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Stephen &
Brooksyne
Weber
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Tuesday,
October 10, 2023
"God
Rewards
Faithfulness"
Personal
note: Brooksyne
returned from
her 12 day
trip where she
visited family
in OK, AR and
MO, saw many
friends and
attended her
50th high
school
reunion. We
picked her up
in Baltimore
last night and
got home
around
11:30pm. It's
great to have
our family
back together
again!
Message
summary:
How do you
respond when
people hurt
you? Joseph
provides a
sterling
example.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
“He
turned away
from them and
began to weep,
but then
turned back
and spoke to
them again”
(Genesis
42:24a). “See
to it that …no
bitter root
grows up to
cause trouble
and defile
many” (Hebrews
12:15).
Dave,
the worship
leader in our
church, is
easily moved
when
introducing a
song, reading
a Scripture,
or offering a
prayer.
His tender and
sensitive
heart toward
the things of
the Lord is
often
witnessed as
his voice may
tremble in an
attempt to not
openly weep.
In the Bible
famous weeping
men include
Jesus and
Jeremiah, the
weeping
prophet. But
today let us
consider a
specific time
when Joseph
wept.
Joseph
is a most
intriguing
Bible
character. The
late British
Bible teacher
A.W. Pink,
in his book
“Gleanings in
Genesis”,
notes 101
parallels
between Joseph
and Christ.
Obviously I
won’t list
them all here!
One of the
interesting
characteristics
of Joseph is
his freely
expressed
emotions. In
the Genesis
account we
find him
weeping on
eight
different
occasions.
Today’s Scripture portion records an event that took place during his first encounter with his brothers after a separation of 20 years. The last time he had seen his jealous brothers was from the back of a caravan while he was being hauled off as a slave to Egypt, thanks to their devious plot to be rid of him once and for all.
Today’s Scripture portion records an event that took place during his first encounter with his brothers after a separation of 20 years. The last time he had seen his jealous brothers was from the back of a caravan while he was being hauled off as a slave to Egypt, thanks to their devious plot to be rid of him once and for all.
During
these 20 years
in Egypt he
had many
occasions when
disbelief and
bitterness
could have
consumed him.
But in doing
so it would
have
overpowered
the sensitive,
charitable,
and loving
spirit that
God was
developing in
Joseph.
Interestingly, Joseph’s dreams as a young boy revealed that he was going to be a man of great power but didn’t disclose the extremely painful process that would lead to his exalted position in his adopted land of Egypt. His place of great honor was acquired by great humility. God had done a special work in his heart through the numerous and enduring trials. Scripture assures us that God’s hand was upon Joseph’s life. Repeatedly, in the midst of every major setback, the Bible declares, "The Lord was with him".
Remember, Joseph was but a boy of just 17 years when he came to this foreign godless nation. He experienced great hurt, fought bitterness and rejection, and longed to see his family and homeland. Yet he remained faithful to the God of his childhood in a land of idolatry, without the encouragement of other believers, He didn't attend Christian retreats or Men’s Conventions, and no written Scripture was available to sustain him. Yes, indeed, "the Lord was with him".
Have others hurt you? Of course they have! Oswald Chambers has observed that "it is nonsense to say that suffering makes saints; it makes some people devils". Joseph’s heart could have hardened after the long years of hurt and separation from his family. If anybody had ever been mistreated it was he. Consider all the years he had to "nurse his pain". Even in Egypt he had experienced several serious, disappointing setbacks before his eventual promotion.
Yet he stayed faithful and didn’t grow bitter. And on the occasion in today’s text, while Joseph was in a position of authority over his brothers, he saw their deep consternation and was emotionally overwhelmed.
Are the hard experiences of life, including hurts from others, going to make you bitter or better? Joseph expresses one of the great principles of life he had personally realized from this very difficult experience; “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20). May we too look for the bigger picture of God’s overall plan and remain faithful no matter the painful circumstance of our lives, for the greater good of those whom God has called us to influence.
Interestingly, Joseph’s dreams as a young boy revealed that he was going to be a man of great power but didn’t disclose the extremely painful process that would lead to his exalted position in his adopted land of Egypt. His place of great honor was acquired by great humility. God had done a special work in his heart through the numerous and enduring trials. Scripture assures us that God’s hand was upon Joseph’s life. Repeatedly, in the midst of every major setback, the Bible declares, "The Lord was with him".
Remember, Joseph was but a boy of just 17 years when he came to this foreign godless nation. He experienced great hurt, fought bitterness and rejection, and longed to see his family and homeland. Yet he remained faithful to the God of his childhood in a land of idolatry, without the encouragement of other believers, He didn't attend Christian retreats or Men’s Conventions, and no written Scripture was available to sustain him. Yes, indeed, "the Lord was with him".
