PERADVENTURE TEN

So [Abraham] said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” 

And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord... Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. [Abraham] dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 

But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord."

Genesis 13:8-13

In Genesis 18, the angel of the Lord and two additional angels met Abraham to deliver the news of great blessing. But there were two matters on their agenda. The second item on their itinerary concerned Abraham's nephew Lot, and more specifically: the city he had chosen to dwell in. While the angel of the Lord remained with Abraham to inform him of the impending destruction, the two angels went into Sodom. 

• Genesis 18:20-22 PERADVENTURE TEN

The cry of the city was great, and the sin very grievous. Therefore, the angel of the Lord told Abraham that the city would be destroyed. Abraham nearly panicked, he had family there! But because he had such great faith in God, he ventured to understand the necessity of such widespread destruction. Abraham wanted to be sure, as he suspected, that God would not destroy a city full of righteous people. When God assured Abraham that he would not destroy a city that housed even "just" ten righteous people, Abraham returned to his home and God to his plans for Sodom.

The fact learned from God and Abraham's conversation was that there were fewer than ten righteous souls living in the city. God had no plan to destroy them, but to move them out, prior to the destruction. Those few belonged to Lot's family, and the two angels who were with God, were sent to not only to destroy Sodom, but to get them out. 

This is a dark and somewhat complex chapter in scripture if not viewed from the right perch. Understand that we have a powerful God who does choose and enact destruction when He deems fit. But the order of destruction comes from God's heart, not His fist. When God chooses destruction, it is actually the preservation of righteousness that He is chooses. God is able to discern the truth within each individual; no innocent will ever be caught in the crossfire of God's wrath for the guilty. Our God is equal parts power and compassion; He planned and delivered the destruction of Sodom with as much attention to detail as He planned and delivered the innocents within it. Therefore do not cower away from "Old Testament" God as many do; for even here in the dark, He is working to preserve the light He has planned for you.

• Genesis 19:1-11 INTO YOUR SERVANT'S HOUSE

As Lot sat near the entrance-gate of Sodom, the two angels walked in. Lot bowed himself to the ground in reverent greeting and invited them to his home. The angels declined, likely a test for Lot, and opted to remain in the street overnight. Lot pressed them to reconsider, he knew that it was a sinful city and they would not be safe. And though Lot was deeply flawed, he did have reverence for God and respect for his messengers. He evidenced that by his insistence on offering protection for them, even though it would make his home a target in the corrupt city.

And a target indeed his home became. A mass of sinful people from all over the city crowded around Lot's home. They knew that Lot housed two guests. By the size and fervor of the crowd, they knew these were not ordinary guests but angels. They demanded that Lot release the angels to them. Lot refused; in effort to protect the angels, he even offered to give the crowd his two daughters instead. This proved that while Lot had not yet reached the level of depravity that would harm angels of God, he had been severely influenced enough by the corruption of his neighbors as to be not far from it.

Nevertheless, the angels intervened: they pulled Lot into the house and blinded the crowd of aggressors, preventing their ability to find and compromise the shelter of Lot's house. Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 1:24-28 help us to understand why this evil crowd so desperately wanted to have the angels in their possession.

Although the righteous often neglect to recognize the power of God, the truly evil do not: for to their deep annoyance and distress, they cannot forget how mightily they suppressed by it.

When He [Jesus] had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

Matthew 8:28-29

Like the two demon-possessed men above, the evil people of Sodom recognized entities of God. They too knew that the time of their destruction had come. 

Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,  saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!" But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.
Mark 1:23-26

Once again, the first thing evil does upon seeing a man of God is recognize its impending destruction. The city of Sodom knew that the arrival of the angels was the arrival of their end. In desperation, they attempted to resist it. But they could not. Like the men from the verses above, they wanted more time to languish in sin. They would not receive it.

• Genesis 19:12-26 OUT OF THIS PLACE 

With haste, the angels began to prepare Lot and family for departure, but Lot's family would not go. They were content citizens of the sinful city, as God knew. He had numbered the righteous in the city below ten. But Lot was distressed; his family did not believe his warning, and more importantly: did not want to leave. Lot lingered so long, trying to convince them, that if not for God's mercy, Lot would have been detained by their refusal and stuck in the destruction of the city.

The angels were able to remove Lot, his wife and two daughters from the city. Once again Lot had the chance to choose: follow God's orders, or choose his own way based on what his own eyes could see. Lot chose wrongly again; he asked if he could escape to another city, rather than the mountainous haven God had planned, and his request was granted. God does not suppress our free will! But life is so much better if we suppress our own will in favor of His.

Lot was not the only one to make a mistake. As the city crumbled, Lot and family were told not to turn back, not to look back, but to continue along God's route. But Lot's wife did look back... and died because of it; turned into a pillar of salt. Lot's wife "looking back" was a metaphor for the choice in her heart. She wanted to return to that lifestyle. She lamented the destruction of her life there. God had committed to comprehensively destroy Sodom and all corrupt members and she, in her heart, had declared to be one. Though she had physically left the city, she was stunned and reduced to particles of nothing along with it. 

• Genesis 19:27:-29 THE SMOKE OF THE LAND

And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

Genesis 19:28-29

It might not be outrageous for one to wonder whether Lot himself was innocent enough to deserve escape from Sodom. Ultimately, only God knows the answer to that. What is obvious, because scripture has told us so, is that Abraham prayed for his nephew and God answered affirmatively. Therefore, we also know that our powerful God puts power in our prayer. We do not waste our time when we intercede in prayer for others.

And therefore though we may witness darkness in life and scripture, like Abraham observing from the hill, we can have peace knowing that there is hope and purpose even in the smoke of the land. 

YEHOVAH YIREH III

And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
Genesis 21:1-2

•  PROMISE KEEPER

Twenty five years after He made His initial promise, God enabled Sarah to conceive. She gave birth to a son and they named their baby Isaac, just as God had spoken. Sarah was still half in wonder, she could not believe that finally and at her age she was holding her own son. Isaac grew and was weaned and Abraham celebrated that same day with a great feast. Isaac was long-prayed for and his parents did not take his life for granted. He both loved him and continued to celebrate his life. 

Gratitude is a necessary element of faith. Upon the birth of Isaac, Abraham followed all of God's commandments. He continued to live a righteous lifestyle, following instruction from God. When you receive a blessing, and you will, receive it with gratitude...retain it with faith and continued commitment to God. Celebrate it with love. 

Our God is a promise keeper. The Bible is stuffed and loaded with all of the promises He has made and you can count on each one of them. You can count on Him.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice because of God, communicate with Him, express gratitude toward Him. Such is the proper care and handling of blessing.

