Wednesday, 30 November 2016
On the way to the Palace -An Essential Commodity
I remember several years ago in a Miss World contest,one of the contestants was asked to mention three items she would take if left in a desert and given the choice of just three.I found her answer quite intriguing. She replied that she would take water,a blanket and a Bible. In the last post, we talked about a dry pit meaning a pit without the word of God and coincidentally just this Sunday, my pastor re-emphasized in his sermon the need for us to read and meditate on the Word of God.
Trying to move the church to become Bible literate is a challenge for many Pastors today. Somehow the truth is we have not fully realized the importance of God’s word and even when we do, we struggle with the discipline to create time for it. It seems that we have time to do every other thing but read the word of God and sometimes there are legitimate reasons for which we postpone the reading of God’s word till the end of the day when we are already fagged out(assuming you are also a morning person). It does not need a word of knowledge (rather a word from knowledge) to know that in a few minutes of reading the Word in such a wearied state, we would end up sleeping .And this unfortunately is the case for most of the week for many people.
According to my Pastor, just as we need food for our human bodies to be able to function rightly, we need the Word of God for our spirit man to function as well. The Word of God which has been likened to water has a cleansing and a purifying effect (Ephesians 5:26). Other benefits of the Word include salvation (James 1:21),deliverance( Psalms 107: 20),healing (Proverbs 4:21-22) ,revival (Psalms 10:25,49-51,107,154),sanctification (Psalms 119 9-11 ), direction (Psalms 119:105) and growth(1 Peter 2: 2).As we dwell in Gods Word, our lives are enriched and produce more fruit (John 15 5- ) .There are several earthly and eternal benefits which abound when we become rich in God’s word. Spending time in God’s Word enables us to know Him more. The more of him we know, the richer our experience and the deeper our intimacy (Psalms 42 7, Hosea 6: 3). The more of the light we receive from the word of God and practice (James 1: 22 ),the more we can reflect and become lights in our world (Matthew 5 14-16; 2 Corinthians 3: 18) and rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2: 15).
The benefits of studying the word of God are unquantifiable and if it is going to be of any benefit to us, then an epileptic &emergency approach to it must be shunned. The Bible should not be left on the dining table neither should it be opened to a Psalm of protection(Psalm 91) and kept under our pillows before we sleep .This to me seems like we are leaving it for the pillow to read!
Many of us would hardly go off for the day without breakfast and this week I challenge us to“No word, no breakfast”
Love the Word,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.
Thursday, 24 November 2016
On the way to the Palace 18-The Pit
“ Now when Joseph reached his
brothers, they stripped him of his tunic ,the {distinctive } multicoloured
tunic which he was wearing ; 24 then
they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty,there was no
water in it”- Genesis 37:23-24 AMP Amplified Bible .
“When Joseph reached his brothers
,they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing ,grabbed him and threw into a
cistern.The cistern was dry ;there wasn’t any water in it”.- Genesis 37:23-24
MSG The Message
It will not always be rosy for the man on the way
to the Palace as we see in
the life of Joseph. Working so hard to please his father, the only reward he
gets is a harsh and brutal treatment from his brothers. They take away his coat
of many colours which his father gave before dumping him into the pit. Just before we get into a pit
situation(which we see eventually happens ) to everyman on the way to the Palace is an attempt by the
enemy to strip us of apparent evidences of the father’s love.
Eventually
Joseph is thrown into the pit and a salient point to note about this pit was that it was dry.
Several commentaries talk about how deep the pit was and how impossible it
would have been for Joseph to climb out
of the pit himself without assistance but it is important to realize that this pit
which could have collected water did not have any water in it.
Figuratively in the Bible, water is usually used to
represent the word of God(Eph 5:26-27; (Ezk 36:25; Heb 10:22) which is another
essential commodity we should have whenever we find ourselves in a pit
situation. In the pit situation we find Joseph, there is no evidence of
external water however I believe strongly that he had God’s word and promises dwelling within him which kept him in the pit.The
Word of God that we know is what would most likely see us through the pit
situation(John 8:32).
The pit is not a desirable place and many times
when we find ourselves in it, we might be sorely tempted with the
shoulda,woulda ,why me question. But rather than living with regrets or of
thoughts of what might have been , it is wisdom to ensure that our pit is not dry and the word
of God is dwelling richly in us(Colossians
3:16 ). There is a peace that is present as a result of the knowledge of
the word of God which we have(1 Peter 1:3).
