, when my father passed away, I bought a house with a guesthouse in the back for my mother to live in, if she decided to do so. I always wanted my mother cared for and hoped that I would be the one to care for her, but her health dictated that my sister, who is a nurse, would be more qualified to provide the best care for her. Any time I did something good for my mother, I felt honored to be able to do it, and that I was obeying God.

God in His infinite wisdom made mothers totally different than fathers. Their mental structure and their emotional being are geared toward nurturing the young. It starts with breast-feeding and cuddling; how more personal and intimate can the relationship be! God is wonderful in planning it that way, and good mothers are being obedient to God. If you have not had this kind of mother, my prayer is that you ladies will be the good mothers to your children when it is your turn.

Happy Mother’s day, and may God bless them. I thank Christ for my mother.

Entering The Rest!

What does entering the rest really mean? Does anybody know? Have you ever come across anyone, since you first believed, who told you that he has entered the rest of God? As far as I can remember I have never come across anyone who told me this! Not even in the four decades of my Christian walk have I heard a sermon about the rest of God. Now, there is a full religious sect, I call them a sect because they are, that walk and talk and act and build their life around that one thing; the day of rest! Nothing can be further from the truth than that.

Get ready for some theology now. It has been a while since I wrote about a theological matter. The truth is that before I write, I look up to God for guidance as to what topic He wants me to relate to you. I am told that this website has thousands of readers, I have not met any of them and I may never meet any of them, but God knows them well and knows the needs they have in their life. I always ask the Holy Spirit to lie on my heart the interest, and to guide my fingers as I write.

I believe the majority of what destroys people is the restless life that they lead. Saint Augustine, the great theologian and one of the Roman Catholic Church’s father and authority on the scriptures, believed to have said “The heart of man is made for God and it remains restless until it rests in Him.” I believe that this statement is worthy of note and remembrance as we journey in this life. The physical, the emotional, and the psychological problems that most people have stem from the lack of the rest that Saint Augustine is talking about. The physical rest is not always the problem, although what body can go on endlessly without sleep, or rest. Not one body can. Every body needs the physical rest; God intended it this way.

Let us now look at the emotional, the psychological, and the social problems that most people have. Do these problems emanate from the lack of God’s rest? You bet they do! Remember what Saint Augustine said about remaining restless! This post is not about the saint, although I have a great respect and admiration for his contribution to the Christian ideas, and his theological writings about confessions and other topics. I must admit that I am an admirer of a licensed Christian family counselor; I think they are indispensable. A friend of mine convinced me that she had the ability to give counsel while being biblical. There is no good or wise advice apart from biblical teachings. In fact the Bible says, “The fear of the Lord (love and adoration) is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7). These counselors can listen to the clients and give advice on how to act in certain circumstances. They can give advice on the appearance of the individual, and on handling certain events in the patient’s life. I have heard advice on career selections and they are all useful and good; but none of these good ideas will enter the patients into true rest.

The Bible clearly says; “For we who believe enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:3). If we go all the way back to the book of Genesis 2:2, we read “And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” What is greatly misunderstood is that God did not go back to work on Sunday or Monday mornings, or as we know them as the first days of the week, or workweek. When God rested on the seventh day He simply rested forever, and as God blessed the day of rest He blessed it forever. He entered the eternal rest; this is the rest that we enter when we believe. There is no turning back, when we are born again, there is no way to be unborn. We have a date, a time, and a place of birth. That cannot be undone. When God rested, like I said before, He rested not until the first day of the week, but forever! The understanding of this biblical truth is essential to every believer. It is the beginning of additional understanding of truths. You see, Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is in us; does that mean that we do not have to wait until we die to be in heaven? The answer is yes!

The Church is a part of heaven just like an elevator floor; one minute it is a part of the first floor, the earth, but in a little while it will be a part of the 50th floor. Think of this floor as the church here on earth. But in a little while it will be a part of heaven. This is not as complicated as it seems. Jesus said he who loves, my Father loves Him and we come and make our habitat with Him! Heaven is where God is, so when God is with His people, hat means the church is Heaven. I must make the distinction that I do not speak of any particular church. Although, if attending your church is not a heavenly experience, please look for another! It is a serious matter; your life is on the line and your destiny is in jeopardy. The church (the ecclesia, or God’s people) is the body of Christ, and He is the head. So the head is always attached to the body. Wherever you find the body, you find the head, and vice versa. And one day when Christ removes his body from earth, we will enter eternity with Jesus; body and head. He is only way we can go into Heaven, so it is like we are attached to Him. He made it clear that the only one who came from Heaven is the one who is in Heaven, and that is Jesus. I have to continue this topic in future post. But for now, accept Christ as you Savior. Enter God’s rest and begin enjoying heaven on earth. I thank Christ for my opportunity to be a citizen of Heaven.

