Devotions in Preparation for Sunday, August 9th
Devotions in Preparation for Sunday, August 9th
Read Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28. In this reading, we have an exaggerated example of sibling rivalry. The older brothers envied Joseph because of his special gifts and because of their father’s devotion to him. As they saw him coming toward them near Dothan, a sort of mob mentality developed. Even those who intervened to spare Joseph’s life did so for their personal benefit, rather than out of concern for Joseph’s well-being.
Jealousy can compel us to think, do, or say things that are in direct conflict with our values. We may go to great lengths to make sure that we get our share of attention or favor or reward. Can you think of a time when you let jealousy get the best of you? Were there things you did or said that you regret? What was the outcome – both for you and for the other person? What disciplines might help you resist reacting badly to feelings of jealousy?
In prayer, thank God for the promise that you are enough – loved not because of anything you’ve done to earn it, but because that is the nature of the One who created you.
Read Psalm 105:1-6,16-22. In verse 5, the psalmist cries, “Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered.” The story of Joseph is a perfect example of God’s miraculous work. Enslaved after being sold by his brothers, God continued to work through Joseph, giving him wisdom and insight, gifts he used to store up grain in the plentiful years so that when famine came, there was enough for everyone – even the brothers who had betrayed him so spectacularly.
Can you think of a time when God continued to use you as a blessing for others, even as you went through a difficult time in your own life? How can using your gifts to help others bring healing and hope for your own struggles? What wonderful works, miracles, and judgements of God are worth remembering?
Today, ask God for the insight to store up the gifts of today in your memory so that when the inevitable lean times come, you will remember God’s blessings.
Read Romans 10:5-15. In asserting that faith is the only way to become righteous before God, Paul leaves no room for legalism. In vs. 6, Paul says the righteousness that comes by faith keeps us from concerning ourselves with who’s on their way to heaven and who’s heading in the other direction. He goes on to say, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
In what ways does legalism creep into your thinking? Who are the people you are tempted to think are outside the bounds of God’s love? How do you respond to the idea that the fruit of your faithfulness is the outcome of your salvation rather than the reason for it? What is your motivation for living a life of kindness, goodness, and generosity?
In prayer, ask the Spirit to help you search your heart for any attitudes of self-righteousness or pride. Imagine relinquishing those attitudes to Christ and being transformed by the promise of forgiveness.
Read Matthew 14:22-33. “The wind was actually boisterous, the waves were actually high, but Peter did not see them at first. He did not reckon with them, he simply recognized his Lord and stepped out in recognition of him, and walked on the water. Then he began to reckon with the actual things, and down he went instantly.
Why could not our Lord have enabled him to walk at the bottom of the waves as well as on the top of them?...We step right out on God over some things, then self-consideration enters in and down we go…Immediately you look at [circumstances and] you are overwhelmed, you cannot recognize Jesus, and the rebuke comes: ‘Wherefore didst thou doubt?’
Let actual circumstances be what they may, keep recognizing Jesus, maintain complete reliance on him.” ~ Oswald Chambers