Devotional Thoughts

Genesis 41:1-4    "And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke." Genesis 41:8-9    "And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh. Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:"   Pharaoh’s chief butler had been in prison, where Joseph ministered unto him. Joseph’s only request of the butler was that when thi

Proverbs 15:22    "Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established." Sometimes, we don't know which way to turn and then it seems other times we feel we have all the answers.  There are other times when it seems that everything we attempt to do takes a wrong turn.  The overall question that I have on my heart this morning is this, "How important is it to surround ourselves with people who love us and are able to give good advice?"  How important is it then to listen to others, whether we follow them or not?  "Without counsel (proper instruction) purposes are disappointed."  We need proper instruction in order to prevent failure of those things we attempt to do in our lives. "In the multitude of counsellors they are established." The idea given in this verse is that we should be willing to sit down and ask questions and also listen to the answers given.  There is no one person on the face of

Genesis 40:9-15    "And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me int

Proverbs 15:13-17    "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.  (14)  The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.  (15)  All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.  (16)  Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.  (17)  Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith." Solomon is setting forth two states of heart and mind in these verses. And quite honestly, we have a choice as to which way we approach life. We can either decide that we are going to be miserable and try to make everyone else miserable, or we can decide that the blessings of God in our lives far outweigh anything else that might be going on. We have the results of each mindset that is listed in these verses. We can choose to allow things of life to override our joy, o

Genesis 40:1-8    "And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward. And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and th

Proverbs 15:8    "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight." "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD." There was one person who immediately came to my mind as I read across these words this morning. Do you remember King Saul? He was the first king of Israel. The people had come to Samuel and demanded a king so they could be like all the other nations. God forbid that we would ever want to be like other nations whose gods are of this world; yet that is exactly what they wanted. "We want someone to reign over us." Samuel tried to tell them that it was wrong, but they persisted. God gave them what they wanted. We should always be very careful what we ask for. We just might get it and then realize it wasn't the best for us after all. The reason I thought of King Saul was because his "sacrifices" were an abomination unto the Lord. God had told them to destroy everyth

Genesis 39:17-23    "And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out. And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it t

Proverbs 15:1-3    "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.  (2)  The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.  (3)  The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." It seems the book of Proverbs has a lot to say much about our taming of the tongue. The book of James, in the New Testament, also says much about our use of words. We are told in that book that all kinds of animals can be tamed, "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God." (James 3:8-9)  Many fights have been started because of spoken words. Wars between nations have begun because of words which come from a prideful heart. Jesus said, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts..." (Matthew 15:19)  Solomon wrote, "The eyes of the LORD are in

Genesis 39:6    "And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" Potiphar was living well. He had put his trust in Joseph because he saw that the LORD was with Joseph. He had no idea what he had. He just took what was placed before him and consumed it without thought.  It would seem that Joseph had some of the attributes of his mother, Rachel. Genesis 29:17 tells us that Rachel was beautiful and we

Proverbs 14:30    "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones." We can look at this verse from two different angles. First, we can talk about a physically healthy heart. It is very important for us to maintain a good quality of diet, exercise, and rest in order to maintain a healthy heart. We hear so much about this every day because we hear of so many people with heart problems. We certainly desire and need a good healthy heart to keep the blood pumping through our bodies. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood." (Leviticus 17:11)  But even deeper than that is the importance of a sound, healthy, spiritual heart. Every aspect of our lives can be affected when our hearts and minds are not where they should be in the spiritual realm. We can be affected mentally and physically when our spiritual status is not in the proper place. Yes, "A sound heart is the life of the flesh." If our hearts are not fixed upon the work of C

Genesis 39:1-5    "And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field." Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery for a handful of silver. The Ishmaelite traders brought him to Egypt. There, they sold him to a man named Potiphar.

Proverbs 14:26-27    "In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.  (27)  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." For several decades now, we have heard people talk about finding themselves. The idea is that if we can find ourselves, then we can have self-assurance and find peace within. That sounds like a noble thought, but the truth of the matter is that there is no peace to be found simply within ourselves. We cannot conjure peace. We cannot manufacture it nor multiply it by our own selves. There is only one place - one source - of peace and that is found in the Prince of Peace, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Wonderful Counselor. See Isaiah 9:6.  His name is Jesus.  When we position our thoughts, words, and actions in the confidence and assurance of Jesus Christ, then (and only then) can we find true and lasting peace.  We can be confident when we are walking in His counse

Genesis 38:24-26    "And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff. And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more." Genesis 38:29    "And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez." Judah’s wife was dead, and he was going on with his life. He totally ignored Tamar and his responsibility to her. In response to Judah’s unrighteousness, Tamar p