•  NOW I KNOW 

At this point, we are aware of how much of a blessing Isaac's life was to Abraham and Sarah. They prayed hard, waited long, and persisted in faith. That is only part of the reason so many people are shocked and even disturbed by what happened to Abraham one night: God instructed him to offer young Isaac up as a sacrifice. Abraham rose up early in the morning to do it.

Don't panic: Abraham knew that God would not actually require him to sacrifice Isaac.

Isaac was the promise fulfilled. The conduit through which the ultimate, initial blessing would come. God told Abraham so: "...but my covenant I will establish with Isaac (Genesis 17:21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.)." And what was the covenant?

And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you...

Genesis 17:9-10

Abraham rose up early in the morning to follow God's command because He knew that God had made a promise to him, had established a covenant with him, and both relied upon Isaac. After they climbed the the mountain together and prepared the altar for a sacrifice, Isaac asked Abraham: "Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

But this question is not ironic or awkward or pitiable! Abraham confidently, faithful answered Isaac: "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." Indeed Abraham trusted God so much that he was able to place Isaac on the alter and even lift his knife...

He was halted by God: “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” And then God provided an animal.

Abraham knew that God would not allow harm to be done to Isaac... and God then knew that Abraham would not falter in faith in God. Abraham would never withhold anything from God; He understood that everything he had was from God. He believed that God was a promise keeper and therefore he never believed that Isaac was at risk. He was willing to submit everything, His whole life and every element of it, to God's will because He trusted God with it. All of it.

•  YEHOVEH YIREH

Abraham named that place Yehoveh Yireh: God will provide. God had provided all his life. He will provide for yours. The story of Abraham and Isaac, a father, sacrificing his son should sound familiar. Indeed Genesis 22 foreshadows Jesus' resurrection. The son of God sacrificed for humanity. God provided the Lamb: Jesus, who would volunteer Himself to serve as proof of God's word and eternal kingdom.

This this expedition with Abraham and Issac, forces us to realize that God will always provide more than He expects us to give... even though it is we  who owe Him everything.

Abraham is a prominent figure in the Bible when faith is discussed:  

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 11:8-10 

... because  faith makes the difference between dwelling in the House of God or the Heap of Ruin. Give God full authority in your life, be grateful He takes it. Let His will override your desire. Trust His timing; submit to the wait. It's not easy but it's wise. It's not always fun but it's always good. When God decides what comes in, what goes out and when we will see that we are well and truly provided for.

YEHOVEH YIREH II

God made a promise to Abraham: descendants as plenteous as the stars; fulfillment of the hope in the hearts of Abraham and Sarah. But that had not happened yet, and circumstances seemed bleak. Abraham and Sarah were advanced in age. Sarah suffered the stigma of the time as an infertile woman. Abraham and Sarah were likely the topic of much gossip: their prosperous marriage but lack of an heir. 

Desperation caused them to act, to disengage a little in their submission to God's will and arrange their own outcome. And who among us hasn't once (read: many times) done that? We have faith in God's will, so did Abraham, but we seem sometimes unable to resist... jump-starting it. It is a triumph of faith when we are able to submit completely to God's will (as completely as we humanly can), but it can be difficult to live so seemingly... passively. Certainly on the contrary, submission to God's will requires  fierce loyalty, extreme patience, deep discernment and wholehearted effort. It requires a lot, which is why we sometimes... falter.  

• (Genesis 17:1-9): THAT I MAY OBTAIN

Sarah was prepared to arrange her own outcome. It was acceptable in her time that a maidservant could bear a child of her master's husband and be claimed legitimately. Sarah thought that if she at least arranged for Abraham to have an heir, she would lessen the pressure of the stigma. She thought that it was her only way to have a family. So Sarah instructed her maidservant, Hagar, and Abraham to marry and conceive a child.

Hagar conceived and suddenly her status changed. She was more than a servant and she knew it; as Hagar realized her new prominence, she was less deferential to Sarah. And Sarah was deeply bothered. She regretted her interference and was no longer gracious to Hagar. Sarah's unfriendly behavior even caused Hagar to flee with her baby (a sermon for another day). 

Ultimately, Sarah muddied the waters; acting on desperation always does. She added complication to her life and further heaviness to her heart. She involved others in that complication and heaviness. But Sarah also taught a great lesson: we must not attempt obtain by any means necessary, simply because we are impatient for, or in disagreement with, God's timing.

• (Genesis 17:15-27; Genesis 18:1-22) : INCREDIBLE PATIENCE, INCREDULOUS JOY

God continued to encourage Abraham to live a righteous lifestyle; He promised that if Abraham did so God would establish a covenant between them. The same spiritual contract is extended toward us. When we commit to following God, He commits to leading us into blessing. 

It had been many years since God initially made a promise to Abraham, but there was still no baby; but the promise never went away or changed or delayed. God was preparing to bring it into fruition, the baby into Sarah's womb. God met Abraham once again, this time to explain the details of the birth. 

At this point God changed their names from Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah... father and mother of nations. They were about to be parents together. And though God blessed Abraham's child with Hagar (Ishmael), His promise would be fulfilled through Abraham's child with Sarah. Upon hearing this, Abraham laughed. He was incredulous... joy and disbelief mingled within him. Before departing, God informed Abraham that his son with Sarah would be named Isaac, and would be born in the coming year.

Sarah laughed too, though perhaps with more disbelief than Abraham. To which God responded: Is anything too hard for the Lord? We overthink and overwork ourselves with worry because we forget that in fact nothing is too hard for our God.

Understand that God is in the details and His timing is intentional and perfect. He knows the names of the people and things that are yet to come into our lives. Though we stare into the future and sometimes see only impossibility, God stares into our future and sees the details of the hopes and prayers realized in our lives. If He has promised it, He has initiated its creation and established the time of its delivery. "It" is different for all of us, though often we share hopes and dreams and prayers; but in Romans 8:28 God promised that all things would work together for good to those who love the Lord. So no matter what is coming, it will be a good thing, even if it is an answer to a prayer we didn't think to make.

• (Genesis 20): CAUSED TO WANDER

Realize that Abraham and Sarah were consistently caused to wander by God. God's plan, purpose and blessing unfolded throughout the journey. It is important for us to take note of that because we often expect to arrive at a blessing. Instead, God delivers them to us as we move along His path for us. Our God multitasks. He is accomplishing multiple things for, around and within us at all times. It was His opinion that Abraham and Sarah were not ready to be parents twenty-five years prior to when they actually became them.

