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This week we come to the story of Joseph. In 1982, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opened on Broadway. I don’t know all about the content, but I like the title. I think the writers hit on just the right wording to describe the story of Joseph. Amazing.

Amazing that a young man can be ripped from his home, his family, his emotional and physical support centers, his culture, and his past and still make the kind of decisions that Joseph made. His story is one that is full of the constant changes we experience in life. Through Joseph, we embed the lessons of how to hold God’s hand and seek His face no matter what changes come our way. Just look at some of the things Joseph experienced in his life.

Favored Son (Genesis 37:1-4) – Joseph is his father Jacob’s favorite. He is number eleven out of twelve brothers. Yet Jacob loves Joseph and sets him in a place of preeminence among his sons. He honors Joseph by giving him a richly ornamented robe – a garment of great cost and beauty. Joseph is also a dreamer. His dreams involve images of position and honor among his brothers. He is not sent out into the fields to work as his brothers are. Rather he is given the position of supervisor and liaison with his father. He grows up the favored son of an aging and wealthy father and his brothers hate him for it.

Powerless Slave (Genesis 37:23-24) – Enraged and jealous, Joseph’s brothers hatch a diabolical plot. They sell Joseph into slavery and let their father believe he is dead. They rip away his favored position as surely as they shred his beautiful coat. Joseph goes from pampered son to powerless slave in one day.

Privileged Servant (Genesis 39:1-4) – The Ishmaelite slave traders sell Joseph to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. Alone in a strange land, we begin to see the depth of Joseph’s character. Humbled by his change in position, Joseph begins to see the unchanging hand of God working in his life. He prospers among the Egyptians and Potiphar sees that the Lord is with him. His master puts Joseph in charge of his household and rests comfortably in the knowledge that, with Joseph in charge, all will be well-managed and handled with honesty and fairness.

Dungeon Prisoner (Genesis 39:11-20) – Potiphar’s wife is more attracted by Joseph’s physical appearance than the purity of his heart. Day after day she urges him to sleep with her and day after day Joseph refuses to betray both the trust of his master and the holiness of God. Her frustrated desire rips Joseph of his position in Potiphar’s house as he runs uncloaked from her presence. Joseph goes from privileged slave to dungeon prisoner in one day.

Trusted Prisoner (Genesis 39:20-23) – Joseph is thrown into prison and again is called to depend on the light of God’s mercy in the midst of his dark circumstances. God gives Joseph success and His presence in Joseph’s life is evident to those around him. Through a series of dreams, Joseph interacts with members of Pharaoh’s household. Giving God the glory, Joseph tells them the meaning of their dreams and the path that is set for their futures. As the cupbearer once again takes his place next to Pharaoh, Joseph watches the prison door shut. His own dreams of bowing sheaves and shining stars seem very distant.

We don’t know why. We don’t know how. We do know that Joseph made the decision to be God’s person in those days that rock our world. His example shows us that integrity, faith, trust in God, and dedication to righteousness can daily impact the way we live and influence the people around us. We embed the Bible so that the lessons can be planted deep in our character. God is at work!

Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, was not off to a good start. Born second of a set of twins, Jacob plotted early to trick his father and receive the blessing of the birthright. That blessing, passed from father to eldest son, was so important to Jacob that he schemed and plotted and devised a way to trick his brother and his father. Esau, hungry after a day of hunting, was a willing target. Isaac, eyesight dimming, was taken in. Jacob got what he wanted, but now he was on the run. He must leave his family behind and the anger of his brother. His parents send him to find a wife in the home of a relative named Laban.

Jacob is a liar and a thief. There is no way to soften the blow. He has taken charge of his own life and his own circumstances. He has a plan and he is working the plan. The plan does not include a whole lot of foresight. In getting what he wants he has become an alien and unwanted at home. Traveling on the road, he has only a stone on which to lay his head. His life has become miserable and uncomfortable. His plans are not going quite the way they “should.” But God is about to intervene.

In Genesis 28, as Jacob goes to sleep, he is visited by a dream. There is a ladder reaching from heaven to earth. Angels ascend and descend. God stands above the ladder and speaks to Jacob. The promises given to Abraham are now given to Jacob. God has a plan. He is working the plan. Jacob needs to surrender. He needs to set aside his own vision for the future and join with God.

Waking from the dream, Jacob says, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” Oh how that statement speaks to me! Busy work schedules. Plans for tomorrow, the day after, retirement, and so much limit my vision. I make a plan and work the plan. But do I stop to see what God has planned? Do I stop and look for what God is doing in this moment, in this place? Do I take time to talk to God about what HE wants in my life? Do I stop to listen to what God has to say in the words of the Bible, the fellowship of His people, and the still quiet moments of devotion? Too often my answer is no. Too often I am bogged down on a lonely road, concerned only about the stones I have to make the best of.