Proverbs 14:23    "In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury." Have you ever heard the saying, "Talk is cheap"?  There are times when people "talk a good game," but their actions do not back up the talk.  Solomon certainly had a way with words and he did not mince them.  I never discount the fact that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, but as I go through Proverbs this particular time, it seems that Solomon experienced many of the things of which he wrote. It seems that maybe some of the people around him were guilty of talking the talk, but not walking the walk.  We all have good intentions at times, but the profit of those intentions comes through the action behind the words.  If you remember, our thoughts on this chapter began with verse 4, "Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox." This particular chapter seems to be dealing with actions.  In the New Testame

Genesis 38:7-12    "And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also. Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite." Judah had been in a place where it seemed everything was going his way. He had gotten

Proverbs 14:14    "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself." It is important to be reminded of Proverbs 14:12 while looking at the phrase, "shall be filled with his own ways."  What is the way of the backslider?  "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. "  "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways... which seemeth right unto him... but the end thereof are the ways of death." What is a backslider?  It seems to me that a backslider is one who knows the ways of God; yet, he chooses to walk in the way of the world. According to Hebrews 11:25 (and according to each of our own experiences), there are "... pleasures of sin for a season." We are told that Moses chose "to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." If we choose the pleasures of the world fo

Genesis 38:1-6    "And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her. And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar." Joseph was gone and presumed dead by his father, Israel. This was the lie that was perpetrated by Joseph’s brothers. Israel mourned for Joseph for many days. While he was mourning the loss of Joseph, Judah left and became friends with a man named Hirah from the city of Adullam.  While there, Judah took a Canaanite woman to him for a wife. She bore him three sons. Judah then saw his firstborn son, Er, ma

Proverbs 14:12    "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." "There is a way that seems right to a man." The problem with that sentence is that the way which seems right to a man is usually paved with glitter and glamour that does not last. It attracts the eye which does not always give 20/20 spiritual vision. John tells us in 1 John 2:16, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." The eye and natural mind wants to lead us in those ways and what does John say about those "ways"?  They are "not of the Father." So what is the result if it is not of the father? Solomon was very much to the point with his answer: "the end thereof are the ways of death." How do we avoid these ways that are contrary to God and also contrary to us? Paul tells us the answer: "... seek those thing

Genesis 37:29-36    "And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard." A

Proverbs 14:4    "Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox." "Where no oxen are, the crib is clean."  Why would Solomon include this in the book of Proverbs? What could he possibly have been thinking when he wrote these words?  I am not discounting the fact that this is the inspired Word of God, but I wonder what was going through his mind. May I share with you what I am thinking about as I read this verse? I confess I am not, nor ever have been, a farmer. But I can think of the fact that there is work to be done concerning cleaning out the stalls where the oxen would be kept. There is much shoveling to be done, if you know what I mean. That could be considered a trivial thing; yet, it is hard manual labor that must be done day after day. It could get tiresome very quickly and the idea could come into the mind, "Why should I have to do this so often?" But the truth of the matter is that, "Where no oxen are,

Genesis 37:23-28    "And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt." Joseph’s oldest brother, Reuben, had tried to persuade the other brother

Proverbs 13:24    "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." This seems like a harsh saying, and to the mind it probably is a harsh. But there is great wisdom in this Proverb if we really stop to think about it. No one wants to say, or even think the words, concerning hating a son. It just doesn't happen. There is love for our own flesh and blood and that is exactly how God intends it to be.  But love expresses itself in many different ways. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us of the expressions of love. Love is patient and kind. It doesn't envy the blessings of others nor does it exalt himself above others. Love behaves in a manner that is appropriate and bears all things that we might think to be inferior in others. In reality, love covers all the blemishes of others and does not promote ourselves. Love in action never fails.  If we truly love our children, we will help guide them into a good upright manner of living.  Those are s

Genesis 37:19-22    "And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again." Joseph’s brothers were tending the flocks at Dothan. Israel sent Joseph to check on their welfare. Even though Joseph was coming out of concern for their welfare, they could not put aside the jealousy and hatred they had for him. They wanted to do things their way. Bowing down to Joseph (even though, so far, it had only been in a dream) was not something they intended to do.  The word translated as dreamer has two sources: one is simply “drea

Proverbs 13:20    "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." Our Daddy always talked to us about "guilt by association."  He was telling me to be careful about my friends and those I ran around with.  There have been many people who have gotten caught up with things that ultimately hurt them because they associated with the wrong people. Jesus said it in this way, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump."  Notice the wording of Solomon, "... a companion of fools shall be destroyed."  He didn't say that that person necessarily was a partakere of the bad deed, but he was a companion or an associate of those who were guilty.  He was taken down also. But the opposite of this is also true.  "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise."  Where does wisdom originate? We've seen it and been reminded of it more than once in our journey through Proverbs: "The fear of the LORD is the b

