Will you live and die by faith?
21 Jan 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Genesis 49
Genesis 50
Matthew 15:1-20
By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones (Hebrews 11:22).
Will you live and die by faith?
Joseph had a roller coaster life; however, by the grace of God, he knew that the Lord was with him whether he was going up or down. He becomes a model saint because he walks by faith throughout his life and trusts God with his final breath. The Lord promised to his great-grandfather Abraham, his grandfather Isaac, and his father Jacob that the land of Canaan would be given to them and their descendants. Joseph shows his enduring faith as recorded in Genesis 50:25. “Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.’” Let’s live by faith like Joseph!
Employment Point: Embrace God’s promises by faith until your faith becomes sight.
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Reflections
“All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.”Genesis 49:28 NIV
- if you read Genesis 49:1-27, you will realised not everything is a blessing. Some sounded more like curses or that Jacob is a prophet, who foretold what is going to happen to all his 12 sons.
- so I find it interesting that it is called blessings when it is not. Perhaps it also gives us a different perspective when we look at blessings. Something that is “bad” can also be a blessing (in disguise). The Lord knows it better.
“There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah.”Genesis 49:31 NIV
- it’s interesting how Jacob mentioned Leah instead of Rachel, whom he loved more. If we dig a little further we will realised why.
- Leah's Fulfillment of Purpose: God opened Leah's womb when Rachel was barren, and she bore sons like Judah and Levi, whose descendants became crucial to Israel's future (David's line, the priesthood). Her inclusion with Jacob signifies her essential, foundational role.
- Jacob's Final Honor: Jacob desired to be buried with his family, and Leah was the one placed in the ancestral tomb with him, signifying her acceptance and importance in his life and legacy.
- Rachel's Separate Legacy: Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin (Genesis 35:18-19) and was buried by the roadside, a poignant marker of her personal journey and sorrow, but not with the ancestral patriarchs.
- Symbolic Contrast: While Jacob loved Rachel romantically, Leah's story emphasizes themes of divine choice, perseverance, and God's plan for the nation, even through rejection, ultimately leading to her being honored alongside Jacob.
- In essence, Jacob's final request highlights Leah's integral place in establishing the lineage and nation, a role that ultimately superseded the initial romantic preference for Rachel, solidifying Leah's status as a revered matriarch.
“When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’ ” Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.””Genesis 50:4-6 NIV
- It is not a given that as a boss, you will accede to every request your subordinate made to you. But here, we do see that Joseph had definitely found favour in Pharaoh’s eyes, as Pharaoh accedes to all his requests. We know that the Lord is definitely with Joseph and has blessed him much, so much so that he not only found favour with Pharaoh but also with the people.
“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 many lives.”
Genesis 50:19-20 NIV
- Joseph has been given this godly wisdom that does not come from normal man. A usual man would have bear grudges against his brothers for mistreating him, selling him away, etc. They have no regards of him as their brother except for perhaps Reuben who have been thinking of ways to save Joseph. Yet we see how God allows mishaps or “bad things” to happen so that His name is glorified.
- where the Lord is concerned, we saw how he can use bad situations for His higher purpose. It just encourages us that even when we are in the pits and seeing no light at the end of the tunnel, the Lord knows all these and are still with us. He is not letting us deal with all these things along but will guide us through
“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.””Matthew 15:18-20 NIV
- in a way we saw how the Lord teaches His people. The concept of what is clean and unclean.
- In the past the Gentiles are considered unclean but Jesus has said salvation comes to everyone. Nobody is unclean anymore because His blood has been sacrificed to all and redeemed for all. He doesn’t pick who is more worthy, etc.
- whenever we say grace before we eat, the Lord has blessed it and made it clean for us. The unwashed hands are more of just an outward thing of unhygienic personal practices. So the things that defiles us is not what we eat. Like they used to say pigs are dirty and we can’t eat them. But the concern that comes from the Lord is not about food but the heart. Like He harps about how the Pharisees are like hypocrites but they care more of rituals than the good of the people. So what good is there when we eat “clean” food and yet have a heart that is filled with hatred, jealousy, wickedness, etc.
May the Lord open our hearts to see what truly defiles us and guide us back to the right paths for His name sake.
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What God Remembers
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
January 21
I remember the devotion of your youth. —Jeremiah 2:2
Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Am I full of the sort of small, simple actions and thoughts that cheer his heart? Or am I constantly irritated, obsessed with the idea that things aren’t going my way?
There is no joy in the soul that has forgotten what God loves and needs. Think on this: God needs you. Do you know that? It is a great thing. “Will you give me a drink?” Jesus asked the Samaritan woman, counting on the spontaneous spark of goodness and charity that might lead someone from a different people, a different tribe, to offer help (John 4:7). We too must act in spontaneous joy and love for his sake—the sake of his reputation with others.
Do I remember how it was in the beginning of my relationship with him? God does: “I remember the devotion of your youth.” God remembers when I cared for nothing but him, when I had an extravagance of love for Jesus, when I would have gone anywhere, done anything, to prove my love.
Am I still so in love that I take no consideration for myself? Or have I grown calculating, always watching for the respect I think I deserve, weighing how much service I should give, asking if it’s worth it?
Remember as God remembers. And if you find that he is not what he used to be—your soul’s beloved—let it produce shame and humiliation. The shame will bring the goodly, godly sorrow that works repentance.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
I have no right to say I believe in God unless I order my life as under His all-seeing Eye.
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Reflections
How we treat God should come from how He treats us. We love because He first loves us. And if love is first priority for Him to us, it should be our first priority from us to the others too. However, we may know all these but do we really apply what we read? So is it only head knowledge and nothing about the heart?
I remember the time when I decided to become a Christian and said the sinners prayer. I was so on fire and wanted to do whatever I can to get to know Him, do His will and fulfil my calling. Seriously I have no idea what was ahead but I tell myself, ok. Now that I am a Christian, I will need to do whatever a Christian does.
It was a point of ok no problem for anything. I will willingly do it because I want to belong to Christ. And I realised over time, this fire is a bit difficult to upkeep. Like you will have people come to you and put out some fire or douse it out entirely. And then we try to rely on our strength to pick ourselves up again and walk this path. It gets harder and harder until dread fills our heart. Maybe even sense of doubts or thoughts of why am I doing this.
Love is a 2-way street. One sided love doesn’t work. If the Lord keeps on loving us but we do not reciprocate, nothing interesting happens. If we start to love the Lord and put Him as first priority, things will start to move and change. Before we know it, the rest of the things will just fall into place. Make it a point to devote our time, energy and the whole of ourselves to Him, the one living sacrifice.
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