The “Thoughts on the Fruit of the Spirit” series is meant to be brief insights into the various fruit (Galations 5:22-25). I invite your discussion on the same via the “Comments” on each post. Please note that where the KJV names a fruit differently than the NIV, both names are presented in the title.
I’ve heard it said that male brains are built different from female brains – and that nowhere is this difference in make-up more evident than in problem-solving. Men tend to see a problem and react to the person enduring the same with sympathy. Yes, sympathy. We tend to react out of a position of pitying the person going through hardship, and that compels us to, as quickly as possible, think up and present a (what we consider) viable solution to the problem. Now, that in and of itself isn’t the problem – the problem is that often times our sympathetic reactions come at the expense of spending the time and emotional energy necessary to understand what the other person is experiencing. Ask any married man and he’ll be able to tell you the consequences of such a blunder.
Gen. 49:1 - Jacob calls the men (his sons) of the household together for one purpose: to speak to them prophetically regarding their lives and the house of Israel
Gen. 49:2-27 (inclusive) – Jacob’s prophecy over his sons. POWERFUL and POIGNANT stuff ahead!
Gen. 49:3-4 (inclusive) – Jacob’s prophecy over Reuben: Reuben was to be punished for sleeping with his father’s concubine (Gen. 35:22), and so in his prophecy was stripped of his measure of excellence in honor and power
The “Thoughts on the Fruit of the Spirit” series is meant to be brief insights into the various fruit (Galations 5:22-25). I invite your discussion on the same via the “Comments” on each post. Please note that where the KJV names a fruit differently than the NIV, both names are presented in the title.
Here’s the first take away for PATIENCE: It is NOT simply about “waiting” or “enduring,” in fact, I believe the patience that is spoken as a fruit of the Spirit is more like the virtue of meekness (that we’ll speak to soon enough) than anything else. Patience, as I see it, is recognizing that you have all the necessary tools necessary to put a stop to something you’re being exposed to immediately, but instead choosing to allow the “other” to continue for two reasons: 1) in response to the call of interdependence and sensitivity as a believer that is part of a community/network of relationships; and 2) so as to preserve your own blamelessness in God’s sight.
Gen. 48:1 – Joseph brings his sons to his father upon hearing of Jacob’s illness. You get the sense that Joseph thought the time was nearing for Jacob’s death and that was why he brought his sons with him.
Gen. 48:2-7 (inclusive) – Jacob, called Israel here, pulls himself together in order to host his beloved son “properly”. He tells Joseph of the prophecy concerning the fruit of his loins as given him by God, and then tells Joseph that the sons born to him (Joseph) thus far would be considered as Israelites (and therefore have a right in the inheritance of the Israelites), whereas any other children born to him would simply have rights to the land their brothers had.
- “As you cannot take a day off morally and remain moral, neither can you take a day off spiritually and remain spiritual.” – O. Chambers #fb #
- [If] God causes a doubt about something, stop it immediately. No matter what. Nothing in our lives is a insignificant detail to God – OC #fb #
- Someone else reaping the benefit of your hard work? Be encouraged. God rewards those who work “invisibly” to make Christ visible – JAL #fb #
- If your life is producing only a w-h-i-n-e, instead of the w-i-n-e, then ruthlessly kick it out. [Find joy in God’s strength] – O.C #fb #
- If we start to serve God and do His work but get out of touch with Him, the “burden” we’ll feel will be overwhelming and defeating – O.C #fb #
- Confession/Testimony does two things: It gets “stuff” off your chest and into the air; and it removes the blackmail power of secrecy! #fb #
- Don’t get it twisted: Imperfection in life is expected, however, a life of imperfection is inexcusable! #fb #
The “Thoughts on the Fruit of the Spirit” series is meant to be brief insights into the various fruit (Galations 5:22-25). I invite your discussion on the same via the “Comments” on each post.
The bible promises the believer and follower of Christ a life marked by victory, conquest, and “overcoming all odds” – but so many believers miss the fundamentals of these promises. They fail to come TWO central realizations. The first is arrived at when you finally sit down to ask yourself: victory in what? conquest over what? what are the all odds? All of these promises describe the believer as the beneficiary of some conflict – and if that’s true, then implicit in every promise of victory or conquest, is the promise of conflict, persecution and challenge.
I’ve watched this a couple times and felt the need to share it here. If you can’t see the video I’ve added the words below:
“I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” – these are the words of Israel in closing Genesis 45 (Gen. 45:28). Now Let’s see how the bible continues the story in Genesis 46.
Gen. 46:1 – Israel, with “all that was his”, stops at Beersheba to offer sacrifices to God, presumably for all that happened in the latter parts of Genesis 45, especially the restoration of his beloved son Joseph.
Gen. 46:2-4 (inclusive) – God visits with Israel (Jacob) and a series of notable things happen. First, the bible has God referring to Israel as Jacob in the vision. This is the first (and only thus far) time that God has referred to someone who has been privy to the new-creature-principle by their old name! That’s major to m – but I have no explanation as to WHY God would do that. Second, God tells Jacob not to be afraid to go to Egypt. Was Jacob making sacrifices not as praise, but as petition? Petition for a safe journey and safety while in the land of Egypt? Third, God makes three prophecies regarding Jacob’s, and the house of Israel’s journey to Egypt: 1 – the house of Israel was to be transformed into great nation while in Egypt; 2 – God Himself was accompanying Jacob to Egypt, and God Himself would be the one to bring Jacob (and the nation – no longer household – of Israel) back to the promised land; 3 – Finally, that Joseph, his beloved son, would be with him when he died.
Joseph has tricked/deceived/mislead his brothers twice at this point – the last act of deceit even more grave than those preceding it. The setting of Genesis 45 is at what I assume is Joseph’s palatial estate in the city of Egypt. His brothers have torn their robes at seeing Joseph’s servant’s accusations proven true, and Judah has thrown himself at Joseph’s feet pleading for his mercy towards Benjamin – on behalf of himself and their aged father. Genesis 45 begins now…
Gen. 45:1-2 (inclusive) – Joseph, seeing who I have assumed was the most esteemed of the brothers, Judah, on his knees with a broken spirit pleading before him recognized that he was nearing the point where he could control himself no longer, and so before bursting into tears told his servants to leave. When he and his brothers were alone, Joseph revealed himself to them and wept with such force and so loudly, that his neighbours heard him – and being “upstanding” Egyptians reported the “unacceptable” or “disturbing” ruckus to the household of Pharaoh.
Of note: These two verses give a synopsis of part of the period in time covered in Genesis 45, a period in time (at least partially) detailed in the following verses.