Yours in His
Love,
Grace
Tom-Lawyer.
Tuesday, 22 November 2016
On the way to the Palace 17 :Before the Pit
“ Now when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic ,the {distinctive } multicoloured tunic which he was wearing ; 24 then they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty,there was no water in it”- Genesis 37:23-24 AMP Amplified Bible .
“When Joseph reached his brothers ,they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing ,grabbed him and threw into a cistern.The cistern was dry ;there wasn’t any water in it”.- Genesis 37:23-24 MSG The Message
;”And we have known and believed the love that God hath for us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him”.- 1 John 4:16 KJ21 21st Century King James Version
"So we know that God loves us. We depend on it. God is love. Anyone who leads a life of love is joined to God. And God is joined to them”.- 1 John 4:16 NIV R New International Revised Version
“And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him”.- 1 John 4:16 AMPC Amplified Version Classic Edition
“So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them”.- 1 John 4:16 ERV English Revised Version
“We have experienced and we have entrusted our lives to the love of God in us. God is love. Anyone who lives faithfully in love also lives faithfully in God, and God lives in him”.- 1 John 4:16 The Voice “So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them”.- 1 John 4:16 ERV English Revised Version
Joseph eventually found his brothers and got close enough to give a scream of joy and excitement at seeing them. Perhaps a hug from one of his brothers would have completed his joy. Instead it appears they gave him a rude welcome and dragged off his coat from him. If Joseph thought this was a joke initially, the reality of the situation hit him when he got thrown into the pit.
It is interesting to note that one of the first things his brothers did before throwing him into the pit as they planned was to take away his coat of many colours. Let’s imagine the situation a little bit here. Did the brothers ask for the coat nicely or just drag it off him ?I am tempted to believe the latter was the case.Was there a fight as they were doing this or did he willingly give it to them.It must have all seemed strange to Joseph,perhaps he was yet in another dream.
I must admit that it was only when I began to teach this series that the Holy Spirit pointed my attention to that tiny bit of detail the writer of Genesis had put(Genesis 37: 23).
I must admit that it was only when I began to teach this series that the Holy Spirit pointed my attention to that tiny bit of detail the writer of Genesis had put(Genesis 37: 23).
Severally I had glossed over the passage and listened to several sermons on from the "Pit to the prison to the Palace" but did not fully realize that before he got thrown into the pit, he was stripped of the symbol of his father’s love .This is still a tactic used by the enemy, an age long tactic that causes us somehow to begin to doubt the love of God because we sometimes tie his love to the things that surround us..
It is this doubting of the love of God or an absence of the knowledge of the great love the Father has for us( 1 John 4:16) that makes us begin to look for alternatives on the way to the Palace.Surely the enemy suggests to us that God cannot love us that much and perhaps he is too busy running the universe to care about us but how far from the truth this is (Psalms 37:23 New Living Translation NLT).And perhaps even if he does care for others , we are not good enough to demand his complete attention to detail and if only we were better at praying, giving, soul winning etc,God would love us more.
But the truth is we cannot be loved more by God than we already are presently.And this love is not based on works because the Scriptures tell us that ever before Jesus did anything, as he was baptized, God’s voice from heaven affirmed him saying “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased(Matthew 3:17;17:5) and the great news is that God loves us as much as he loves Jesus(John 17;23). Period.
On the way to the palace, we need to realize that the pit or pit situations are inevitable but one of the secrets of successfully coming out of the pit to the palace is to remember that the truth that God’s love for us is eternal (Ephesians 1:5;Jeremiah 31:5; Psalms 103:11).Nothing we can ever do or have done can change his decision to love us(1 John 4:10;Romans 8:35-39).
Yours in His Love ,
Grace Tom-Lawyer
Tuesday, 1 November 2016
A life that pleases God
“That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner
worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing
fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper,
and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition.We pray] that
you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the
might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience
(perseverance and forbearance) with joy”,- Colossians 1:10-11 AMPC(Amplified Bible ,Classic Edition )
“so that you may live lives worthy of the Lord
and entirely pleasing to him, being fruitful in
every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God.- We pray that you will be continually strengthened with all the power
that comes from his glorious might; so that you will be able to persevere and
be patient in any situation, joyfully” -Colossians
1:10-11 CJB (Complete Jewish Bible)
Dear Readers,
I really want to thank you all for allowing yourself to be
ministered to by reading this blog.For several months now, we have been
considering the life of Joseph, a young man who eventually got to the
Palace. What you may not know is that this series was not originally
planned as a series but one that the Lord took me through when I was going
through a particular difficult period some years ago. As it seemed that there
was one bad thing happening after the other, the Lord gave me comfort as I
looked at the life of Joseph.