Embedding the Bible means stopping for a moment in this place we know as life. It means looking beyond my own vision to see what God is doing. God is in this place. Take some time to know what that means.

Firsts are important. When something is first it sets the stage. The first foreshadows what is to come. We place importance on things that are first. We talk about first impressions, first blush, or at first glance. Genesis is a book of firsts. Within its story we see the first man, the first woman, and the first family. We see the first home in the Garden of Eden. We become aware of the first sin. In the opening pages of Genesis, we are introduced to so many firsts that sometimes we stop looking. But be aware this week of two important firsts.

Genesis 22 is the story of Abraham and Isaac as they travel to Mount Moriah. God has called Abraham to do the unthinkable. To offer Isaac in sacrifice to God. It is a moment that is hard to understand. We can look at the end of the story and justify the beginnings. We can talk about how we know God never intended Abraham to kill Isaac. We can pass it off as a test. But for Abraham, those moments of hindsight are not at play. Only the voice of God, the trust of His friend, and the love of a father. So it is more astonishing to see how Abraham responds.

When the call of God comes, He identifies Isaac as the son that Abraham loves. It might seem strange that Genesis would go 21 chapters and never use the word love. But it does. How can the story of man go so long without a mention of love? It seems so basic to our understanding of family, marriage, and the relationship we share with God. God is love, and God has had a major part to play in Genesis. But there it is. Love is first used to describe how Abraham feels about Isaac. Isaac is the child of his old age. Isaac is the only child of Abraham and Sarah. Isaac is the laughter that fills their lives. He is the center of attention, the long awaited gift, the faithfulness of God’s promise. Isaac holds a special place in Abraham’s heart. God knows this. This is the heart of the moment. Does Abraham love God like he loves Isaac? Does Abraham trust God with Isaac’s future? Abraham’s answer is Yes! The love that flows from Abraham to his son is a sign of the love that flows from God to His people. God loves us and calls us to love Him in return.

This leads is to the second first found in Genesis 22. The word worship. Abraham’s response to God’s call is tell his servants that he is going to go and worship God. Abraham’s love leads him to surrender everything he has into the hands of God. Even his only son. Abraham knows that there is no better place to be than in the hands of God. Whether it is our time, finances, friendships, or family, everything is better when we give it to God. Worship calls us to see God’s holiness and respond in surrender. Worship helps us put words and thoughts and action into motion as we walk with God. Worship calls us out of ourselves, out of our other loves, to lay our hearts at the feet of God.

Love and worship go hand in hand. It is no wonder that they are first used in the same passage. Love and worship belong together. Just as God and man go together. God loves mankind. Man is made to worship God. Fathers and sons. The Lord and His church. Truths to embed as you read this week.

Covenant is a prominent biblical word and can describe a variety of relationships. Covenants were made between two people of “equal” standing. They would come together and agree to mutual aid, protection, and success. It might mean a military relationship or the sharing of resources. Marriage is a biblical covenant where a man and a woman come together and make promises, agreeing to live together for life. This covenant is established in love and carried out in faithfulness. While a covenant can be defined in terms of a contract or legal agreement, the idea of covenant is intended to go much deeper. A covenant implies or defines a relationship between two people, nations, etc. It is the relational piece of covenant which stands out for us.

While a covenant can be made between two equal parties, the Bible also describes covenants between unequal parties. The most prominent form of this covenant is the covenant that God offers to humanity. God and man are not equals. God is holy and sovereign. Man is not. So a covenant with God is immediately a gift from God. More than that, God offers a relationship, a bond between Himself and man. In Genesis 17, God comes to Abram and offers to make a bond with Abram. God offers Himself in relationship. God displays His love for Abram and all humanity.

The covenant with Abram holds some vivid pictures of what happens when we enter into a relationship with God. Form Abram the covenant with God was a life changing event. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, God promised transformation in the form of future generations. God promised to make Abraham fruitful and give him a land to live in and call his home. The covenant with Abraham was a bond between God and man that impacted the world in Abraham’s day, and throughout the future of all mankind.

For you and I, baptism is the covenant we share with God. In the moment of our surrender, God changes our name and adopts us into His family. God promises to transform our nature and our character. Our life in God impacts our daily decisions, actions, and thoughts. It also reaches out from us to impact those around us and the world. The covenant we enter into with God has eternal implications about our future home and the land in which we will eventually live. The covenant is a living relationship where God offers Himself in love so that you and I can walk in holiness and righteousness. Each week we renew our covenant bond in communion.