We are not always going to agree with God's timing. In fact, while we are in the process of waiting for a blessing, we will probably think His timing entirely inconvenient. It is helpful if we consciously prevent ourselves from fixating on only one specific thing and instead open our awareness.  A broader view of God's plan for our lives will enable us to learn and grow, receive and appreciate other blessings while still holding hope for that special one in the distance.

Because Abraham and Sarah were vastly blessed. Their story fixates on their specific prayer, and their other blessings fall by the wayside. Abraham and Sarah were healthy. Their marriage was secure and happy. Their blessings and their relationship with God allowed them to rescue and assist their family members in times of trouble. They were prosperous. God directed them away from desolate places and dishonest people. Abraham prayed to become a father but might have overlooked that God made him a leader and prophet, and blessed him with all of the skills to do both properly.

Desperation must not caused us to discard our truest blessing, the one we never have to wait for: God. Because even if waiting is a battle in our lives, it is one we cannot win without Him.

THE ELDEST SERVANT

Isaac and Rebekah came together in an, according to our modern, social conventions, unconventional way. Isaac, the son of Abraham, with whom God made an everlasting covenant: "I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you" (Genesis 17:7), and Rebekah would become the parents of twins, specifically a son: Jacob. Jacob, whose name would be changed by God to "Israel" would be the patriarch of the twelve tribes that would become the House of Israel, and later the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Even more specifically, they would be (many generations removed) great-grandparents of Mary, through whom Jesus would come and fulfill God's promise to Abraham: "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:18)

The story of their marriage is sweet, though unconventional, for it was divinely planned by God. Wonder surrounds the story of

their family. for they would be crucial to the lineage through which our Messiah would arrive. Yet amidst all of the sweet wonder was a man, often overlooked, who was the instrument through which God arranged it. His name was Eliezer, and we have something important to learn from him. . 

• ELIEZER OF DAMASCAS

Abraham and Sarah are known for their decades-long infertility. Their initial inability to produce children was especially apparent in their historical context, when neighbors made it their personal business to dismay over, and discuss the social dilemma of a childless couple. Abraham and Sarah were a childless-couple, but they were also a wealthy couple.

God had blessed amply blessed them; they possessed land, livestock, provision and even jewelry abundant. It was the pride of a father to pass that down to his children as an inheritance, to keep the wealth in the family, and the family prominent. But Abraham had no children. He did however, have an heir: Eliezer. We learn from Genesis 15 that Eliezer was set to inherit Abraham's house and all it encompassed.

God changed Abraham's chosen heir, Eliezer, to Abraham's second-born son: Isaac. But we cannot neglect to acknowledge that Eliezer was considered worthy of Abraham's house, even if Abraham longed for a child to replace him as heir. Abraham trusted Eliezer from the beginning and continued to trust him at the end. 

• ELDEST SERVANT

When Abraham became elderly, and Sarah had died, it become important to him to ensure that Isaac was properly married. Abraham was too old to undertake the task himself so he chose Eliezer, his eldest and most trusted servant. Eliezer is referred to as Abraham's servant, but that word does not adequately describe his position in Abraham's house. Genesis 24 tells us that Eliezer "ruled over all that [Abraham] had." 

Not only had Abraham trusted Eliezer with the content and management of his entire, substantial household, he began a request concerning his precious Isaac, his long-prayed for child:

"And I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

Genesis 24:3-4

It was imperative to Abraham that Isaac be married to someone within the covenant, that is: of Abraham's family, because it was imperative to God that it be so. A wife outside-of-the-faith would derail Isaac, and any subsequent children, into the worship of false-gods and behavior below the bar God set generations back with Noah. 

So Eliezer promised Abraham that he would find a suitable wife for Isaac and set out on the journey. Eliezer then did a simple, but extraordinary thing: he prayed to God:

“O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

Genesis 24:12

Eliezer prayed for Godspeed in his mission. He communicated God, he endeavored in God's will. And by doing so, we are reminded to do the same. As we undertake any task, we exemplify our love and faith in God when we include Him in it. It is imperative that we align our mission with God's will, so that our journey is undertaken with not only His permission, but also His presence and provision simultaneous with His plan.

Fluidity and success in any of our endeavors requires the inclusion of God. Eliezer understood that, and therefore be begin to understand why Abraham trusted him so much. He was a faithful man... faithful to Abraham but also, more importantly, to God. 

• GOD IS HELP

Eliezer's named means: God is help. And Eliezer understood that. So, instead of praying at the beginning of his journey and then omitting God from the situation, Eliezer continued to consult God. Eliezer prayed that God would assist him in identifying the right woman... and mid-prayer, Rebekah came along.

Rebekah arrived at the well where Eliezer prayed, and quickly, modestly, unwittingly demonstrated herself to be a beautiful, kind and hard-working woman. She was also, not-coincidentally, a suitable bride for Isaac as she was of Abraham's family. Rebekah gave Eliezer a pitcher of water to drink, which would have been much welcomed in a such a warm, dry region after a long travel. She then took it upon herself to give water to the camels Eliezer brought with him. 

Though Rebekah seemed a more-than-adequate choice, Eliezer remained loyal to Abraham and thus to God's plan. He ensured that Rebekah was of Abraham's family. And when he learned that she, officially, was Eliezer did another simple, extraordinary thing: he bowed down and worshiped the Lord. 

A lot of people readily pray to God when they begin a thing they desperately want to go well... but considerably less people remember to thank God when it actually does. Eliezer did so immediately:

Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”

Genesis 24:26-27

Our covenant with God is a relationship. Communication is crucial, and so is gratitude. In any relationship, it's important to acknowledge the effort of the other person involved; to love the character of the other person; and to include them in our lives. God is, metaphorically, our well of living water but we do not only draw from it/Him. We sit by it/Him. We spend time and thought with Him. We remember its/His faithful provision with gratitude when we contemplate the quenching of whatever thirst we had that God satisfied. 

• WHICH LED ME IN THE RIGHT WAY

Eliezer was led to and welcomed into Rebekah's family home. Upon arrival, Eliezer was received with great hospitality; his animals were taken care of and a small feast was laid before him. But before Eliezer would rest and eat, he remained focused on his divinely-led mission. He told the details of his mission from beginning to end, in full detail, and described the family Rebekah would potentially join. At the culmination of his presentation, Rebekah's family, and Rebekah herself, agreed.

Arrangements were made subsequent to Rebekah's willingness to marry Isaac, gifts were distributed. Abraham had sent Eliezer with provisional gifts for Isaac's bride and her family. They ate and then Eliezer expressed an intention to return directly to Abraham and Isaac. Again Eliezer exemplifies to us the concentrated faith we need to have (or at least need to strive to have) in all of our endeavors. 

