January 17
Genesis 45:16-47:27
Since I didn't give my life over to God until my late 20's there are countless examples of godless decisions that I made without seeking the counsel of God. In those circumstances, I might have sought out earthly counsel, but primarily did things my way and experienced the consequences of such decisions. But even after entering into this beautiful relationship with Jesus Christ there are times that I seek out godly things still in my own strength. I remember the time that I had a full and exhausting weekend call in the hospital. I take Jesus' command to share the gospel seriously and usually through conversation or situation, God will open my eyes to an opportunity to share with a patient, a nurse, etc. I wanted to share, maybe because I was exhausted, I simply did not see any opportunities, so I forced one. I asked one of the nurses who I knew for many years if she had a moment and I started to speak to her about Jesus Christ. My tongue felt like the size of my head as I seemed unable to string two thoughts together. I realized that I was seeking to do God's work in my own strength. I usually have a handout which includes the Roman Road to Salvation. I gave it to her and as she read, I closed my eyes and prayed that God would give me His wisdom and words to proceed. After she finished reading, my mind felt fresh and the words flowed. I entered the room a filled vessel, filled with my strength, my thoughts, etc. It was only after seeking God, that I began to act in His strength. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10, " That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
We see in the life of Jacob a man who all too often acted in his own strength. We come to a changed Jacob in Genesis 46:1-4, "So Jacob set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called. “Here I am,” Jacob replied. “I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation. I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.”" From the surface this would seem like a no-brainer. The son whom he loved, whom he thought was dead for twenty years was now a leader in Egypt and was calling him along with all of his family to live with him and be taken care of by him, during this severe famine, in the land of Egypt. The old Jacob would have simply ran at the opportunity. But Jacob, knowing of the mistake his grandfather Abraham made, when he went to Egypt during a famine, which resulted in his lying to the Pharaoh and eventually to the acquisition of Hagar and the birth of Ishmael (Genesis 12:10-20) was more cautious. Jacob has learned in his 130 years of life to seek God even in the obvious decisions. Jacob stops before entering Egypt, offers sacrifices to God, and seeks His counsel before continuing on his journey.
We can all learn from this example. We can seek our will, our way. We can also seek God's will, our way. Both examples are in our strength, our ambition, etc. The best method is to seek God's will, God's way. Even in our zeal to do God's will we must not run ahead of God's leading. We want God's way, God's timing, God's strength, God's wisdom, to result in the outcome that God desires. If we want to experience God's blessings we must make it less of us and more of Him. This is not an easy transition as the world pushes forth the "self-made" individual. God's way runs counter-intuitive to the world's method. Without a steady diet of God's Word, time in prayer, time in worship, time in fellowship, it is impossible to experience this. This is how we communicate with God. Our walk with God is not a monologue from us to God, but a dialogue in which God lets us know His will for our lives. We need to spend that undistracted time alone with Him. In our busy lives, what could possibly be more important than this.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: