The Cross

“‘So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.

Genesis 45:8,9

Intr.:

He made me

1.  father to Pharaoh,

2.  lord of his entire household and

3.  ruler of all Egypt.

End:

Now hurry back to my father and say to him, …'”

KORU

“But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.” – Genesis 45:27

I decluttered my “office” and I am decluttering the books in my small library. I found the book BORN AGAIN by Charles W. Colson and I think I have never read it properly, but I am reading it now.

I picked it up second hand. I notice that it was written  40 years ago.

BORN AGAIN by Charles Colson

Keyrings with a Message: (Have I started a collection?)

KEYRINGS

1. “HUGS NOT THUGS”

2. “COASTGUARD SAVING LIVES AT SEA”

3. “IT’S ABOUT WHANAU MAKE YOUR WHARE [HOME] AND CAR SMOKEFREE.”

Three times we are told in Genesis chapter 39 that the LORD was with Joseph:

THE FIRST TIME

In Genesis 39:2 it says, “The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, …”

THE SECOND TIME

In Genesis 39:21 we read, “The LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.”

THE THIRD TIME

In Genesis 39:23 we are told, “Because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.”

Let us summarize:

Joseph prospered, the Lord showed him kindness, granted him favor and gave him success in whatever he did.

Love the World? Do not!

Recently a magazine pointed me to my guide to seeing the world.

An airline advertisement is pointing out to me that our local airline is also my connection to the world and that I need to use it.

Long ago I read for the first time in THE BOOK OF BOOKS  about the love of the Father and the love of the world. What is in the world? I am told that there are three things in the world: (First John 2:15-17)

1. “the cravings of sinful man, …”  (Proverbs 23:3; Proverbs 21:26; Proverbs 13:2)

2. “the lust of his eyes and…”  (Genesis 3:6; Job 31:1; Psalm 119:37)

“lust of the eye”

3.  “the boasting of what he [man] has and does – ”

We love the Father or we love the world. We cannot love the Father and the world at the same time. The world is coming to an end. Those who love the Father have eternal life.

Can I point you to the guide to seeing the love of the Father, the will of God. The guide to seeing the love of the Father and the will of God is the BIBLE.

It must have been at one of our Field conferences in Thailand many years ago, if I remember correctly, that a lady missionary from England who was left alone on the station to look after herself for some time related that she felt desperately lonely, because there was no one to talk to in her own language.

When I heard her saying that it did not mean anything to me at that time.

I don’t remember how much later, but there came a time in my life when I remembered what was said at that conference and it became meaningful to me.

Today I am remembering that conference again and what was said. Maybe when we get older we become more and more aware of the fact that we find meaning in life through relationships.

“Tens of thousands of older New Zealanders are very, very lonely”

In Psalm 68:6 the Bible tells us, “GOD SETS THE LONELY IN FAMILIES, …”

I like to go to different places  here in town to meet people, and my greatest joy is to meet people from different countries. We have several different nationalities here in Kaitaia.

We find meaning in life through relationships with people, but we find real meaning in life through our relationship with our  creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is good to have someone to talk to, but we cannot compare talking with other human beings with talking to the living God (Prayer).