How Are We Doing?

When was the last time we asked ourselves the pertinent question, how are we doing? If you are like me the answer would be, it has been a long time! Self-assessment is a valuable tool for improvement. We have to take self-inventory periodically to stay on top of what is needed in our daily walk as Christians. We are advised in the Scripture to count the cost of building, to be aware of what is involved in the life of the believer. Jesus said to us who wish to follow Him “to deny ourselves daily, and to take up our cross and follow.” This sounds pretty simple, but is it really, and do we do that?

Here is what I believe to be a cardinal rule for following Jesus. The first step is to acknowledge the sinful state we are in. This unhappy, unfulfilled, purposeless kind of life is just going nowhere. Existing is not enough, so we need a purpose and a goal not only for this brief time on earth but for more than that. So Jesus offers us the choice to accept Him as our Lord and Savior and begin a life of purpose, and to have a goal for here and eternity. We can make the choice to accept Him and dedicate our lives for His service.

So when we are born again, it is just that. Someone who is born anew needs certain nourishments for survival and growth. This is a simple matter to understand, is it not? You have seen the same pictures as I have on television of starving African children, dying of malnutrition. The sad truth is that most Christians today are dying spiritually of malnutrition; they are not feeding on a good dose of healthy food daily. I believe the churches (Christian Assemblies) are to be blamed for not providing food for the parishioners to meet the minimum weekly requirements according to Biblical prescription standards, not the FDA standards! There is too much for the pastors to worry about; their salary and benefits, the retirement package, the amount of the offering and the building fund. You would think it is a business!

If new and old Christians cannot find the healthy food on their own, they should go to the person who led them to Christ and ask for help finding the needed food. So the daily assessment in our lives is this: Do we know a little more about the Christian life today more than we did yesterday? Do we know more about Jesus; do we know more of His word? These are the questions we need to ask, and if the answer is not satisfactory, then we have to do better starting now. I tell you that it is our responsibility to take care of our own lives and take control of our destiny.

The first church I attended as a born again Christian was only about 150 members; what a church it was! Everybody was friendly and caring, interested in a spiritual walk, most of them attended a middle of the week Bible study and Sunday school before church service regularly. Then the Devil got into some newcomers who wanted the church to expand, and we did. That was the beginning of the end. We grew to three thousand members. I was the only one who went around on Sundays and shook hands with parishioners. There was no time for the simple fellowship we used to have. The number game became the important goal. The church got into so many problems under the control of an evil woman, who ended up selling the church to builders. It is now an apartment complex.

If we asked ourselves how we are doing on regular basis, we could have avoided this disaster. This why Jesus said that it is important to catch our wrong doing as soon as possible. There is no other way to live the abundant life other than to follow the Master’s footsteps and obey His commandments.

There has to be victories in the life of the Christians on a regular basis. If this is not so, something is seriously wrong. The life of the believer has to be full of miracles daily. It is an exciting and abundant life. This last week the enemy of good tried to defeat me in one of his tricky ways, and I nearly forgot that I am a believer and that the Lord is on my side. Like Nehemiah said; “We get up and build and God will give us the victory.” Thank Christ I knew this verse and that I remembered to stand on this very promise. I tell you that we are sheep in the midst of wolves, so beware! Study God’s word and memorize it. The Psalmist said “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against Thee.” How are we doing? May the answers be extremely well! Thank Christ!

Free from Slavery!

“You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) What is this truth and how does it set you free?

Jesus said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by Me.” Many Christians can recite biblical verses without any difficulty. But if you ask them to explain the application or the context for which it was taken, they would have little to say. This is unfortunate! The Bible was written in order to help us in every way possible. It is God’s love story for each one of us; it has a meaning and an application in our lives. My hope and prayer is that anyone who reads these posts will benefit from them, beyond measure. May you begin to understand the simplicity and the usefulness of God’s word and be able to share with others and bless them.