When all was settled, Eliezer prayed and thanked God. Though God's presence is less tangible in this account, understand, as Eliezer understood, that He was present. He led and blessed the whole mission. Eliezer included God in it, and that is the only and precise reason for its success. The more attuned we are to God, the less we are hindered, delayed or even thwarted by distraction.

Eliezer could have easily spoiled his situation in Abraham's house by being untrustworthy or lazy. He could have easily failed his mission by not ensuring he acted in accordance with God's will. He could have lazily indulged in the prominence Abraham gave him, or the in the treatment Rebekah's family showed him. Instead he remained honest, faithful, and focused. He was specific to include God in each step of his way.

Remember that the covenant was established as an everlasting promise to perpetual generations, and to all the earth. That means the covenant was established between God and you. He promised to be your God. Within that title He is a Father, Counselor, Friend, Advocate, Guide, Haven and so much more. Therefore claim that promise, you are its heir! You are an heir to the inheritance of God. Act accordingly, through faith draw God's presence into your life; He will not leave but you must keep Him there. We do so by praying to Him before we begin something, consulting Him as we do it, and by thanking Him after it is accomplished. All throughout life. God is your help.

THE DRAGON TALE

The story of Satan may be the explanation as to why we are all here. In Genesis 2:17, God cautioned Adam and Eve that if they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would surely die. But Adam and Eve didn't die... at least not right away, they lived a full life and so did (do) generations of their posterity (aka: humanity). Eating the forbidden fruit seems not to have changed the course of their lives, at least not in the dire way God warned. So what did their choice change and how has it effected our lives?

For this study we have to traverse the entire Bible: from Genesis (the beginning), Ezekiel (the middle), and Revelation (the end). If this Satan character is behind the big, centuries-asked question, ("Why are we here?"), then we have to read about not just his first appearance but also his beginning and how it led to his end. By doing that, we will learn how who or what he is is less important than what he represents. For it is what he represents that changed the plan God had for us. 

• THE ANOINTED CHERUB

“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty."

Ezekiel 28:12 

Satan was not the monster we think he was... at least not in outward appearance and certainly not at onset. God's description of Satan is quite a lot different from the media's portrayal of him, and not just physically. We think of Satan as an outcast rather than the blessed and beloved one he actually was.

“You were the anointed cherub who covers;

I established you;

You were on the holy mountain of God;

Ezekiel 28:14 

Not only was Satan beautiful, he had everything the storehouses of the Kingdom of God have to offer: he was wise, anointed, established. He was loved and trusted. So how did Satan become the serpent in Genesis? The dragon in Revelation? He gradually became greedy, violent and arrogant. And that is where we have to start paying attention; because the worst of Satan is more relatable to us than the best of him. After all, none of us can boast perfection in wisdom, beauty or behavior. But all of us have experienced at least a modicum of greed, violence and arrogance within ourselves. This is not to say that we are horrible people because the majority are not, but we are capable of the same character flaws that led to Satan's complete eviction from the Kingdom of God.

God's kingdom is broad and hosts a lot of life. In heaven, as it is on earth right now, God elects people to join Him in helping others. Satan was chosen as such, an overseer, a protector, by God. But the power became a drug to him and he a slave to it. He began to abuse his power and manipulate others with the wisdom he was given. He resented that he was chosen by God, a holy honor, and wanted instead to be the chooser. Yet the worst thing Satan did was to drag, connive and convince others to join him... and that is the story of Adam, Eve and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

• "YOUR EYES WILL BE OPENED" 

Eve's conversation with the serpent in Genesis is an allegory of how humanity obtained free will and consciousness as we know it today. God had designed a perfect system with the kingdom of God, represented by the Garden of Eden. He created life and cared for it. He made all of the decisions and refrained from distributed free will. Why? This is where we would play a montage of things like the widespread poverty, racism, pollution and other injustices on earth. God simply knew that we were not equipped for such responsibility. Satan disagreed; he wanted to unlock that aspect of life. 

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:4 

 This is an example of the scheming Satan did when he was in the position of power as cherub. He portrayed God as a stingy authority rather than a wise Father. He slyly suggested that God's will was not the best course of action. He manipulated the truth so that it appeared that one's own will could procure glory and power and that God's will could not. Like he did with Eve, Satan made it seem like the righteous, obedient, humble way was ineffective, insufficient. 

And that is what Satan represents throughout the Bible and in our lives today. He represents that temptation within us to live by our own rule; to act and react on our emotions and desires regardless if they are good for us or others or not; to obtain influence by dubious means; to procure power by manipulating the justice system; to shirk responsibility and pursue our desires. Anger, arrogance and greed tempt us like Satan tempted Eve. They make promises that make us salivate, metaphorically speaking (usually), but they cannot keep those promises; because anything we obtain with impure intentions and corrupt machinations will not satisfy us. 

Eve gained free will, her mind expanded, but the quality of her life declined sharply. Indeed her mind expanded, but in many places she had been previously protected from. She then knew what it was to lack, to feel shame, grief, guilt and regret. The everlasting life of her soul (and ours) became subjected to life in a temporary body. Once constant and sustained, she became an aging and fragile form of life... and we all know the many traumas of that. When God told Adam and Eve that they would surely die, He meant this: life, now as we know it. Birth and death on earth, a rich but also traumatic experience. 

We study Satan as the serpent in Genesis, the proverbial King of Tyre in Ezekiel and the metaphorical dragon in Revelation, but it is crucial for us to recognize Satan he really is. Not the sly characters of the Bible or the monster depicted in movies but Satan is the impatience within us, the frustration, anger, arrogance and greed. All of that behavior was drawn out of us by him. Every time we are tempted to act on our base (ugly) emotions and desires we are Eve in the garden, allowing Satan to convince us our plan is better than God's.

• THE DRAGON TAIL DREW 

We are here because when free will was unlocked, humanity needed a place to exercise their (our) new ability. We needed a place to make the mess of trial and error, a place with consequence enough to take the task seriously, but not permanently damage. Of course death and disparity seem like permanently damage (and they are definite consequences), life on earth was designed to feel that way. But the only permanent damage that can be done can only be done by God and it is the death of a soul, not a body.

We are here because we needed a space to not just to learn the consequences of free will, but also to well, use it. Because with our free will we make decisions and those decisions add up to the inevitable decision: my way, or the highway... to heaven. Joking aside, God honestly wants us to decide. He will not force His will on people who do not want it. He preferred to love us His way, even if it meant that our love for Him was less authentic, if it also meant that we were spared the pain that transpires in life-with-free-will (life as it we know it now).

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.