This week as you read each day, remember that we are embedding the words and promises of God’s covenant love in our hearts. He continues to offer Himself to us and calls for us to give ourselves to Him.

The Greek word hamartia is one of the most frequently used words in the Bible that is translated as “sin.” It is closely aligned with the Hebrew word hata. The word means, “to miss the mark.” Romans 3:23 reads, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (emphasis added). The picture of falling short requires us to understand that there is a standard for how we live, think, act, and feel. Jesus is that standard. Humanity was created to walk in a relationship with God. Anytime we do not walk in that relationship, anytime we put self before love, the material before the moral, or happiness before holiness, we “miss the mark.” We fail to live in the relationship for which we were created. We fail to reflect the nature and character of Jesus. We sin.

Isaiah describes it this way, “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.” (Isaiah 59:2). Sin creates a barrier that makes it hard for us to see and follow God. When we sin, we participate in rebellion, choose iniquity, and transgress the will of God. These are all ways that the Bible describes sin and the consequences of sin. It may sound harsh, but sin is serious. When we sin, we miss the mark and experience a separation that makes is difficult to walk with God. That is why we need a solution. Thank God that He loves us so much that He provides that solution, even though it hurts the heart of God when we sin.

In Genesis 9-16, our reading this week, we see incredible steps being taken by God to move His plan along in the lives of men. Noah has stepped from the ark, God’s amazing grace has been displayed in His power to wash away sin. Noah and his family begin anew the process of going into the world and living with God. But the sin problem still resides in the heart of men. But God is still moving.

Now Abraham comes on the scene. Through Abraham, God will establish a covenant and give a series of promises that will shape the future and impact our lives today. It is through Abraham that the people of God will become a family. We will see Abraham at his best and at his worst. But Abraham will always be responsive. Abraham will walk with God. God will continue to move and work in the lives of His people.

The history of man begins with the presence of God. The Bible starts out by telling us that before there was a heaven or an earth, before there were stars and galaxies, before there was matter and time, there was God. He has no beginning and no end. Though it boggles the mind and challenges the wisdom of man, it is true. Nothing that we see or know is beyond the person and character of God. All that exists is here because God chose to speak.

Genesis 1-2 tell us of the creation of all life. Here God speaks the intricacies of biology, chemistry, and physics into the night sky, the morning sun, the living body, and the salty waters of the ocean. God’s word goes out with power and the sound of His voice brings all creation into existence. For five days God forms and fills the void with life. On the sixth day, God speaks man into the creation. Man who is a complicated, living organism. Man, who thinks and speaks and reasons. Man who forms relationships, loves, hates, rejoices, grumbles, worships, and sins. Yes, God created man with the ability to choose. Man can choose to honor God, or man can choose to walk outside of God’s will. Walking outside of God’s will means we choose to sin. This is also part of the story of man. Adam and Eve brought sin into the world when they chose disobedience. It is a sad moment for man, but a glorious moment to see the love of God.

From this moment of rejection, all the way through time and the pages of the Bible, we will see God moving to call man back into relationship. We will see sacrifice, command, love, mercy, and grace. We will hear a call to accountability and obedience. We will watch men and women listen and follow, or reject and disobey. All of it is part of the story. All of it is part of our history. And it all points to what God is doing in the world and in you and I.

We are called to follow God. God is giving us a story of His love for us in the pages of the Bible. As you read this week watch for God’s love at work. See it in the relationship He shares with Adam and Eve in the garden. See it in His continual pursuit of them after the fall. See God extend grace and teaching in the story of Cain and Abel. See it in the rescue of Noah and his family. God is working in our lives to call us to Him. He provides a path and empowers us to be His. He still speaks wonders into the lives of men.

Embed means to fix or retain in the mind and heart. God has chosen a very special way to embed Jesus within us. The Bible is God’s perfect revelation to man. Within its pages, we see the nature and character of God, hear the story of salvation and redemption, and experience the call to walk closely with God and be transformed in the image of Jesus. Everything we do with regard to spiritual growth and health is fueled by what we find in the Bible.

This year, as we read through the history of Israel, our goal is to embed the Bible in our hearts and lives. Remember that the Old Testament is not simply a history. It is a living story that shapes our hearts to see God in every moment. Israel’s history is our history. It tells of the beginning and of our God who moves to create the world and mankind. It tells how humanity has come to know God and trust His leading. It tells us how those who have gone before have followed God in surrender and obedience. It tells us how God has moved people, nations, and families. The history of Israel teaches us to walk with God.