Jesus has come to mend the broken hearted and to set the captive free from sinful slavery. By knowing Him and the power of His resurrection, man’s worldly chains will fall off and can begin walking and talking freely. How is it possible to know who Jesus is and the depth of His love for each one of us, and remain a slave to the world and to the bad habits it offers? I say it is impossible. That is why the verse says you will know the truth (Jesus), and the truth (Jesus) will set you free. One may ask who needs this freedom that Jesus offers, and my answer is “every one of us.” As long as we are in the body we are subjected to feel good, feel bad moods. And by the way, we shouldn’t forget the hatred, jealousy, envy, mischief, promiscuity, greed, over-eating, alcoholism, smoking and illicit sex. Yes, knowing the truth will set us free!

Here’s a story told about a young king who used to walk the streets incognito, in order to learn the truth about his subjects. One day he heard screaming but could not see anything, so he followed the direction of the noise. As he got close to a nice home the screams got louder. He finally reached the house and knocked at the door, but there was no answer. Finally he kicked the door open and he saw a slave hanging from the ceiling down with his master beating him nearly to death. In those days the master could discipline his slave in any way he wanted but he could not kill him. As long as the slave lived 48 hours after the beating, it was and acceptable practice. The king offered to buy, and ended up buying the slave. For a moment the slave thought his new master must be a good one, and would not overwork him like the previous one. But to his surprise, the king told him to go and get a job a never be a slave again. At the beginning the slave stuck to the master, but the master encouraged him to seek work and never be a slave again. Six months later he went back and wanted to live with this wonderful slave emancipator. The slave said there was no man as good as he. This is what I say about Jesus; there is no one like Him. When He sets us free, we will be free indeed. Glory, honor and thanks to our Christ, Amen!

Joseph, Son of Jacob! Part III

There are many similarities between Joseph (the son of Jacob) and Jesus (the son of Joseph and Mary). The first similarity is that there were twelve men involved in the life of Joseph, he and his eleven brothers; Jesus’ twelve Disciples. They were both sold for pieces of silver. Also, they both began their mission at the age of thirty. Another thought would be that they both dealt with saving the lives of people they loved. Joseph saved them from earthly death (starvation), and Jesus saved, and continues to save, people from the eternal death and separation. The last, but not least, similarity between Jesus and Joseph was the endings of their stories. One ascended to the height of the earthly throne, and the other the height of the heavenly throne.

The last post on Joseph was his act of forgiveness for his brothers. Imagine the fact that he was alone, and for fourteen years he was a slave. Allow me for a moment to remind you that being a slave (bought for money) in those days was just like one would buy a mule. The master could work the slave to death if he wanted to, because he owned him. I will also remind you that Joseph was thrown into prison for no good reason. At the time Joseph saw his brothers and was the emperor of Egypt, he did not arrive there without misery. But Joseph was willing to forgive his brother for having put him through that misery. It is nice to have a forgiving heart, to disregard the past and to start fresh and looking continually looking forward. When Joseph made himself know to his brothers, it came with plenty of joyful tears.

Can you picture the scene? Joseph was as happy as could be; He was no longer an orphan. He forgave his brothers, the same brothers who sold him to the Ishlamites and lied about his whereabouts. I would say that they were very lucky that Joseph did not throw them in prison for life; rather he chose the Godly way to handle things.

Joseph sent the news to Pharaoh that his brothers were there and that his father was still in Canaan. Pharaoh being more than gracious. told Joseph to send for his father. He would give Joseph’s family the best lands to live in. Also, he ordered to send all kinds of gifts and a special chariot to Jacob to bring him down south. All was done as the king ordered.

When the news arrived to Jacob that Joseph was alive, he could not bear it. Jacob doubted that his son was a ruler until he saw the wagons loaded with gifts. Jacob fainted at first, but when he heard that he was going to Egypt he regained consciousness. So, Jacob collected every member of his extended family, including the grandchildren, and headed to see his son Joseph. The journey must have been very long, filled with impatience to arrive. There would be another celebration once Jacob arrived. I can picture all of Egypt rejoicing with the ruler for the occasion. At this time, Jacob 130 years young!

Besides all the endless dramas in this story, I see God’s hand in every turn, and His love and care everywhere. When we go through hard times, I hope that you remember this story and never forget God’s hand in your life. Psalm 37:23 states, “The steps are directed by the Lord!” In Proverbs 16:09, it states, “A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs the steps.” I thank the Lord for the reminders that He loves and cares for each one of us.