Revelation 12:3-4 

Satan was able to convince a third of God's people buy what he was selling... and trade in all of the free "stuff" God had been providing. Life on earth is our opportunity to give it all back. We were once with God because He chose us. Today, we have the opportunity to be with God because we choose Him. 

We spoke before about permanent damage: the death of the soul. Satan has been named the son of perdition by God, in other words, his soul has been sentenced to that permanent death (Ezekiel 23:18; John 17:12; and many other places!) Satan has been sentenced to death and he doesn't want to go alone. Just like before, he is recruiting people onto his side... even though he now knows his to be the losing side. 

Of course now that life on earth is our reality, God has plans within plans for not just the whole picture but also for every individual. He has made our tale a story of redemption and purpose rather than one of punishment or subsequent consequence. And though some bad things came with free will, two really good things came too: faith and authentic love. We are now able to love God (and others) intimately; that is, love with the knowledge of the power and work and depth and complexity and strength and fragility and value of love. 

Now, when God blesses us and when others love us, we understand how precious the act of love and all that it encompasses is. And that is why out of all the history and instruction and lesson that scripture and life hold, God has chosen to emphasize love:

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:37-40 

So if the history is too complicated, and the future too difficult to grasp, we have been directed by Jesus to simply love in the present.

EVERLASTING COVENANT

If we were to sum the Kingdom of God up in one word, the word would be family. God cherishes His family and each member of it. His covenant with humanity, (I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you, Genesis 17:7) is a promise of eternal union. 

Not only does God cherish His family in word, He also does so in action. He is present and attentive, leader and provider, counselor, comforter and protector. As so, as we subdivide as smaller families within His large family, God's hope is that we will nurture our families as He has nurtured His. But that is just not always the case and never has been. And so this will be an exploration of what scripture has to say about unions... and separations. 

• BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY

God created the heavens and the earth. He created the seas and trees and the animals. He created Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve are metaphors for men and women, respectively. He created humanity. Concerning humanity: 

... Male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth... Genesis 1:27-28

It was always His intention that we would be fruitful and multiply. In other words, love and create relationships with each other. Unite and create families together. He did not just advise us to do create families, He blessed the undertaking of it. He planned for us to increase. He planned a promised land for us to bring out families into. Family has always been a part of the plan; in fact, the Bible tells the story of a family. From Adam and Eve to Noah and Abraham, Jacob and David, David to Obed and Ruth... all the way to Jesus, who ultimately made all people members of one family.

• ONE FLESH

Separation is not the plan of any relationship at onset. Even in the middle of a relationship-hardship, separation is not the intention, or the desired result. So what does the Bible have to say about pragmatically avoiding that outcome? Well to start, when two people decide to be in a relationship, that union must become the nucleus of their life. 

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24

If marriage is the choice, marriage becomes the priority. The health and stability and functioning of the union does not deny or deprive the other aspects of family in the married couple's lives but does supersede them. And the second part of that verse is to become one flesh. What does that mean? How is that done? The explanation comes in two parts from Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:3-4,

Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

Marriage the constant flow of affection and respect. It is owed to each other because each have promised to give it. Marriage was never meant to be a flippant contract.  To unite with a person means to absorb their needs as your own. To work and persist and champion their survival and happiness as one's own. In a way, you become indentured to the person you marry. And unless the love between two people is deep and sincere, that statement feels unappealing or like a chore. But it is the way marriage was intended by God. It's how God loves His family. Jesus used His time on earth to serve His family, Matthew 20:28. Essentially couple should only enter into a marriage if they mutually wish to serve the other. Not to be served, but to care for that other person.

The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

This advice was given with the intention that each person would deal more affectionately with the other than the individual would even with themselves. It is meant to be beneficial, not restrictive. In such relationships, it not a scary thing for a spouse to have authority over the other. Just as God has authority of us, it is not a scary thing. Because the decisions He makes on our behalf are only, and always done out of good and selfless intentions. Love and compassion drive His every move.

This does not mean that each become slave to the other. It does not mean that each is the other's master (you have been freed from all forms of slavery by God, Galatians 4:7). If the relationship, or a member of the relationship, suggests that this is the case... that is not a union you should make. Jesus served humanity but was not our slave. God has authority over us but does not strip us of our free will. Not even God makes decisions for us, so definitely nobody else can. And always remember that if one can overrule the other... the other one can overrule the other. Thus what is created is a relationship based on service and compromise. Love and respect. Decisions are made together, sacrifices are made together. 

• HARDNESS OF YOUR HEART

Indeed family is a blessed thing to God, and that which unites in the name of God, "let no man separate." (Matthew 19:6) He wants us to work and fight for the health and unity of our family. But humans are not as faithful as God. And therefore families do become separated. One prevalent reason for this: adultery. This can cause guilt and shame. Sometimes people remain in adulterous relationships because they fear punishment from God. But adultery has steadfastly been the exception to the rule. Once, God even divorced His own people because of their faithless adultery in their relationship with Him! 

And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. Jeremiah 3:8 

God is reasonable. Much more reasonable than ruthless, strict religions can be to the people who follow them. No religion, church or person has the authority to condemn another person for the dissolution of their marriage. God does not expect a person to stay with a faithless spouse. He wants our unions to be healthy and stable. Adultery corrupts and destabilizes the union; so God's advice in word is not to commit adultery (Exodus 20:14). And His advice in deed, is to not remain with someone who has (Jeremiah 3:8).

As for divorce on other grounds, it too has a precedent. A long time ago. Jesus explains in Matthew 19:8 explains that Moses granted people to divorce because of the hardness of their hearts. It's important, albeit disheartening, to remember that God knows that we will fall short of His mark. And so divorce is not an unforgivable sin. Like all other times we disappoint Him, sincere remorse and commitment to character growth is enough for His forgiveness. 

And it's important to remember that God is not angry because a rule was broken. He's sad because a family was. He had the best intentions for that family and had wished that all people involved did too. But He gets it. He understands the situation as no one else does.

• PAUL'S POINT

The apostle Paul has his own advice about marriage: (paraphrasing) skip it, like I have, 1 Corinthians 7:7. This is not necessarily God's opinion. As we read, God encourages, loves, and blesses families. Paul's advice was given from the perspective of a constantly-travelling preacher. And the letters he wrote were often to people of the same profession. Paul did not think it wise or fair or even adequately possible for a person to maintain a family as well as a nomadic life.

All of that to say, Paul did not think a person should start a family unless it could be their main priority. Paul's opinion is not law. And of course many, many people juggle more things than just one. Not only because they might have to, but because they want to. Faith and kindness and hard work help us to achieve beyond our limits.

