Day 29 Week 5 Day 1 The Great Equalizer

Today's reading (Bible in 1 Year)  I have included links at the bottom for the readings

Genesis 41:14 - end of 41 
Psalm 27 
Matthew 19:27 - 20:16
(we're skipping Isaiah today)

Wow, today's readings connect!  We did talk during earlier posts of how God would eventually use Joseph's mistreatment for good.  First, his brothers wanted to kill him but instead sold him as a slave.  He's then resold to one of Pharoah's officers whose wife makes advances on him. He flees and then is blamed and ends up in prison.  He interprets the pharaohs' servants' dreams that come true but then he's forgotten by those servants who were supposed to remind Pharaoh of Joseph's innocence.  Eventually, he's remembered when Pharaoh has a dream and needs someone to interpret it.  Joseph is rewarded for his honest interpretation and now rules second to Pharaoh himself.   Quite a trip from slavery to ruler!  This process took 13 years.  He was 17 when he was sold to slavery and he was 30 when he interpreted Pharaohs dream.  Joseph remained true to God during this time, God put him in a place of great authority.  However, he's not done with using Joseph for good.  Tune in during the next few days for ... "The Rest of the Story"!

Psalm 27 was powerful today!  Just as the story of Joseph is powerful, Psalm 27 gives us a hint of how good God is, but you need to read the whole Psalm.  If God is for you, who can be against you...."The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the defence of my life; Whom shall I dread?...Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD."  Sometimes it's hard to wait but remember, Joseph waited 13 years and look what God did for him.

In Matthew 20:1-16 we read what doesn't seem fair.  A landowner hires people to help with the harvest.  He hires people first thing in the morning for a denarius, about $135 or minimum wage in a day rate.  In the middle of the day, he hires more for $135 each and then in the last hour he hires more at the same rate.  It doesn't seem fair.  But it's the owner's prerogative however he wants. This story represents God's Kingdom.  I'm thankful for that!  You see Jesus is offering everyone a place in His Kingdom no matter when they show up.

I have mentioned previously that I made a decision to be a Jesus follower when I was 11 years of age. Sylvia, on the other hand made a decision to be a Jesus follower when she was 38.  An acquaintance of ours, the brother of Sylvia's friend, made a decision to become a Jesus follower hours before his passing.  We all receive the same wage!  Our wage is a permanent seat at the LORD's table, a new forever home built for us in Jesus' Kingdom.  I am thankful for this.  And there is value in making this decision earlier rather than later in life.  You get to live an exciting life and be witness to what/when/where God does things....and you see the majesty of who God is every day! I can't stress this enough friends. Here's one for the books and not the usual endings we hear about in the news today: my wife survived getting hit by cars 5x, once by a motorcycle, emergency surgeries, an escape from a pedophile, homelessness and cancer.  Sylvia may not have had an opportunity to make any decision on her deathbed. My wife doesn't take for granted a single day she wakes up to see morning. 

Ask God, through Jesus, to step in and like David's Psalm, make God your "LIGHT" and "DEFENCE" of your life.  Then put your seatbelt on and get ready for the ride!  Don't wait for your deathbed.....you'll miss so much life!

Let me know if you make this decision.  Please email me at steve.d.pauls@gmail.com or just comment on this post!  I will pray for you and if you email, I'll continue with encouraging thoughts and recommendations as you start your life with Jesus.

Have a great rest of your day!
Steve

Comments

  1. Sylvia Pauls24 January 2026 at 09:20

    Thanks for the links! They make following along a lot faster, and easier if I don't have my Bible with me.

    ReplyDelete

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