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“Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.” When a man has a heart of anger and unforgiveness, typically all he can think about is himself. He rehearses the offense over and over in his mind, remembering his pain, and dwelling on the wrong that was done him. The important thing is that the offender pay for what they have done, no matter how unjust or inequitable the payment may be. Joseph was not such a person. Here he chooses the antithesis of sin. Instead of dwelling on himself, he thinks only of the well-being of Egypt, his father, and the very brothers that wronged him. What’s even more astonishing is that he dismisses the offense, even to the point of comforting his brothers by acknowledging God’s plan to turn it around! While this is a right and holy action, it is certainly not instinctive. Our flesh automatically demands we defend and protect ourselves, laying all blame on others. This is why we must look to God for help in matters of forgiveness. His will is that we instead act after the example of Joseph.

“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.” The action of this all-powerful leader may seem impulsive and reckless at first reading. He is choosing to elevate to the second most powerful position in his administration a man who is not only of foreign origin, but also a former slave and prisoner. The potential ramifications of this decision, if it were wrong, could have been monumental. A man that were secretly set against Pharaoh could have supplanted and destroyed him, by wielding the very power he had yielded to them. No leader would have willingly opened himself to these possibilities without the intervention of God. That is clearly what we see occurring here. God has intervened in this situation to provide blessing for Joseph, in fulfillment of His plan. No person can manufacture this type of development in life. Our only hope lies in following our Savior down His path of leading. We will not know where our path will finally lead, but we know for certain that God works together for our good. Let us look to Joseph as a delightful example of this truth.

I am, by any measure, a conservative and traditional Christian. Growing up in church I attended a Sunday morning and Sunday evening service, along with a Wednesday night prayer meeting; all at which we sang hymns, and heard old fashioned preaching from an old King James Bible. On frequent occasions, we would also do some traditional ministry outreach, such as handing out tracts and (as we called it) knocking doors. If you’re waiting for me to explain how I have “matured” to the point of believing many of these things are irrelevant in modern culture, you can forget it! I am rather becoming more and more convinced that what we did back then is just exactly what is needed today.

That is why I was so wonderfully encouraged by an article I read yesterday, written by a man I have never met. His name is Travis Snode, and he serves the Lord as a missionary in Northern Ireland. I can’t explain just exactly why I was so touched by his post entitled Don’t Knock It, except to say that it brought back memories of knocking on an unknown door, at an unknown house, on an unknown street. It reminded me of the unknown response I would recieve from an unknown man or woman as I made a feeble attempt at either a gospel presentation or a church invite. I could almost feel the lump in my throat as I rapped on the first door, then could just as easily feel the calm setting in as I walked up the second, third, and fourth driveway. For certain it gave me a nostalgic moment, but it also caused me to remember the very real sense of accomplishment I felt when a lost soul showed up on Sunday because of my efforts. It was during those times that I first felt God’s leading into His full-time service!

If you wonder why I am bothering to explain in such emotional terms my reaction to a simple article, expressing nothing more than the everyday efforts of a faithful missionary; let me clear up the confusion. I am grieved to the point of tears over an attitude that is gaining ever-increasing momentum in some fine, doctrinally-sound churches. It shows no outward signs of rebellion, but makes slow and deliberate movements in anything but a traditional direction. It pats young men like myself on the head, and in condescending tones tells us to “get with the times”.

Well…after hearing me express the virtues of the traditional, you may also feel I should modernize. Remember you are reading a blog entry, written by a 31 year old man, who has spent the entirety of his adult life laboring passionately in the field of technology. Then acknowledge it is not simply the “new” that the traditionalist fights against. It is the replacement of the old with something that is not, by any Biblical standard, better.

Does anybody want to go out and knock some doors with me?

