This is a good time to call to mind several lessons we can learn from Jacob’s family and Joseph’s adversity. The first is obvious. No enemy is more subtle than passivity. When parents are passive, they may eventually discipline, but by then the delayed reaction is often carried out in anger.
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God’s Training Manual
Before we get better acquainted with Joseph, let’s take a quick glance at some background information. It will help if you remember that his biography falls neatly into three distinct segments.
Read MoreThe Injustice of Roman Justice
Law is the protector of justice. But when madmen make law, justice becomes perverted. When Paul was arrested, he was brought before a tribunal to determine whether sufficient evidence existed for a formal trial. This “first defense” (4:16) or prima actio included a presentation of the case against Paul, as well as his opportunity to present […]
Read MoreMelchizedek as a Type of Christ
Few persons in the Bible are shrouded in more mystery than Melchizedek, king of Salem. After the battle against the five kings in Genesis 14:17, Melchizedek stepped into the narrative as if out of nowhere . . . then vanished again. We know nothing of his ancestry, his family, or his exploits. All we know […]
Read MoreHanded Over to Satan?
Paul’s ministry was not easy. From the moment of his conversion, after he was struck blind on the Damascus road, to the moment he was beheaded in Rome, Paul knew hardship. He provided a graphic, pen portrait of his ministry in 2 Corinthians 11:23–33. Some of the hardships Paul faced included “dangers among false brethren” […]
Read MoreDoing Time in a First-Century Prison
The Mamertine Prison in Rome could have been called the “House of Darkness.” Few prisons were as dim, dank, and dirty as the lower chamber Paul occupied. Known in earlier times as the Tullianum dungeon, its “neglect, darkness, and stench” gave it “a hideous and terrifying appearance,” according to Roman historian Sallust.1Sallust, The War with […]
Read MoreFeeling Used and Unappreciated
For a servant named Gehazi, working alongside a high-profile, greatly respected prophet like Elisha was a privilege. But at the same time, it was a particular position that brought about unique temptations.
Read MoreBe a Part of Something Phenomenal!
When God is doing something phenomenal—something extraordinary—you have to be part of it! When the Magi saw the star, they had to follow it. When Peter and John heard that the tomb was empty, they ran to see. When the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples at Pentecost, they turned the world upside down. Is God […]
Read MoreBe Ready!
I am always drawn back to Genesis at the start of a new year…and it is more than my annual attempt at reading through the Bible! In particular, it is the account of God testing Abraham (Genesis 22) that causes me to pause, reflect, and prepare for the uncertainty a new year brings. Abraham’s response […]
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