However as we enter a new month, I feel we should take a little break and share on
what I have been learning recently .I have been studying the book of Colossians
and do not seem to have moved past chapter 1 verse 10. The verse talks about “ pleasing
God”. This little phrase occurs in a prayer
rendered by Apostle Paul in a letter to the saints in Colossae .
Paul heard about these saints from
Epaphras (Colossians 1:7 )who had brought the gospel to them. Although he had
never seen these believers, Paul challenges us with the fact that he prayed for
them daily( Colossians 1:9 ). What is further challenging is the content of his
prayer which has been written to admonish us. In addition to the prayers
recorded earlier( Colossians 1:9 ), Paul also prayed that the kind of lives the Colossian Christians live would be one that would be fully representative
of the gospel andpleasing God . Paul was interested that their
faith being expressed in their everyday lives(
Colossians 1:6 ), he wanted them to walk the talk.
This is not the first place Paul talks
about pleasing God. In his second letter
to the Corinthians( 2 Corinthians 5:9 ), he actually mentions that one of his
goals or rather his main aim is to please God and because this was his own
desire, he could pray the same for these saints. In the heart of every true
believer and I believe in your heart also , is a longing to please God and this is usually in response to his love
for us. Naturally ,we want to please those we love .There is something about
pleasing them brings us so much delight that we
do not mind whatever the hassle
as long as we receive the reward of seeing the contentment and delight on the
faces of our loved ones after we have done some things.
God wants our lives to please him but
we must also make a choice to please him at all times. Apostle Paul helps us
further in the letter by giving four different
things that must characterize a life that pleases God ( Colossians 1:9-11) .There is much to learn about pleasing God
but it starts first with a desire and
hopefully, we shall be considering a life that
pleases God in more detail in the coming months.
Choosing to please Him,
Grace Tom-Lawyer
Friday, 28 October 2016
On the way to the Palace 15-"the dreamer cometh 2
"They said one to another, “The master of dreams comes!"- Genesis 37:19 MEV Mounce English Version
23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s long robe,24 took him, and threw him into the cistern, an empty cistern with no water in it. Genesis 37:19-24 CEB Common English Bible
Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him,mostly because of his dreams. Unfortunately they did not deal with this deadly emotion(Songs of Solomon 2:15;) which we see led them to consider murdering him. And although we may read the story with shock, sometimes our actions are not very far from theirs.How many times have we killed someone by hating them or speaking words that damage their reputation( Matthew 5:21;1 John 3:15 ) . While it may not be physical murder, the assassination of another’s character is on the other side of the same coin as murder.
The primary reason for their wanting to get rid of him was because of his dreams.They not only plan to kill him but also have a plan for a cover up(Genesis 37:19-20).Somehow in the process of doing evil,there is always a need to do more than originally bargained for.They could not just kill him without thinking of a cover up, even if it meant deceiving their father whose love they were craving for.
The unanimous decision to get rid of Joseph this way by the group was challenged by Reuben,who spoke against the plot(Genesis 37: 21 ). While it may seem laudable that he did this, it is still heartbreaking to see that he refused to take a full stand against evil( Genesis 37:22;1 Thessalonians 5:22 ).He suggested rather that Joseph be thrown into the cistern(pit). More light however is thrown into the reason for this suggestion when the writer of Genesis informs us that the intention of Reuben was to save him later(Genesis 37: 22), but alas good intentions have never saved anybody.
It appears that it is the values of the company which Reuben kept that eventually influenced him(1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 13:20;22:24-25). It seems he was afraid to tell his brothers outrightly that no harm should be done to Joseph as he tries to reason with them, reminding them of the fact that Joseph is their brother hence he should not be killed(Genesis 37: 23).In an attempt to save Joseph but still remain popular with the crowd,he offered the alternative of throwing him into the cistern ( pit). The man on the way to the Palace is one who will take a stand against evil and make it known(Exodus 23:2).
