Tag: Joseph

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Quiet Time, She, Volume 3

Mary, Mother of Jesus, Part 5

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from the She Study, delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, Volume 3/pp 37-38

Today’s Scripture: Luke 2:7-20; John 1:14; and 1 Samuel 12:24

Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you.

1 Samuel 12:24

 “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

Friends, I hope you have found as much joy as I have in walking through Mary’s story. From the angel’s announcement that she had been chosen to carry and bear the Son of God into the world, we have seen her tender, receptive heart not only to the unexpected (and humanly impossible) announcement, but also to a possible threat to her engagement and relationship with Joseph, not to mention what the changes might do to her (and her familiy’s) reputation in the community. We have heard her willingness to accept and believe the message and surrender to the will of God, and we have watched as God not only kept Joseph from walking away but also gave her a much-needed embrace and words of encouragement from her cousin, Elizabeth.

“I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Luke 1:38

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And in time, everything the angel had told her came to pass. She gave birth to the only begotten Son of God, and He was named Jesus (Matthew 1:25). Jesus, God with us, as John 1:14 emphasizes, and as Isaiah had prophesied (Isaiah 7:14), A virgin would conceive and give birth to a son. People will call him “Immanuel,” which means “God with Us.” ~”Viewed in this light,” as gotquestions.org explains, “Isaiah’s prophecy is clear that Jesus is God, sent to earth to be with us, and to save mankind from our sins.” A savior born, the begotten Son of God, born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes,1 and laid in a manger; a perfect reminder that, as today’s study journal points out, “Regardless of whether or not there is room made for Him, the Lord will carry out His purpose.”

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

After Mary had given birth, swaddled her newborn son, and laid Him in the manger, she was visited by shepherds, who had been visited by an angel in the fields. The angel told them about the Savior, Christ the Lord, who had been born in Bethlehem, the city of David. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  …When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:10-12, 15-19)

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 

MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS, ALSO SERVES AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH US IF WE WILL SIMPLY YIELD OURSELVES TO THE LORD.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

  • Why would Mary ponder these things?
  • Take time today to ponder what He has done for you.

The More We Know

  1. There are some interesting theories about Luke’s detail of Jesus’ swaddling clothes. Some have postulated that the swaddling clothes were a foreshadowing—a prophetic reference—of Jesus’ burial cloths. The Greek word sparganoo is the root word used in the phrase “swaddling clothes,” and it means “to clothe in strips of cloth.” But this word sparganoo is never used in the New Testament to refer to burial cloth. In the descriptions in the Gospels of Jesus’ burial, we see variations on the phrase “wrapped in linen cloth,” and different Greek words are used for the binding. The swaddling clothes could prefigure Jesus’ burial (the Magis’ gift of myrrh in Matthew 2:11 is a clearer bit of foreshadowing), but the link can’t be proved linguistically. Gotquestions.org ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Beginning to Forever, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study

He Kept His Eyes Up

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Based on the LGG Study, From the Beginning to Forever/w2d5

Read: Genesis 37:9-11,23-24 and 50:15-21; SOAP: 50:20

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Genesis 50:20

“Joseph was saying, ‘You could have tried everything, but it would still not have worked because God is faithful.’”

LGG BLOG/FRIDAY, OCT 10, 20251

Joseph kept his eyes “up” – past the people and the circumstances of his life. This isn’t an easy task; it takes discipline, and Joseph had it. From his dreams to the pit his brothers left him in, being sold as a slave to Potiphar, falsely accused of attempted rape, imprisoned by Potiphar, forgotten by those in the king’s household who pledged to help him, and eventually reunited with the brothers who had left him for dead, Joseph kept his eyes on God, and it affected all that he did and said.

This isn’t to say that the betrayal by his brothers, the false accusations by Potiphar’s wife, being left in prison, or even seeing his brothers again was easy. Yet what he says here to his brothers…is a good indicator that he had seen God’s hand at work in his life all along the way.