However some people are like Paul; they do not have the desire or need to marry; their marriage is to the word of God, Matthew 19:11. Since we know God blesses unions and families, marriages and children are not a bad thing. But neither is the choice not to have those things. Yet, and this is very prudent of Paul to mention, it is better for a person to marry than burn with passion, 1 Corinthians 7:8. In other words, if the prospect of celibacy and singleness is a chore or undesirable to you, do not even try; and if you're going to lust after all as a single person, choose one and love them as a married person.

The upshot: when you marry, mean it. And if you don't mean to marry, don't mingle. Keep the covenants you make by only making covenants you intend to keep. If you were harmed, God will heal you. If you have harmed you can heal. Endeavor to love people well, in union and divorce.

IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN

In the midst of the Garden of Eden there were two options: live by God's authority, or live by one's own. Each option was represented by a tree. Adam and Eve had a choice; they could choose the Tree of Life and live under God's protection and provision, or they could choose the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil... and live under their own.

Adam and Eve were the representation of the whole of humanity. Each individual alive today has the same two options. Most people choose to live by their own authority. Like Adam and Eve, they put more faith in their own autonomy (self) than they put in the will of God. Also like Adam and Eve, each of those individuals comes to the same hard realization: not only have they plucked from the wrong tree, they've also bitten off more than they can chew. 

The story of the Garden of Eden is a parallel to our reality today. We do not dwell in the midst of God's authority because we insist upon our own. We live by our own rules, our own motivations, and our own hand. None of them as capable, productive or selfless as God's law, motivation and Hand. Because our own ways are often misguided, we experience resulting fear, failure and anxiety.

We struggle to do what is effortless for God: sustain our spirit, and maintain order in our lives.

• TEMPTATION IN THE GARDEN

The serpent ignited temptation in Adam and Eve and they chose to forfeit their relationship with God to pursue those desires. Suddenly, starkly, they realized that they were naked. They were shocked by their new state of vulnerability. The realization of their own ineptitude to deal with the knowledge they newly acquired. They took for granted the absolute protection God had provided. For to forfeit our relationship with God is to divest ourselves of the spiritual vestments we need to thrive. To feel safe. To feel whole and covered.

The serpent approaches each of us in the midst of the world, he/it materializes as the voice of pride and fear, greed and lust, anger and selfishness. It lies yet persuades us that we can compensate for our insecurity with popularity; that we can satisfy our desires by futile means; that our anger can be assuaged by hatred and vengeance. Lies. Lies. Lies. Each is a temptation like the serpent, trying to convince us that our own way will yield more results than God's will.

When our own ways fail, we feel the same vulnerability and ineptitude as Adam and Eve. In addition to the emptiness and discontent we feel, we also begin to feel hopelessness, uselessness, impossibility and apathy. Even if that is not quite the extreme of our lives, we will never operate within our lives as efficiently as God is able to. He braids the details of our lives into order; He is so capable that we can actually trust Him not just with our lives but with our day. With our hour and minute. With our lifelong dreams and daily needs. Those minutes, hours, days, dreams and needs... life, will not overwhelm us when we place them into God's hands.

• WITHIN THE WILL OF GOD

The Garden of Eden was a representation of the life God planned for us to live. He chose what surrounded Adam and Eve. He knew specifically what nourishment their bodies and souls needed. Our lives in the midst of the world have become more complex, consequentially because of humanity's subconscious and conscious insistence on separate from the will of God. We separate ourselves from what our bodies and souls truly need. But God possesses the fine motor skills to intricately engineer solutions to the complexity within our lives with divine precision. 

To have access to God's efficient organization, we submit to His will. We discontinue our efforts to force things, situations and people into and out of our lives. We learn to allow Him to lead; we become familiar with the subtle movements He makes that divinely alter, correct and align our life. Through trust in Him, train yourself to accept and appreciate God's "no's" as much as, perhaps more than, His "yes's."

We must learn to disconnect from our temptations. Our emotions and desires should not be the driving force of our life. Faith should be. We must learn to accept what is delivered to us and to pursue, exclusively, the Kingdom of God. The Book of Matthew tells us that when we pursue the Kingdom of God, all things will be added to us (6:33). We are not, therefore, supposed to try to fill our own needs. The serpent convinced Eve that it would be a kind of privilege to control her own life; he said she would be god-like. Yet in the midst of the world, we each quickly learn that freedom in God is more valuable. Submission to God therefore is not a prison but a release. It is a release of the temptation and pressure that humans simply cannot resist on their own. 

• RETURNING AUTONOMY

We may (at times) operate our lives successfully, but we never operate them flawlessly. Adam and Eve were overwhelmed by the consequences of control. So many stumble and blunder their way through life but we do not have to "live" that way. One with dead faith never truly lives at all. We do not have to live an incomplete, chaotic, problematic, purposeless life. To derive the most productive meaning and purpose fulfillment out of each day, we must surrender our lives to the flawless operation of God's will within our lives. We must return our autonomy. We must choose a different tree, the other tree: the tree of Life, God's will.

The only thing we need only to control is our relationship with God, our pursuit of His kingdom. Suddenly we will find ourselves not naked but dressed with the ability to spiritually proceed in any situation or relationship, despite any emotion or temptation. When we wonder how to respond to a specific element of life, our consistent reliance upon the kingdom of God reminds us that the appropriate responses have already been written and demonstrated in scripture. 

To apply this to your life, pursue the kingdom. In every relationship. In every decision. In every conversation and situation. Align every emotion and reaction and response with that which has been modeled by Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Jacob, David, Elijah, Jesus and those in between. For from them we learn that obedience and trust in mandates made by God over our lives result in justice, joy, peace and life. God weaves those precious things into a life of fulfilled purpose. His work is comprehensive. 

Just like He did in the Garden of Eden, God anticipated our needs here in the midst of the world. And offers provision for them all. For us all. And thus life is, from the moment we inevitably choose the wrong tree, a lifelong journey of returning our autonomy to God. Day by day and moment by moment we submit further to His authority since we failed to wield our own. It is our spirit's natural state to exist in the midst of God's authority, His perfect, intricate will.

Let there be a thread throughout your whole life. A prayer, simple but emphatic: for the will of God over your life while you are in the midst of this world.

Meant For Good

All things work for the good of those who love the Lord. 

That's not just a pretty platitude meant merely to uplift us in our day; that is a promise made in scripture meant to persevere us through the process of life. It is our ship in the tempestuous sea; it was spoken to us by Paul in the book of Romans. To apply that promise to our life, focus on scripture in Genesis: the story of Joseph's life. No matter who opposed him, no matter how often or strategically, Joseph exemplified that faith in God's systematic process would bring their plans to naught. Through trust in God, burdens are reformed divinely into blessings and are therefore worthwhile to endure. 

