Good Morning.
And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.” And Laban said to him, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.” (Genesis 30:25-27)
It would seem that Joseph was born about the time that the fourteen years of service Jacob had committed to expired. That would explain why Jacob chose that time to ask Laban to “Give me my wives and children that I have served you for.” His request also implies that Laban had control in some way. In response Laban desired that he would stay and acknowledged that the LORD had blessed him because of Jacob. Because his flocks and herds had grown since Jacob arrived, it was quite obvious to everyone that Jacob’s presence among them had brought prosperity. And according to the blessing given to Abraham, that is the way it was supposed to be — Israel’s mandate is to be a blessing to the nations.
Later, Joseph would live in Egypt unwittingly preparing the way for the rest of his family to join him in a time of crisis. In the meantime, the nation of Egypt and Pharaoh grew quite prosperous because Joseph was in their midst. It is a fact that nations are blessed when God’s people are among them and are walking in obedience. Walking in obedience brings blessing and very often others benefit because of the blessing upon our lives. As Messiah said, it rains on the just and the unjust suggesting that, when God pours out blessing upon His people, those around them are subject to the blessing as well.
It is also true that God is able to bless His people and simultaneously bring judgment upon the wicked that surround them. As we consider the ongoing crises in this world and the rebellious spirit that is so pervasive in the world, God’s people should be committed to walking upright before our God believing that, if we turn from our wicked ways, He will heal our land. Nevertheless, it is only a matter of time before those who are in defiance of His Word will begin to suffer because of their rebellion. While we pray for a change of heart in those people, let us also pray that the Father will shield us from what the nation may have to suffer because of rebellion. May He set a distinction between us and the world and may that distinction bring glory unto Him.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
Greetings Bill and Beth,
Beth, my darling girl, I know you didn’t write this article, but being such an integral part of Bill, he wouldn’t be as great a man that he is in the Spirit without you. You both are great in the kingdom. The love between the two of you is such a blessing to all of us who watch you, even the playful bantering. By the way, how’s the miniature wash machine – still washing those socks?
Blessings, judgment, distinction and glory.
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Our bodies, certainly. They are waiting for the redemption. Even as Paul wrote, that we who have the Spirit, we “groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” Our souls, wherein our thoughts and feelings are expressed, yes, they certainly fall short.
Now here is that distinction which brings glory:
But our spirits born of God, one with God, how can our spirits be short of the glory? Unless, of course, we have not exercised our senses (Heb 5:14) to live upright and our spirits give way to the flesh. Then the flesh becomes the strong man.
Yeshua said: “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.” (Lk 11:21—22)
“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” (1 Pet 1:22-23)
Yes, we need to purify our souls by the washing of the water of the word. But our spirits born of God is holy and incorruptible because He is holy and incorruptible and our spirits are born of Him.
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (Jn 14:23) Also, “. . . If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev 3:20) We dine with Him, we drink with Him (Jn 7:37-38), we live with Him (Jn 14:23), He being in us (Jn 17:23), even as we live here on earth, on His footstool, as we exercise our senses (our souls, which are our thoughts and feelings, and then also our bodies) we exercise our senses to discern both good and evil and our incorruptible spirits are free to choose to follow after the Spirit.
WE ARE ONE IN GOD JUST AS THE FATHER AND THE SON ARE ONE
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (Jn 17:20-23)
Did we catch that?
“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them”
He has given us glory? Yes, our incorruptible born-again spirits, born of God (not our flesh), have the glory of God so that we “may be one” just as the Father and the Son are one, that we may “be made perfect in one” so that the world will know that the Father sent the Son. . . He loves us. As He (Way, Truth, Life, Love) is our Head, His glory binds us together, to one another, as His body.
With our hearts being filled continually with the things of the Spirit we do not let a strong man (flesh) take control of our hearts to overcome our spirit, on the contrary, our spirits can choose to follow after the Spirit of God; therefore, we are able to do the will of God. And John goes as far as to say that we cannot sin. “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 Jn 3:9)
“We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” (1 Jn 5:18)
That incorruptible seed of which our spirits are born (not the flesh, or souls that need to be exercised) that stuff that our spirits are made of is incorruptible – cannot sin.
As Yeshua said, WE ARE NOT OF THE WORLD
“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world just as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14-16)
We are not of the world, but we are OF His INCORRUPTIBLE seed, BORN OF GOD. (Jn 1:13)
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with the Messiah, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Rom 8:17)
Yes, He and we long suffer; however, our born-again spirits hear and love Him and one another with everything that we are, and we are glorified together.
Distinction between us and the world.
Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
April Rietmann
Emporia, KS