“And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.” One of my favorite phrases in all the Bible appears in this verse. Joseph “got him out”; what a wonderful, righteous action. He didn’t fool himself into believing he could pluck up the courage to resist, he just ran. I’m afraid some people believe that truly great men were made of mightier stuff than we are. The truth is, they just took God at His word. In this case we understand that God demands we “flee youthful lusts”; simple instructions that are eminently effective in avoiding sin. There are no religious supermen by nature, there are only men who choose to follow God’s instruction, and men who choose to go their own way. Anyone confronted by a situation similar to this one would be well served not to rely on inner strength. He should turn on his heels and run! If you have an inflated sense of your own ability to resist, you need to rethink it right away. The Bible describes Joseph as a man of great character, but when sexual temptation came, it was not his character he relied on; it was his feet.

“And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.” Men who are faithful to the Lord make good employees, and are often first to be promoted for their diligence. The attributes of a Godly person are even recognized by the lost, especially in the context of business. Hard work, attention to detail, obedience and loyalty are traits all employers are looking for, and traits every believer should develop. Let us not fail to also acknowledge God’s direction. Joseph had certainly displayed righteous character, but it was also true that the Lord had a purpose in mind for him. No one will ever know what may have happened if Joseph had not been sold into slavery. What we do know is that God used this man’s character in the midst of the slavery to prosper him. If we seek to build character simply for the sake of success, we may well be disappointed. Let us rather seek to please our Savior by joyfully following any path He sets before us.

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.” As we begin the story of Joseph, we can’t help but feel somewhat sorry for his brothers. It was clear that Jacob loved him most, and we recognize how parental favoritism often creates resentment, therefore we are tempted to give the brothers a pass. The truth that shakes us from our momentary empathy is that all relational sins have a cause. The fact is, we are often prompted to sin against another because of something they have done (or been) to make us angry. This is no excuse whatsoever for sin. Certainly Jacob was wrong; and I would not be surprised if Joseph took a moment to flaunt his coat, which would also have been wrong. Still, no man can use another man’s evil to justify his own. Be careful not to use the actions of others as justification. Let’s be hard to offend and quick to forgive, so as not to follow in the footsteps of Joseph’s brethren.

I just posted a Catalog page a few moments ago. Visit to download copies of each devotion series we have finished so far. More writings will be available in the future.

“And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.” God does not forget His promises. While we are often in need of a reminder, God never lets anything slip His mind. I think we sometimes read a promise in scripture, affirming it intellectually as a fact, but not really believing it. That is why we often lack the faith to turn the difficult things over to God. I suppose a man that is informed by God that kings will be numbered among his offspring might let a moment of doubt enter in. That doubt is from the flesh; because we know God is perfectly trustworthy in all things. God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is still valid, and though much of it has been fulfilled, there is still more to come. The land belongs to Israel, and we can be absolutely certain they will have it. If we consider God’s character when examining a promise, we should have no difficulty fully believing it. All that our Lord says we can count on, so let’s embrace His word without even a momentary doubt!

I hope you had the opportunity to follow our daily devotions from the book of Ephesians over the past ten days. Tomorrow we will pick up a series in Genesis, which we began, but were unable to complete several months ago. At the end of each book, I will post a PDF download containing every entry in the series. It will allow us time to reflect, and serve as a fitting end to the study. Tomorrow I will also begin work on a separate page containing all of our previous completed series. For now, I would encourage you to download Ephesians.

“And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Paul was urging the Ephesian church to, as part of the armor of God, pray. Here he makes a specific request for himself as he ministers for the Lord. If only every believer made this request today. What the lost world needs is a few men and women willing to open their mouths boldly. Paul did not make this request simply because he was an Apostle and preacher. He believed and taught that all Christians should proclaim the gospel. Indeed, every one of us “ought to speak” boldly. Why is it then that we are so often ruled by fear? I think the key lies in the overall topic of the passage, which is prayer. We need to both pray for strength and commitment for ourselves, as well as asking others for prayer. If anything is lacking on church request lists today it is our urgent need for powerful and courageous gospel preaching. Let’s not forget it the next time we meet together to seek our Lord!