Remember that our goal is always the transformation that God promises. So as you read this year, don’t simply rush to be done. Don’t “punch your card” every day. Come to God’s Word with a desire to know God better, follow God more faithfully, and surrender to God more fully. Yes, ask yourself what the passage is saying. Ask what the passage means. But never leave your reading until you have asked yourself how you can live out what God is saying in the passage.

God longs to hold you close and walk with you through each moment of your day. I pray that as you spend time with God, listening to His words and to His voice, that you will be changed. Changed to look like Jesus!

“ And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.“” ~ Revelation 5:5

We have all heard it said, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Why? How can a picture take the place of a lengthy description or a well-constructed speech? What power does a picture hold?

A picture is simply a visual image that takes the place of many words. Concepts and ideas can be displayed through the use of pictures in a way that lasts longer than the most well written speech or the most descriptive words. A well-crafted speech can be a powerful tool, but we are not always able to remember every word spoken. We do often remember clear pictures. Just look at our media. Pictures are used all the time to convey a message that sticks in our minds. A single picture of a child, grandchild, softball team, or family reunion tells a story all by itself. A story of love, camaraderie, joy, family, and connection. A picture captures, in a single moment, what it would take a host of words to convey.

The Book of Revelation is a book of pictures. John takes a series of pictures and builds a collage of images to remind his readers that Jesus is the focus of the believer’s life. Like a family scrapbook, the Book of Revelation is meant to remind us of what we already possess and of the promises that God is fulfilling in our lives. Revelation is meant to be a source of encouragement to the believer. A sort of family scrapbook to be viewed and cherished in times when we might forget who we are or, more importantly, whose we are. It is meant to lend strength to our decisions and lead us into the victory promised by Jesus.

As you read this week, let me encourage you to concentrate on three pictures. First, look for pictures that show us that Jesus wins. Second, look for pictures that tell us there is a battle going on. A battle between good and evil, right and wrong. Third, look for pictures that call us to choose a side. Revelation calls us to make a choice. Will we follow Jesus or the world?

“ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” ~ 1 John 5:13

In his book, Metaphysics, Aristotle begins with the statement, “All men by nature desire to know.” I think he might be on to something. Humanity seeks answers to questions. We want to know how things work and what things mean. Knowledge expands our horizons to see behind the scenes or to delve deeper in our understanding. Watch a child learn, and you have a good picture of the quest to know.

One of the amazing truths about Christianity is that we walk with a God who wants us to know. He wants us to know that we are loved. He wants us to know that we are saved. He wants us to know how to walk and where we should step. He wants us to know how to live in relationship with one another and with Him. God is not a God of secrets. Don’t mistake me. There are things and knowledge that belong only to God. There are things about God and His will that are beyond my ability to comprehend. But that does not mean that everything that has to do with God is a mystery. The Bible tells us over and over that God wants us to know. The Bible is God’s perfect revelation to man. The idea of a revelation is unveiling of knowledge. God wants us to know. Because knowing God is transformational.

Margaret Fuller, American journalist from the last nineteenth century, once wrote, “If you have knowledge, let other light their candles in it.” This is another good picture. God calls us to relationship so that we can light our candles in His knowledge. He is the light and He illuminates our lives with His presence. We in turn shine in the world, sharing the light, and knowledge of God with others.

“ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” ~ John 8:58

In his gospel, John records Jesus eight times using the phrase, “I Am.” Seven of those times, Jesus gives us a picture of His nature and character. He provides us with a living understanding of Who He is.

John 6:35, 48 – “I am the bread of life” – He is the feeder of our faith. He provides for all we need and satisfies every hunger we have.

John 8:12 and 9:5 – “I am the light of the world” – He illuminates our path and shows us where to and how to walk. He shines in a dark world to invite us into His presence.

John 10:9 – “I am the door” – He is the gateway to a relationship with God. He provides a way for you and I to leave behind sin and enter holiness.

John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd” – He cares for us. He binds up our wounds and mends what is broken. He restores us to righteousness.

John 11:25 – “I am the resurrection and the life” – He is the One who has conquered death. Through His death, you and I receive life.

John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life” – He is the only way to God. He is the standard for living. He is the provider of transformation.

John 15:1 – “I am the true vine” – He is the source of our satisfaction, providing a connection with God that calls us to bear fruit.

John 8:58 – “Before Abraham was, I am” – The eighth quote of Jesus is a statement about His deity. Jesus is pre-existent. That means He was before Abraham and continues today. We know that Jesus is God. He has been around since before creation. He is the Living God who works in our lives and calls us to Himself. He has walked this earth and He knows where we live and what we struggle with. He has gone to the cross to make a path for you and I to walk with Him. He is the great “I Am.”