Have others hurt you? Of course they have! Oswald Chambers has observed that "it is nonsense to say that suffering makes saints; it makes some people devils". Joseph’s heart could have hardened after the long years of hurt and separation from his family. If anybody had ever been mistreated it was he. Consider all the years he had to "nurse his pain". Even in Egypt he had experienced several serious, disappointing setbacks before his eventual promotion.
Yet he stayed faithful and didn’t grow bitter. And on the occasion in today’s text, while Joseph was in a position of authority over his brothers, he saw their deep consternation and was emotionally overwhelmed.
Are the hard experiences of life, including hurts from others, going to make you bitter or better? Joseph expresses one of the great principles of life he had personally realized from this very difficult experience; “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20). May we too look for the bigger picture of God’s overall plan and remain faithful no matter the painful circumstance of our lives, for the greater good of those whom God has called us to influence.
Be
encouraged
today,
(Hebrews
3:13)
Daily prayer:
Jesus,
when we are
hurt we
instinctively
turn away from
the source of
our pain. But
then we’re
inclined to
carry that
pain inwardly
where it can
easily spread
and damage our
emotions,
distort our
outlook, and
strain our
relations with
others. If we
don’t
surrender our
bruised
emotions to
You the
growing root
of bitterness
begins to
squeeze out
the stored up
blessings we
receive from
You day after
day. The
by-products of
bitterness
such as anger,
rage,
self-pity and
other
destructive
attitudes
become the
order of the
day, paving
the way back
to our old
nature.
But You have commanded us to rid ourselves of all such things that violate the new self as we are being renewed in the image of our Creator. We can only do this as we clothe ourselves daily with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Help us to bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances we have against another. We can only do this as we carry out the same kind of forgiveness that You, our Lord and Savior, demonstrate toward us. You are the supreme example of One who embraced enemies who mocked You and friends who betrayed You. Help us, in as much as it is possible, to live at peace even with those who inflict wounds. By Your grace and our surrendered will we choose to cut off the root of bitterness so that the fruit of the spirit has ample room to grow in our lives. Amen.
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
Daily prayer:
Jesus,
when we are
hurt we
instinctively
turn away from
the source of
our pain. But
then we’re
inclined to
carry that
pain inwardly
where it can
easily spread
and damage our
emotions,
distort our
outlook, and
strain our
relations with
others. If we
don’t
surrender our
bruised
emotions to
You the
growing root
of bitterness
begins to
squeeze out
the stored up
blessings we
receive from
You day after
day. The
by-products of
bitterness
such as anger,
rage,
self-pity and
other
destructive
attitudes
become the
order of the
day, paving
the way back
to our old
nature.But You have commanded us to rid ourselves of all such things that violate the new self as we are being renewed in the image of our Creator. We can only do this as we clothe ourselves daily with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Help us to bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances we have against another. We can only do this as we carry out the same kind of forgiveness that You, our Lord and Savior, demonstrate toward us. You are the supreme example of One who embraced enemies who mocked You and friends who betrayed You. Help us, in as much as it is possible, to live at peace even with those who inflict wounds. By Your grace and our surrendered will we choose to cut off the root of bitterness so that the fruit of the spirit has ample room to grow in our lives. Amen.
See
Colossians 3.
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources
"Faithful"
Watch
video on
YouTube
Erik Nieder
(Shared this
song yesterday
but it really
fits with
today's
message as
well)
Brooksyne's
note: It's
great to be
home again and
I thank God
for protecting
us in our 1500
plus miles I
traveled with
my sister,
Elaine. I was
warmly greeted
by Stephen and
Ester last
night and
"smothered"
with kisses,
licks and
unending
excitement by
the puppies.
They're still
clinging
today! I will
give an
overview of my
travels in a
future message
since I have a
lot of clean
up and catch
up work for
now.
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WEBER -
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In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
To
donate
directly
online
click here.
(This will
open to a page
that
designates the
offering
to: STEPHEN
&
BROOKSYNE
WEBER -
700001-237376 SERVING
IN SPECIALIZED
CHAPLAINCY)
If
you desire you
can also
donate
directly
through PayPal
using this link.
This will open
to a page that
states
"Brooksyne
Weber". We
keep this
option
available due
to the
familiarity,
convenience,
for
international
supporters,
and for those
who may not
need an
official
receipt. You
can also set
up for
recurring
donations.
Thank
you,
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
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Wordpress
iHeart
radioPermissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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