Genesis 50:19 (KJV) 3 Steps Towards Kindness

Genesis 50:19 (KJV)

And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

 

People tend to think of others as they think of themselves. Often, they are wrong. Those who are unkind, vengeful, bitter, and holders of grudges expect that others are just as they are.  

Joseph’s brothers expected that once Jacob was dead, Joseph would seek justice against them for their evil deeds toward him.  

 

How to be kind to the unkind:

Joseph alleviated their fears with the words, “Am I in the place of God?” 

 

First, Joseph was under the leadership of God.  

In this place, he could do them no harm because God would not permit it.  

 

Secondly, Joseph trusted God.  

He believed that whatever had happened or would happen was in God’s hands, and he trusted it would be just and right.  

 

Finally, Joseph knew he was not God.  

Vengeance belongs to God alone. Since he was not God, it was not his place to exact it. 

 

Having a proper relationship with God provides us with the opportunities and spiritual resources to be forgiving and kind to all—even to those who have mistreated us.  

 

#TrustGodNotSelf  #KindnessToTheUnkind  #LeaveVengeanceToGod  #ForgivenessThroughFaith  #UnderGodsLeadership

3 Steps Towards Kindness: The Key to Grace

 

Call to Action

• Are you holding onto bitterness or the desire for revenge?
• Choose one person who has wronged you and show them kindness this week.

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To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Genesis 50:19 (KJV) 3 Steps Towards Kindness

Genesis 48:22 (KJV) Trusting Without Seeing

Genesis 48:22 (KJV)

Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.

 

Compare this passage with:

John 4:5 (KJV)

Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

 

Hebrews 11:13 (KJV)

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

 

Think of it!

 

Jacob lay dying. His season of life in this world was about to close. Before he departed, he had blessings to bestow upon his children, beginning with his son Joseph and Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. He claimed these two grandsons as his own, and they shared in the inheritance of his sons.

 

Then he gave Joseph a special gift—a parcel of land in the Promised Land. It was a place Jacob would never see again in this life. It was a land Joseph would never visit with his own eyes (at least not in this life). It was a place his sons would never see except through their progeny. It was a piece of ground that, as far as I understand, Joseph’s children never occupied, and that his descendants have not to this day possessed.

 

It was a gift both given and received by faith.

 

There is plenty of reason to believe God. But in the end, if we won’t believe Him—if we constantly challenge and question the faith—we just aren’t going to experience the great blessings of peace we could have with the Lord.

 

#FaithAndInheritance #PromisesOfGod #BlessingsByFaith #JacobAndJoseph #Hebrews11Faith

Trusting Without Seeing: Seven Promises Seen Afar Off

Call to Action

• Are you living by faith in God’s promises, even when you can’t see the outcome?
• Open your Bible, pray for guidance, and commit to walking by faith in the unseen

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Genesis 48:22 (KJV) Trusting Without Seeing

Genesis 47:29 (KJV) Bury Me Not in Egypt

Genesis 47:29 (KJV)

And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: 

 

“Bury me not in Egypt.”

 

Jacob was born in the Promised Land and lived much of his life there.

 

- He lived in Haran for twenty years.  

- He lived in Egypt for seventeen years.  

- He died at the age of one hundred forty-seven,  

making it one hundred ten years in the Promised Land.

 

Jacob knew he was about to die and begged Joseph that, though he would die in Egypt, he would not be buried there. The Promised Land, he said, was the burial place of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac. It was also where his mother, grandmother, and his wife (Rachel, certainly) were buried.

 

But why would that matter? Once he was dead, why would it matter?

 

I have a preacher friend who claims that funerals are not for the dead but for the living. I understand what he means, but I doubt those about to die would agree with him. It matters because we all inherently understand that this is not the end. How and where we are buried is, to us, a testimony of where we expect to be eternally. For Jacob, that was represented in the Promised Land—the promise of God.

 

I know not what my end will be, where, or when I will die. My family's heritage is scattered across the state of Washington. Adding to that, my wife’s heritage is scattered across Oregon, making it hard for us to pick a preferred place. In my case, it probably doesn’t matter too much where I am buried. I’d like it to be next to my wife. But more important to me is that I finish my course, resting in the promises of God.

 

#BuryMeNotInEgypt  #RestInGodsPromises  #PromisedLandFaith  #JacobAndJoseph  #EternalTestimony

Bury Me Not in Egypt: Four Biblical Truths About Resting in God’s Promises

Call to Action

• Are you confident that your convictions reflect your faith in God’s promises? 
• Share your concerns with loved ones and discuss ways to make choices that affirm your trust in God's promises.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Genesis 47:29 (KJV) Bury Me Not in Egypt

 

Genesis 45:8 (KJV) Ten Truths About God’s Plan

Genesis 45:8 (KJV)

So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

 

I notice two things in this statement. Joseph placed the responsibility for all that had transpired to bring him to Egypt, not upon his brothers but upon God. Joseph was not bitter against God for it. Nor could one say that Joseph had only come to this conclusion after he had such a fair ending to all these things. He was firmly fixed in faith during his time in Potiphar’s house as well as in the prison cell.

