I Can't But God Can

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it.But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Genesis 41:15-16 (NIV)

Here was Joseph, standing before Pharaoh, the ruler of the world. Can you imagine? You are brought from prison, bathed and suited up and taken before a king. I imagine that must have been a little nerve racking.  After all, Joseph knew that if Pharaoh wasn't pleased, he executed you.

And then Pharaoh said "I hear you interpret dreams." Do you think Joseph pondered if he should or shouldn't say yes? What if he interpreted them wrong? What if the interpretation didn't come true? Pharaoh would impale him on a pole like he did the Chief Baker.

Those are all the thoughts that would have gone through my head. But, not Joseph. 

Joseph was sure of who he was and who gave him the interpretations. He knew on his own he could not accomplish such a great task. He knew who God was and what God had done in his life. Joseph gave God the glory. 

In our lifetime, we probably will never be called before a King to interpret their dreams. But how often do people tell us what a great thing we did and we are tempted to take the credit for it? I know in my life, anything good that is done is because God did it. His hand is in everything and he deserves the glory. 

Over and over in the Bible we see the downfall of God's people happen when they stop looking at what God is doing and start believing that it's about them. It is never about us. It is always about God. I pray that, like Joseph, we will humbly remember to give God the glory as we say "I cannot do it but, God can."

A Minute In It - More Than Enough

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. 14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”
17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.
18 “Bring them here,” he said. 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children! Matthew 14:13-21 (NLT)

When you come across someone who needs help, what is your first emotion?
Why did Jesus tell his disciples that they should feed the crowds?
What was their first response?
What is your first response when you feel God calling you to do something big?
Do you believe that when God provides there is always more than enough?
Do you believe that God still works miracles today?

You Are Not Alone

When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Genesis 39:1-2 (NLT)

Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Genesis 39:19-21 (NLT)

Poor Joseph. He was sold into slavery because his brothers were angry and jealous and then, because he chose to do the right thing he was put into prison. As we ponder that, maybe we shouldn't feel so sorry for him.  

Did you see the line that is in both of today's texts? The Lord was with Joseph. Where ever Joseph was, God was there too. No matter the twists and turns that his life took, God was walking beside him. When things were pretty much as bad as they could get, God was in the mess. How does that translate for us today?

When you lose your job and you aren't sure how it's going to work out. The Lord is with you.
When your marriage is on the rocks. God is in the mess.
As you look at your bills that equal more than what's in your checking account. You are not alone.
As you struggle with the health problem that seems way too serious and complicated. God is walking beside you.

Joseph was not more important than you are. No matter what you are facing today, you can be assured that you are not alone. 

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

Golden

 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
    I will never abandon you.”
So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper,
    so I will have no fear.
    What can mere people do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 (NLT)

Lately the theme of this text has been coming up a lot. It has come up in conversations, different devotions I've read, when I read my Bible or other books.  What's the theme? Be content.

Be content in what you have. Be content in where you are in your life. Be content in your relationships.

Does that mean we shouldn't have dreams and strive to do more? Absolutely not! But it means we should also be content in the process. Often that process is God working out his plan in our lives.

We can also be content in the fact that God is with us. He never leaves us. He is always working in and around us. Sometimes, when things don't look the way you want them to, don't run ahead of God. The process is refining us like fire refines gold.

Run!

Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever.  Hebrews 12:1-2 (MSG)

I am not a jogger. As a matter of fact I have been known to say that if you see me running you should run too because it means something is chasing me. Seriously.

Reading this text I imagined what it would look like to see someone jogging wearing heavy boots, a big thick coat, baggy, cumbersome pants, a large floppy hat obstructing their view and a heavy piece of luggage in their arms.  No one would intentionally run like that. When you see runners, they are stripped down wearing as little as possible so they can move freely, be quick and nimble. They want to be able to make as much progress as possible with little effort.

Shouldn't our spiritual races be the same? In this journey we are on, are we weighted down with baggage? Are there things we do that keep us rooted in place like a pair of too-heavy boots? Do we have blinders on that keep us from seeing the course clearly? If we are running the race that God has planned for us, wouldn't we want to be able to respond quickly, move freely and make progress?

The Bible says the only way to get rid of what weighs us down is to keep our eyes on Jesus. He never lost sight of where he was headed.  Neither should we.  So today, focus on Jesus. Strip off all those heavy weights you are carrying around. Put on your best running shoes and take off!  Keep running. Don't give up.

Does It Matter?

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (GNT)

What do you have faith in?  As Christians, we have faith in Christ's resurrection. And, we have faith in Jesus' Second Coming. We have faith in something that happened a long time ago and something that will happen in the future.

But what about today? What do you have faith in today? In Hebrews 11, the people listed had faith in what they were doing in that moment.

Abel had faith that his offering meant something.
Enoch had faith in his relationship with God.
Noah had faith that the boat he was building would save his family from something he'd never seen.
Abraham had faith that moving to an unknown place was what God was telling him to do.
And then he had faith that if he sacrificed his son God could raise him from the dead.
Moses' parents had faith that God would spare their son.
The Israelites had faith that the ground of the Red Sea would stay dry as they crossed.
And the list goes on and on......

These people and all the people after them didn't just have faith in what happened in the past or in what was going to happen in the future. They had faith that what they were doing now mattered. The decisions they made, mattered now. They had to believe in what was happening to them today.

Some days it might feel like our lives do not matter but they do.  They matter now. What you believe in today, in this moment, has an impact. What will you do today that requires a step of faith?

A Minute In It - We Are But A Breath

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
    Remind me that my days are numbered—
    how fleeting my life is.
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
    My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
    at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude

We are merely moving shadows,
    and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
    not knowing who will spend it. Psalm 39:4-6 (NLT)

What is your life about?
What do you spend your time and money on?
Do you think you can make a difference in your world?
The Bible says you can. Do you believe it? Do you live like it?

Focus

 I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God, your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (MSG)

All throughout the Bible, people had the freedom to choose. David had choices to make. Should he stand up to Goliath or go home as his brothers said? Should he call Bathsheba to his home or walk back into the palace and talk to one of his wives? Should he own up to what he did with Bathsheba or eliminate the problem by killing Uriah?

Everyone in the Bible had choices to make. Sometimes they made good choices. Sometimes they didn't.

The Bible is pretty clear that the choice is always ours.  We are never forced to do anything. Sometimes our choices will lead us to choose between our relationship with God or ourselves. I think, most of the time, the choice is about focus. Am I focusing on what God would want in this situation or what I want?

So, what do you choose to focus on? Most importantly, is your focus on God?