Scripture tells us that Joseph excelled at his duties…became one of Potiphar’s most trusted servants…and was put in charge of his household. Even Potiphar could see that, whatever Joseph did, God looked favorably on him and he prospered in all that he did. When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, he fled from her, leaving his cloak behind, and was then accused of attempting to rape her, and he was put in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. It was actually his time in prison that allowed him the opportunity to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and find favor in his eyes, which positioned him right where he needed to be to save his family when the famine hit.

Based on Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph predicted seven years of bountiful harvests followed by seven years of severe famine in Egypt and advised the king to begin storing grain in preparation for the coming dearth (Genesis 41:1–37). For his wisdom, Joseph was made a ruler in Egypt, second only to the king. Joseph was in charge of storing up food during the years of plenty and selling it to Egyptians and foreigners during the years of famine (Genesis 41:38–57). During these years of plenty Joseph had two sons—Manasseh and Ephraim (Genesis 41:50–52).

gotquestions.org

Of course, this is the abbreviated version of Joseph’s story, but I think most would agree that even in its abbreviated form, it is quite a testimony to the sovereign and intimate workings of God in Joseph’s life. Which is undoubtedly the reason Joseph was able to say to his brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.“

Oh, friends, may we keep our eyes on the Lord our God. May we not lose sight of what He has done and is doing in, for, and around us. May He be the one that we love and trust above all others, so that others see that it is God at work in our lives. May we keep our eyes up on the Him, so that neither the past nor the present nor the future shake us. Whether we are facing plenty or want, may our hope still burn through the dead of the night. May we keep our eyes on the One who has overcome the great enemy of this world, and may we never forget all the battles He’s won and that the work that He has finished cannot be undone. May we join the song of Heaven and sing: “Holy holy, holy is the Lord!

Keep Your Eyes Up

[Verse 1]
I look to You, not the left or the right
You are my vision, You are the prize
I’m grounded in love, my fear’s taking flight
And hope is still burning through the dead of the night

[Chorus]
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up (
To the One that I love, the One that I trust, Jesus
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up

[Verse 2]
Your eyes full of fire, Your face like the sun
Your robe fills the temple from all the battles You’ve won
And there’s nothing to fear ’cause You’ve overcome
The work that You finished cannot be undone

[Chorus]
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up (Yes, I do, yeah)
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up (Oh, yeah)
To the One that I love, the One that I trust, Jesus
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up

[Bridge]
And when the whole Earth is shaking
Heaven keeps singing
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
And when the whole Earth is shaking
Oh, Heaven keeps singing
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
Yes, I will sing holy, holy, holy is the Lord

[Chorus]
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up (Yes, I do, yeah)
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up (Oh, yeah)
To the One that I love, the One that I trust, Jesus
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up (Yes, I do, yeah)
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up (Oh, yeah)
To the One that I love, to the One that I trust, Jesus
I keep my eyes up, I keep my eyes up

(Keep My Eyes Up/Ryan Ellis)2
The More We Know

Do you know the God of Joseph? Let me introduce you to Him~

https://mefromthensideout.wordpress.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/

For more insight into today’s journey, be sure and read today’s LGG Blog Post

Posted in LGG Study

Jesus Our Everything: Week 5, Day 4

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Question of the Day: How did Abraham obey? What does verse 11 tell us was the secret to his faith?

Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 11:8-22 (S.O.A.P. Hebrews 11:8)

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as a foreigner[a] in the promised land as though it were a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs[b] of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations,[c] whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old,[d] he received the ability to procreate,[e] because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy. 12 So in fact children[f] were fathered by one man—and this one as good as dead—like the number of stars in the sky and like the innumerable grains of sand[g]on the seashore.[h]13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised,[i] but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners[j] on the earth. 14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is,[k] they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises,[l] yet he was ready to offer up[m] his only son. 18 God had told him, “Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,”[n]19 and he reasoned[o] that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense[p] he received him back from there. 20 By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. 21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff.[q]22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life,[r] mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel[s] and gave instructions about his burial.[t]

Bible Reference