Genesis 37:12-18    "And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him." Israel’s older sons were a rebellious lot and often made unwise decisions. In the forty-ninth ch

Proverbs 13:12    "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." "Lord, I need patience now."  Have you ever thought in terms of that?  We are not born with the attribute of patience. Tell a crying infant to be patient while the bottles are getting warmed. (Yes, I am dating myself now back to the days of heating the water to place the bottles in.)  Tell a child that an 8 hour drive to the beach will pass quickly. Tell a tired adult that the sleepless night will soon be over.  Patience is not a virtue that we were born with; rather, it is learned through experiences of life. We often hear of the patience of Job, but I have never heard of Solomon as being patient.  Waiting for something to happen can cause all kinds of upheaval inside. Our minds go into overdrive and even our stomachs can become upset if we allow ourselves to become stressed with impatience.  We have expectations of ourselves and of others. We become anxious

INTRODUCTION   There are principles of interpretation that biblical scholars have created over time to assist the Bible student in rightly dividing the Word of Truth. In examining the record of these second-generation Israelites entering into the promised land as it is revealed in Joshua 7 and 8, we can utilize one of these principles to assist our study.  This principle is titled “The Application Principle.” By definition it is “The principle by which an application of truth may be made only after the correct interpretation has been learned.” This principle and its definition are given in J. Edwin Hartill’s Principles of Biblical Hermeneutics.” This article will focus on the events surrounding the destruction of Jericho.  JOSHUA, ISRAEL’S NEW LEADER   Joshua is now the leader of the nation, and in Joshua chapter 1, God has made some amazing promises to him. The LORD said unto Joshua, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto

Genesis 37:2-11     "These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us

Proverbs 13:10   "Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom." I think most everyone wants to look good when they make decisions in life. We want to be able to make good choices as we deal with life's issues. That's not necessarily a bad thing, unless our decisions are made solely for that very reason  - "I want to look good in front of others." Solomon had much to say about pride and we will see more as we travel through the book. But as a preview, let us know pride doesn't lead us to a good place. A growing child says, "I don't need any help. I can do it on my own." A grown person who is led by pride continues to say, "I don't need any help. I can do it on my own." We do well if we learn that we do need help and it's okay to ask for it. In fact, wisdom comes by being well advised by others. Success is better achieved when we surround ourselves with wise counselors. The greatest counselor of al

Genesis 36:1-3    "Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom. Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth." Genesis 36:6-7    "And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle."   Esau, also called Edom, was prone to rash decisions. The name Esau means “rough.” Edom means “red,” and refers to his decision to sell his birthright for a bowl of red pottage (soup – Genesis 25:29-32). Esau married wives that were convenient to him. He also took the

Proverbs 13:4    "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat." Have you noticed so far that the book of Proverbs deals with the practical side of life?  God inspired Solomon to begin with the thoughts of honoring God in our thoughts, words, and actions. This is the single most important aspect of life to which we should be "diligent" in accomplishing on a daily basis. Most, if not all, other areas of life will be in a better position for us if we seek first to honor our Lord and to do the right thing. God tells us in the book of Micah 6:8, "... to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."  Erk Russell, the late legendary coach of Georgia Southern University would say it this way, "Just do what is right." This is the message of the book of Proverbs. Would you agree with me that all too often, the problem is that we want immediate results.  We tend to give up too easil

Genesis 35:9-12    "And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land."   God appeared unto Jacob again. This is such a simple statement, but it is also a statement of great hope for Jacob and for us. We see God’s hand of assurance on Jacob over and over in his journey. We know that God has not changed because we see his hand of assurance in our lives over and over as we journey through life.  This time of God’s appearance was marked by an act of obedience on Jacob’s part. God had told him it was time to leave the land of his f

Proverbs 12:28    "In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." Psalm 11:3    "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Psalm 33:12    "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." What do you see when you read these three verses? What is God saying to you through these words? May I share my thoughts with you? The true foundation of any nation, especially the United States of America, must be the truth of serving and worshipping the One true and living God.  Our laws and our actions should be founded upon the perfect, holy, and righteous will of God. The Word of God should be the standard by which we live each day. We should march under the banner of One Nation under God, indivisible.  If that foundation is destroyed, what right and good things can be accomplished? Our nation is still the most blessed nation in all the world. Though we

Genesis 35:1-5    "And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob."   There is a glorious message in God’s words to Jacob. The name Bethel means “house of God.” God told Jacob to get up and come to His house. This was not an inv