Thursday - February 2, 2017

Woodlawn Family Bible Study
THURSDAY

BIBLE READING:  Genesis 50:1-21

 All eleven of them had a meeting. I’m not sure who was the spokesman, but one could assume it was Reuben. They had met before without their younger brother, but under totally different  circumstances. This time it wasn’t out of jealousy over their brother Joseph, but out of fear. Their father, Jacob, was now dead, and one of the brothers must have said, “Joseph was only playing nice as long as dad was alive. Now that dad is gone, he may very well turn on us, and repay the evil that we deserve!” Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery, caused him to spend a great deal of his life in prison, and made his father think he was dead. Who wouldn’t seek revenge? 

 Joseph wouldn’t. When the brothers send word to Joseph to forgive them, he weeps and tells them they have nothing to worry about. Joseph says, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph understood the concept of the providence of God. If he had not been in Egypt, then he would not have been able to save his family, and the entire nation of Egypt, from the famine.

Application: Bad things happen to all of us, and we usually don’t understand why. However, we must trust that God is still sovereign, that He is still in control. Although we may never see His reasoning for allowing certain things this side of eternity, we can rest assured that on the other side we will.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday - October 4, 2016

Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING:    Genesis 32:22-32 Do you want to be blessed? That sounds like a rhetorical question, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want to be blessed? I guess it really depends on your definition of “blessed.” Many people desire blessings that will make them wealthy or, perhaps, material goods. However, being blessed is not limited to those physical things. In fact, sometimes we can be blessed in the most unusual ways. For instance, in Genesis 32:26, we find Jacob wrestling with what we often call an angel. Within the story, Jacob is overtaking the angel and holding him down; refusing to let go until the angel gives him a blessing. The angel obliges Jacob, but not in the way he might have imagined. The angel changed his name from “Jacob” to “Israel,” but he also did something else. He put Jacob’s hip joint out of socket, causing him much pain and difficulty walking. In part, his blessing had to do with him walking with a limp. How is tha...
Read more

Resolutions: Draw closer to God through study of His word

BIBLE READING: John 14.7 Spend time alone with God’s Word.  Besides the spiritual growth we will gain from study, we will also come to know Him better.  Reading His word brings us in touch with Him.  Jesus tells us in John 14:7 – “If you had known Me, you would have known my Father also.”   Just studying the life of Jesus will help us to know God better.   In seeking God’s help, we can draw closer to Him through prayer, meditation, nature, and study.   “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:2  I Tim.4:13,15 - “Give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine… meditate on these things; give yourself wholly to them.”   Regardless of our circumstances we can rely on God’s unchanging character.  God is good. God loves me. God is with me. God knows my problems. God cares. Romans 8:31(b) tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Make a resolution to slo...
Read more

“Examples”

BIBLE READING: Mark 13- Luke 1 DISCUSSION                                                                                   This past week we have read of some great examples in the bible.   We read in Mark 13 about us being ready and being prepared for when Jesus returns.   We need to all stay awake!   In Mark 14 we read of one action having such an impact.   How this woman gave her very best to Jesus because of her love for Him.   In Mark 15 we read of Pontius Pilate and his desire to keep his power.   He loved his power and did not want to give it up even if that meant sending an inno...
Read more