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TIME WITH THE LORD

PSALM 69:30-32 I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves. The poor will see and be glad - you who seek God, may your hearts live!

I WILL PRAISE HIS NAME

Beloved, God wants a joyous heart

The psalmist here, both as a type of Christ and as an example to Christians, concludes the psalm he begins with complaints and remonstrances of his griefs with holy joy and praise.

He resolves therefore to praise God's Name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.

It is intimated that all Christians ought to glorify God with our praises, in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. And it is more pleasing and acceptable to the Lord, when we offer praises and prayers through Christ our Mediator than offering sacrifices of an ox or bullock.

We are being called to put an end to all other forms of blood sacrifices and concentrate on spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving which are the calves of our lips, not the calves of the stall.

It is a great comfort to us that humble and thankful praises are more pleasing to God than the most costly pompous sacrifices are or ever were.

Good Morning.

TIME WITH THE LORD

GENESIS 45:4-5 Then Joseph said to his brothers, Come close to me. When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.

FORGIVENESS

Beloved, when each time we look back we can see how God is working in our lives

The reunion scene between Joseph and his brothers is amazing!

The brothers talked about killing Joseph, and they *did* sell him into slavery and here Joseph tells them *not to worry about it or to feel guilt over it, because it was God's plan.*

Given, it has been many years and everyone may have had a chance to adjust to life and to feel guilt and regret past choices, but still that seems like a huge thing that Joseph forgives them for.

We can also see and feel the hand of God in all of it. Not only restoring Joseph to his family and fulfilling His visions of him ruling over his brothers, but saving his brothers as well, and giving them a chance at a life not always overshadowed by an unbelievably bad choice in the past.

God's resolutions are the best resolutions, because they cover everything and make everything work together again.

One big lesson for us is that our pasts don't have to control or poison our present. Who we are *now* absolutely matters. To move on, we still have to repent and always let go, and just be who we are now.

And who we are now, and our current choices is what God looks at. He loves us, and wants to help us overcome not just our past mistakes, but our current ones.

Let's be like Joseph willing to forgive, and to see God's hand in our lives. No matter what the past was, let's repent and move on and care about each other now.

Good Morning.