But if killing Joseph was not an option, why keep him in the cistern(pit) as Reuben suggested. Would it ever be possible for the relationship to remain thesame if Joseph was rescued from the cistern( pit). Was Joseph not going to tell their father of how he had been thrown into the cistern(pit) and could the rescue by Reuben not be his own way of getting back to his father’s favour considering that he had offended him greatly by sleeping with his step mother( Genesis 35:22;49:3-4).
Although the other brothers seem to have taken Reuben’s advice initially, there is no record of a response to his suggestion which may indicate either a begrudging attitude towards his suggestion or a disregard for their eldest brother.Or perhaps it could be that his brothers read in between the lines knowing that his declaration for the protection of Joseph was not entirely genuine.There is no need to remain in the company of people who do not encourage us to do good as we may find ourselves in a compromising position(Proverbs 12:26; 13:20).
The man on the way to the palace may sometimes seem to be at the mercy of others but God's sovereignty will prevail(Romans 8:28;).On the way to the Palace,we must be careful to ensure that we do not keep a company that makes it difficult for us to do right,rather it should be one that strengthens the gifts and callings of God on our lives(Proverbs 27:17;1 Samuel 18:1-3) .
There is no need to remain in the company of people who do not encourage us to do good as we may find ourselves in a compromising position.Although Joseph's brothers thought his fate was determined by their actions,the hand of God was working behind the scene to bring his purposes for Joseph to come to pass(Genesis 45:7; Psalms 105:7) .
Yours in His Service,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.
Friday, 21 October 2016
On the Way to the Palace 14- "the dreamer cometh"
17 The man said, “They left here. I heard them saying, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
18 They saw Joseph in the distance before he got close to them, and they plotted to kill him. 19 The brothers said to each other, “Here comes the big dreamer. 20 Come on now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns, and we’ll say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams!” Genesis 37:17-20
There is a certain joy that comes when we accomplish goals we have set out(2 Timothy 4:7). Sometimes we may not meet these goals according to our time schedules and although they may be well behind time, the joy of accomplishment is usually better than the bitter gall taste of having not tried at all.
Joseph must have experienced this joy when he eventually found his brothers, although this meant travelling further northwards. He accomplished the task he set out to do because the man on the way to the Palace is a finisher and one who can be trusted with
But although Joseph took great pains to find his brothers, his extra mile effort was not appreciated. The man on the way to the Palace is one that recognizes that not all his extra efforts will be appreciated.
Imagine Joseph bursting with joy to meet his brothers after a long search.Instead of a hug, a rather unexpected unpleasant welcome was what he received.His brothers saw him from afar and began to contort a murder plan.
How did these brothers who probably played with each other and carried baby Joseph at one point reach the state where they start a murderous plot.
We are given a clue by the writer of Genesis in an earlier recount. Several verses prior to this, we are told the brothers of Joseph hated him and were jealous of him. Although there was hardly any physical manifestation of Joseph’s grandiose dreams, they believed in them strongly enough to plan to kill their brother .The brothers of Joseph did not deal with their jealousy and this eventually led to murder.They got to the point when they could not stand their brother any more. Somehow I wonder if they spent time on the fields talking to each other about Joseph or will I say gossiping about Joseph, talking about what their father did, his latest display of love in a mocking manner.
Their words on seeing him enlighten us as to what the real issue was . With three little words,they state the problem as Joseph a “the dreamer cometh.”The translation above says the big dreamer cometh. The man on the way to the Palace is recognized by his dreams. These dreams shape his life, decisions and actions and bring restrictions to him. The dreams of the man on the way to the Palace both identify and limit him.
The brothers believed so much in his dreams and did not want the position they saw themselves in the dream. Rather than recognizing that God in his sovereign wisdom had chosen Joseph, they acted like they are more in competition.The man on the way to the Palace should realize that not everyone including relatives would applaud him.He will acquire enemies even within his household where many would prefer to compete rather than complement him.
The man on the way to the Palace must be emotionally mature so as not to be dissuaded by the mocking of others as they recognize his dreams. The size of a dream does not isolate it from mockery. No dream however will be accomplished without an effort by the dreamer(Ephesians 3:20).He must be wholly devoted to his dreams till people can recognize him from afar off because of them, as they did Joseph, a man who eventually got to the Palace.
Yours in His Service,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.
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