February 24, 2023Thank you for your prayers this week. On Monday I went to the Lachine hospital for a CT-scan of my chest and received excellent care. Karen and I have been very impressed by the friendly, attentive staff there. Just before we left, a nurse told me to drink two litres of water on Monday and two litres of water on Tuesday to remove the iodine that was injected before the scan. How thankful I am to live in a country that has great health care and lots of clean water.
Two weeks ago, I began reading “Providence” by John Piper and am now more than half way through the 700 pages. In chapter 28, Piper writes: “The biblical authors do not bring up the issue of God’s purposeful sovereignty over sin merely to validate a theological viewpoint but rather to humble human pride, intensify human worship, shatter human hopelessness, and put ballast in the battered boat of human faith, steel in the spine of human courage, and love in the human heart that sees no possible human way forward … The prizing and proclamation of God’s pervasive providence was forged in flames of hatred and love, deceit and truth, murder and mercy, carnage and kindness, cursing and blessing, mystery and revelation, and, finally, crucifixion and resurrection.”
Piper then looks at the life of Joseph: “The story of God’s rescue of his chosen people from starvation (Gen. 47:1-12) by means of the enslavement of Joseph through the sins of his brothers contains one of the most important statements in all the Bible about the providence of God. The statement is made by Joseph to his brothers near the end of the story: ‘As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today’ (50:20).”
If you haven’t read the story of Joseph, I encourage you to do so today. Actually, you would do well to read the entire first book of the Bible. In his study Bible, Dr. David Jeremiah notes seven great illustrations of faith in Genesis:
“Jacob began his blessing on Joseph with the words, ‘God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked’ (48:15).
After Adam, seven great men walk across the pages of Genesis to illustrate the principles of faith.
Abel brought a more excellent sacrifice to God, and in doing so, illustrated the simplicity of faith (4:2-5).
Enoch was translated to heaven because of his godliness and his consistent walk, He illustrated the stability of faith (5:24).
Noah built an ark in obedience to the Lord and preached salvation through that ark to all who would listen. As a result of his preaching, his whole family was saved from destruction. He illustrated the significance of faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God (6-9).
Abraham trusted God in the face of insurmountable objections and obstacles, and was willing to fly in the face of God’s great promise to him in sacrificing his own son. He illustrated the sacrifice of faith (22).
Isaac submitted to his earthly father and unresistingly yielded to his heavenly Father. He illustrated the submission of faith (22).
Jacob was the most up-and-down man in the Bible: from victory to defeat and from triumph to tragedy. Jacob illustrated the steps of faith or the school of faith (25-49).
Joseph was victorious and triumphant at every place where we find him. He illustrated the success of faith (37-50).”
May we learn from the Word of God that we will be closest to the Lord when we obey His Word and follow His leading.
Scripture for the weekend: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’” Matthew 16:24 (NKJV)
Thought for the weekend: “In this passage (Matt. 16:24-28), Jesus shares with His disciples the three laws of discipleship:
- Law of self-denial: ‘let him deny himself’
- Law of sacrifice: ‘take up his cross’
- Law of submission: ‘follow Me’.” – Dr. David Jeremiah (from his Study Bible)