 

Now, modern Bible scholarship tends to debate over things like this. How far does the sovereignty of God extend? Does God know and orchestrate all things, or did God simply set things in motion and now let them run their course? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between.

 

I think the reason for such debates rests in our perspective of events. In other words, we perceive things as bad and therefore either blame God for them or, in His defense, attempt to explain Him out of the equation.

 

Here’s the answer: God is only good. When we come to the end of the road, as Joseph did, we will see and realize this to be true. In the meantime, we would be much happier in life if we believed it to be true and lived out that truth in every circumstance.

 

The devil means things for evil. Men do things that are evil. But God is at work, and it all turns out for good.

 

#SovereigntyOfGod  #GodsProvidence  #TrustInGod  #FaithThroughTrials  #GodIsGood

Ten Truths About God’s Plan: Can We Trust God When Life Seems Unfair?

 

Call to Action

• Are you facing challenges that feel unfair and overwhelming?
• God is sovereign and good, even when life doesn’t seem to make sense.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Genesis 45:8 (KJV) Ten Truths About God’s Plan

Genesis 44:16 (KJV) Breaking Free from Guilt

Genesis 44:16 (KJV)

And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.

 

God always finds out our iniquity.  

 

The weight of hidden sin is a burden that cannot be escaped. Joseph's brothers, guilt will surface, and God's justice will prevail. God always finds out our iniquity. 

 

The evil they did to Joseph is never specifically mentioned in the passage, but the guilt they carried weighed heavily upon them. They had seen the pain in their father’s eyes when Jacob lost Joseph. They had carried that guilt all these years. They had witnessed their father’s grief over Simeon. They had heard their father’s concern about sending Benjamin to Egypt.

 

And now, the thought of Benjamin being taken as a prisoner was more than they could bear. Judah, for one, just could not face his father if Benjamin did not return home. Better to be a prisoner himself than to see his father’s tear-streaked face, mourning yet another son.

 

No sin remains hidden forever. God’s light exposes all, not to condemn us, but to lead us toward repentance and restoration. As Judah stood before Joseph, the weight of his past sins became unbearable. Each moment brought him closer to the reality of God’s justice.

 

God always finds out our iniquity. But in His finding, there is also a call to redemption. He orchestrated this entire situation for the good of His people. It does no good to cover our sin. But it does no good to live in dread of it either. 

 

Let us not wait until guilt overwhelms us. Rather let’s approach God in humility, confessing our sins, and embracing the forgiveness that leads to a renewed path of righteousness.

 

1 John 1:9 (KJV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

Confess the sin. Face it. Then let God pick you up and point you in the direction of holiness.

 

#ConfessAndBeForgiven  #GodKnowsAll  #FacingSin  #TrustInGodsPlan  #PathToHoliness

Breaking Free from Guilt: Three Steps to Finding Forgiveness

 

Call to Action

• Are you feeling weighed down by guilt?
• Write down the areas where you need to make thigs right and commit to taking action towards addressing them.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Genesis 44:16 (KJV) Breaking Free from Guilt

Genesis 42:9 (KJV) 3 Key Moments in Life

Genesis 42:9 (KJV)

And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

 

Nearly twenty years after Joseph dreamed his dreams and shared them with his brothers, he finds himself on a throne in Egypt, with his brothers bowing before him. What God had revealed to him had come to pass. But a lot more than years had transpired between then and now.

 

· He had been captured and sold by his brothers.  

·   He had been mistreated and falsely accused.  

·   He had been put into prison.  

·   He had been forgotten in prison.  

·  He had supervised the storage of food in Egypt for the last seven years.

 

In other words, life had happened. He had business to conduct and obstacles to overcome. Years had been added to his body. There must have been many times when the dreams he had dreamed seemed like the last thing that could or would happen.

 

But here they were—his brothers, all bowing before him just as he had dreamed.

 

We live in a different dispensation of God’s plan than Joseph did. God no longer shows His will through dreams; we have the finished and perfect Word of God. The promises of the Bible are sure. The prophecies of the Bible will be fulfilled.

 

·  There will be plenty of people who scoff at those promises.  

·   There may be many obstacles and hardships along the way.  

·  There could be a lot of disappointments experienced.  

·  There will likely be times when those promises of God’s Word seem like the last thing that will happen.

 

But those of us who know the Word of God, believe the Word of God, and have put our trust in the Son of God will one day see those promises come to pass, and we’ll remember when God first showed them to us in His Word.

 

#FaithfulPromises  #GodsWordFulfilled  #TrustInGodsPlan  #BiblicalProphecy  #GodsTimingIsPerfect

3 Key Moments in life: How to Hold on to Faith

 

Call to Action

• Are you holding on to faith during a challenging moment in your life?
• In the comments, share a time when God fulfilled a promise in your life that required patience and trust.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Genesis 42:9 (KJV) 3 Key Moments in Life