• PROMISES ARE PLANS 

Whether we can see it, interpret it, or not, God has a promise, a vision for our life; behind it, God has a plan.

As a youth, Joseph had prophetic dreams about his life. God had a plan for him, one that Joseph did not understand and his family resented. Joseph's dreams seemed brash, as they suggested that Joseph would rule over his older brothers (a concept that was unheard of in his time and culture). Yet with his frank and loquacious heart, Joseph continued to share his dreams with them.

Joseph's brothers already resented him because he was one of his father's favorite sons. Joseph was born to his father's true love, Rachel. His brothers had been born to different women and although they outranked Joseph by age, he outranked them in affection from his father. They already felt threatened by Joseph and so his dreams, which seemed to support the idea that he would rule over his siblings, pushed them over the edge.

The irony is that Joseph simply shared his dreams. His family interpreted them. And though they interpreted them correctly, it was not Joseph's idea or plan to bring them about; it was God's. Joseph did not mean to offend them; he had no personal desire to usurp his brothers but he was treated as though he had. Several of Joseph's brothers plotted surreptitiously to kill him, but were swayed to keep him alive by brothers Reuben and Judah. Instead, they decided to sell him into slavery. So Joseph was torn from his family and carted to Egypt as a slave.

But God had a plan, a vision for Joseph's life, and that vision was a promise. Joseph saw God's promise for his life in a dream, but what he did not see was the plan. Joseph did not dream of his brothers betrayal; he did not dream of his faked death; he did not dream of his own enslavement. He dreamed the promise, not the plan. As we read scripture, we all receive God's promises; none of us receive God's detailed plan. The promise is always bright and clear but the way toward it seems to meander; only God understands how A connects to B, and B to C and so on until eventually we arrive at our promised destination. 

• ENDS ARE BEGINNINGS

God re-purposes the faults and fractures in our life.

To hide their betrayal from their father, the brothers faked Joseph's death. They brought their brother Joseph's coat, covered in animal's blood as "evidence" of his death. As his father spiraled into deep despair, his heart ripped from him just as much as his son, Joseph's life seemed to spiral downward as well. What hope did his life have as a nameless slave?

To the world, Joseph's story seemed to be over. How could he recover from such betrayal? How could he climb from so low a position? How could he obtain freedom as a slave with no resources? He couldn't. Except Joseph did have a resource: God. And therefore what seemed like his end was actually his beginning. The situation did not reflect it, but God began to unfurl His plan. Joseph was exactly where God intended him to be. 

In Egypt, Joseph gained the favor of the Pharaoh, the ruler of the country. Without God's intervention, Joseph's chances to merely encounter the pharaoh were slim to nonexistent. With God, Joseph was able to obtain more respect and position in a foreign place than he had in his own home. Enslaved, Joseph made what would prove to be crucial connections he never would have been able to make at home. 

For though Joseph faced a beginning, a wide stretch of land, including his home and family were on the brink of an end: a famine so prevalent they would not survive it without divine intervention. Joseph became God's tool of intervention. From Joseph, we should learn that what appear to be ends and enemies are actually pieces on a board God is manipulating to ensure we win the game.

• CAGES ARE CLASSROOMS 

Our limitations prepare us for the responsibility of free reign

Pharaoh promoted Joseph to second-in-command. Equal in power with the pharaoh, Joseph had more power in Egypt than any other person. Evidently, God decided Joseph was not quite prepared to utilize that power. It was not the right time, not for Joseph, and not for the bigger picture either. It was a real life, hands-on glimpse of the dream Joseph had as a youth and then it was stripped away.

Pharaoh's wife was attracted to Joseph and tried, repeatedly, to seduce him. Joseph resisted but was deemed the guilty party when the woman lied and turned the situation against Joseph out of spite for his refusal of her. Joseph exhibited restraint, humility, respect and honor yet the culmination of events seemed to be a punishment: Joseph was sent to prison. He was, suddenly, unjustly, even lower than a slave.

Do not be hasty to interpret the circumstances of life, because we most likely do not readily understand. Initially, it's hard to understand why Joseph would seemingly be punished for such honorable behavior. But Joseph was not being punished, he was being prepared. By behaving honorably, Joseph was promoted by God...into prison. He reached the next level of his training: to not simply have position, but to know how to wield the power that position presents. Joseph proved he would behave honorably, but now he would learn how to reign productively.

In prison, Joseph received hands-on leadership training. His favor with God and good behavior in the prison advanced him as a keeper of the prisoners. He was imprisoned yet given the position and power of a guard. His leadership over the prisoners prepared him for leadership over the country of Egypt. Joseph learned about the endurance of faith. He learned patience and trust. He organized the prisoners and their schedules. He dealt with their problems. Rather than descend in emotion, in spirit or in character, Joseph ascended in all of those places and more. Joseph grew in spirit and character because he understood and utilized every place, situation and relationship in his life as a lesson, as blessed instruction and as direction from God.

• SLAVES ARE RULERS 

Servants of God have power in the world. 

It transpired that Joseph possessed a skill that the Pharaoh needed. Joseph's dreams returned, yet this time, Joseph was made able by God to interpret them. Every night, the Pharaoh was plagued by ominous dreams but had no interpretation of them. Joseph was plucked from prison as a person who had accurately interpreted a prophetic dream. Presumably he could do so again. With God's help, he did; Joseph interpreted to Pharaoh his dream: a massive famine was imminent and Egypt was unprepared.

Joseph's accurate interpretation reestablished his position and power under Pharaoh. Joseph was entrusted with the responsibility of preparing and thus saving Egypt from the disaster. It put Joseph in a position to save his family also, as they lived within the region that would suffer the drought, but lacked the resources to survive it. 

Joseph served God's purposes and therefore God made him eligible and in possession of power in the world. We are not likely to be promoted as second-in-command to a Pharaoh or any other leader living today, we may be far removed from ancient times, but God still positions His children in places where they can be instrumental. 

Joseph evidenced that he had a relationship with an entity that superseded the laws of the world: he did what no person around him could do; he saw what no person around him could see. Therefore Pharaoh and Egypt accepted Joseph as their most valuable asset and they let him put his leadership skills to work. Joseph efficiently planned for the country, he stored food, collected produce, and appointed officers for managing it all. He built up a storehouse, a reserve of food that the country could rely on during the famine. 

