HATRED’S DESTRUCTIVENESS  But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more… His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. —Genesis 37:4-5, 8  They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. —Genesis 37:18  Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let…

OMNIPRESENCE!  YOU ARE NEVER ALONE!  Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” —Genesis 35:3  Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead…

BE AWARE! “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” —Matthew 24:21-23 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a…

GIVE TODAY!  Freely you have received; freely give. —Matthew 10:8              What have you freely received from our Lord Jesus?  Really the answer is everything!  We were lost and He saved us.  We were in the kingdom of darkness and He transferred us into the kingdom of Light.  We were sin sick and dead, but He healed us and raised us to new life.  We were enslaved by Satan to do His will and now we have been freed by Jesus to do His will.  All of this we have received freely.  He gave without cost to us, but it was at great cost to Him!  Now He desires us…

OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK!  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” —Matthew 9:36-38              Ok, there are few things we learn about the harvest— Lost people have Jesus’ compassion Lost people are harassed Lost people are helpless Lost people are like sheep without a shepherd The harvest is plentiful among lost people The workers in the harvest for lost people are few Jesus is the Lord of the…

CONFLICT AND GRIEF When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah. —Genesis 26:34-35             Marriages should be a time of joy and celebration, but sometimes they are not.  In the verses above Esau married Hittite women who were under the curse of Noah (Genesis 9:25).  These two women were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.  There was obviously conflict between Esau’s wives and Esau’s parents.  This is a hard thing to live with.             Anytime there is conflict/grief in families through a marriage — it…

THINK RIGHTLY AND DON’T WRITE A FALSE NARRATIVE IN YOUR MIND!  Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.” —Genesis 20:11             What actions have you taken or are you taking or will you take because of wrong thinking or depending on your own thoughts?             In the verse above Abraham had: Thought wrongly Thought wrongly about the people of that place (an area between the Dead Sea and Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea) Thought wrongly about the people’s belief of God in that place Thought wrongly that he would…

HEART’S FOCUS  Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. —Matthew 6:19-21  No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. —Matthew 6:24  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given…

RIGHTEOUS BY BELIEVING After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward.”  But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”  Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the…

BE A LIGHT REVEALED AND NOT HIDDEN Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.  And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”  Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. —Genesis 14:18-20 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same…