When our actions have the undeniable mark of God on our life, we also will be placed in leadership positions: as models of righteous behavior and also wise action in relationships, careers, situations and other aspects of life. But first we have to endure the training. We have to build that relationship with God. To have His mark on our life, we need to allow Him to put His fingerprints all over it. Those situations may not (likely will not) always appear as the blessings they truly are. Joseph was resented, betrayed, enslaved, shamed, and imprisoned before God's plan within his life began to appear and make sense. 

•  WRECKS ARE RECONCILIATIONS 

God ties loose ends, closes cases and reveals all purpose.

God's work is intentional and comprehensive. Joseph's steadfast faith and obedience, his willingness to be an active vessel of God's will, resulted in region-wide survival and fulfilled purpose. But God's work was intentional and comprehensive in Joseph's personal life as well. There were wounds that had not yet healed in Joseph's heart: his brothers' lie persisted, his father still thought him dead, he had not reunited with his family or returned to his home. 

But it was not God's plan for Joseph's personal life to languish while his public life excelled. Joseph started his own family in Egypt; he married and had children. God continued to mend. Joseph's brothers were sent to Egypt, as Egypt was the only place during the famine that people could purchase food. Though it was more of an ordeal than a single sentence can relay, Joseph was reunited with his family. His brothers had to face their actions and admit their faults.

Even complete wreckage in our past can be mended by God. Sometimes we do not receive the forgiveness or the apology or the reunion that we deserve and long for, but God weaves closure all the same. It was bittersweet for Joseph, for his brothers and for his father but it was reconciliation. 

When we elect to be an instrument of God, understand that we are a deeply loved instrument. We are a valued vessel, a host of His spirit. He cares about our purpose and He orchestrates our purpose as intently as he brings about His. He intricately weaves the details of our life within the pattern of His master plan. In the thick of life, that fact is not often evident. But through Joseph, we get a glimpse into the process, the plan, the way God does intentional work, constantly, with and within our lives.

Joseph had peace. He understood all of the harm done to him as circumstance that he had ultimately benefited from. He accepted it all as circumstance through which God had actually blessed him. Joseph was content and even-tempered when without God he would have been jilted and volatile. At best he might have died as a slave or wilted as a prisoner. At worst, he might have abused his power and position over Egypt and his family. He would have lived plagued with questions and bitterness and died with discontent and estrangement. That desperate end might be what the world means for us, but is it never what God plans for us. 

Genesis 50:20 states "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." God has grand plans. He rescues us and then through us, rescues many others. He divinely utilizes all of the elements of our life to strengthen us, teach us, prepare us and place us in positions which abound blessing. We do not have to worry about what evil or enemy plots against us because all of their plans are re-purposed by God to benefit those who love Him.

Abel + Cain

The story of Cain and Abel is more than a story about two brothers; it is more than a story about evil versus good. Cain and Abel each represent that our behavior makes a certain presentation to God. What we choose to foster or procure with the time and freedom we have while on earth is our offering to God. What we choose to promote or obtain speaks of our character and our values.


The account of Cain and Abel causes us to ask ourselves: if I were to present an offering to God today, an offering based only on what my motivation and behavior in life had produced, what would that package look like? Would God be pleased? Would He find it productive and worth the time I have devoted to it?



KEEPER OF SHEEP

Genesis describes Abel as a keeper of sheep; it is notable that that is the sole characteristic chosen to identify him. It is important that Abel was a shepherd because it is what God loved most about him. A shepherd embodies all of the qualities God finds most valuable. Shepherds gather, they shelter, they nurture and lead. Shepherds offer protection to the meek and direction to the lost.


Abel was not simply a shepherd in life, he was a shepherd in heart; and because of that, his presentation to God was spiritually valuable and selflessly produced. Abel's life's work as a shepherd represented his dedication to the way of the Spirit. Abel dedicated to God the best of what his life had produced and thus God respected Abel.


Jesus is described as a shepherd, one who knows His sheep intimately and they Him (John 10:14). Before He ascended, Jesus pressed Peter to feed His sheep, (John 21:17) to lead and nurture His flock. Abel's description as a shepherd in the opening chapters of the Bible is an early declaration of the manner God wants us to live. Conversely, Cain's description as a tiller of the ground is a declaration of how God does not want us to live.


TILLER OF THE GROUND

Genesis describes Cain as a tiller of the ground; that is the most important characteristic chosen to identify him. Abel was of the Spirit but Cain was of the world. Abel presented what his life's work had produced; Cain presented what his life's desire had procured. Cain's values represented his behavior. He lived for himself, he culled and acquired from the world things that were irrelevant to God. Abel dedicated the best of what his life had produced, Cain dedicated an insignificant portion. It was not Cain's life's motivation to produce well for God; Cain's sole motivation was to procure well for himself.


God rejected Cain's offering and it angered Cain to not receive respect from God. But we cannot live contrary to God and expect to receive His respect. God explained that Cain needed only to do well to receive His respect. Cain did not need to do better than Abel or different from Abel, he just needed to do well. And the way to do well is to produce, not procure.


Cain's offering was not respected because God does not value things of the ground, worldly possessions. Wealth and fame, property and possession are meaningless to God. Therefore if that is all that one's life's work is able to present to God, it is a meaningless offer. God will not respect it. God's rejection of such things is not based on principle alone; God explained to Cain that within desire is sin. To dedicate oneself to worldly possessions is to yield to sin. God will never respect a child's submission to something that will harm them.


BROTHER'S KEEPER

Cain murdered Abel. Yet in killing Abel, Cain displayed more than just one sin. He displayed the myriad of sins that crop up in a life dedicated solely to the world instead of Spirit. Cain's worldly lifestyle resulted not just in murder but in lies, jealousy, anger, injustice, and mercilessness. If he had had any compassion, any empathy, his lifestyle muted it, expelled it from him.


God gave Cain the opportunity to be accountable for his actions but instead he lied, he disassociated himself from his own brother: Am I my brother's keeper? Cain asked. Yes, in fact. We are our brother's keeper. We are our sister's keeper, our mother's keeper, our father's keeper, our friend's keeper, and our neighbor's keeper. Like Abel, we should be keepers of God's sheep, shepherd's to His people.


If you live for the world, you live for the self. And if you live for the self, you neglect your purpose for being here. You take and do not give. You receive and do not share. You neglect the people your life could have nurtured. God will not respect anyone who struts instead of leads. He will not respect anyone who uses their power to control rather than protect, their position to procure instead of produce.



God explained to Cain that the earth would resist the work of the devil. Alternatively that means that the earth will assist the work of the Spirit. Are you working with God or against Him? Are you Cain? Are you Abel? Each son represents an absolute, most of us land somewhere in the middle. But if how we live is a presentation to God, we must be more intentional about what our behavior, our life's work presents.