I’ve been reading about Joseph during my daily Bible reading. This morning  I read Genesis 41:46, “Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”  I thought, “Not too shabby. Joseph was still a young whipper-snapper when he obtained the second highest position in all of Egypt.”

Then I remembered that when Joseph was a teenager God had revealed to him through dreams that his family would bow down to him. Then his brothers sold him into slavery at seventeen. Joseph spent thirteen years as a slave and a prisoner. Yet, Scripture doesn’t tell us that Joseph sulked or got mad at God or stomped around asking God when He planned on doing something about his circumstances.

But Scripture does tell us alot about Joseph during those “waiting years.” He faithfully kept his moral integrity even when it cost him dearly (See the encounter with Potipher’s wife in Genesis 39). He did his best at whatever task God put before him, even as a slave and prisoner. He gave God the credit for His activity. He never blamed God – or even his brothers (See Genesis 50:19-20.)

 Joseph spent thirteen years facing one difficult trial after another. If we merely look at the circumstances it may seem that God’s initial plans for Joseph were derailed. Yet, time and again through the Genesis account we see a deeper truth – God was working; God was actively involved in every moment of Joseph’s life. For example:

• The Lord was with him and gave him success in everything he did. Gen 39:3
• God gave Joseph favor in Potipher’s eyes. Gen 39:4
• The Lord blessed Potipher’s household because of Joseph. Gen 39:5
• In prison, the Lord was with Joseph, showed him kindness, and granted him favor in the warden’s eye. Gen 39:21
• The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Gen 39:23
• The cupbearer remembered Joseph. Gen 41:9
• God revealed the meaning of  Pharaoh’s dream to Joseph. Gen 41:25

Are you in the middle of difficult circumstances? Are you waiting for God to do something? Has it seemed like forever? I encourage you to be a Joseph. Keep looking for God’s activity. Keep doing your best for God’s glory. Keep trusting. Keep waiting on God.

We’ve seen a lot of nurses over the last four days. You can tell by watching which ones like their jobs and which ones don’t. And you can tell which ones care about the patients and which ones see them more as a nuisance.

One visitation time on Wednesday as I neared Pappaw’s room I heard him weakly calling for help. I passed through the door just as a nurse in the corner said with snippy irritation, “There is no need to yell, I can hear you.”

All I have to say about that is it’s a good thing there was another nurse in the room who was already responding to help him. God protected me from acting very unChristian-like. And thankfully for Pappaw’s sake I have not seen the irritated nurse around again.

The nurse Pappaw has had the last two days definitely likes her job. She has been an advocate for him with the doctor. She has wiped his face with a rag, held his hand, and done everything she can to make him as comfortable as possible. She shows love to her patients through every action.

This got me to thinking about my own actions. Do I act loving not just to my family but to those God brings across my path?

“Are you more loving?” is the third question in that book I’ve been telling you about. In  “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health,” Donald Whitney reminds us that Jesus said “love is the clearest mark of a Christian.” Love is the “badge and character of Christianity.”

He made another statement that personally challenged me: “We’re not growing in love when we have time for projects but not people.” Ouch. I have to admit that sometimes I’m too absorbed in a project to turn my attention to people that need my love and attention.

Thankfully, there are other times when I see glimmers of hope that God really is growing my love for others. How about you? Is your love growing? Are you increasingly more sensitive to the physical and spiritual needs of others?

I challenge you – and me – to show love to someone today without any expectation of them returning it. Can we do that?

We’ve been telling him that he is going to feel like a new man when this is over. He has struggled for a long time enduring angina, shortness of breath, and heart failure. His quality of life was severely limited by his worn-out heart. Something drastic needed to be done.

God uses the heart to illustrate a wonderful spiritual truth. The word “heart” in Scripture refers to our intellect, emotions, and passions. The core of who we are. Before we’re saved – before we enter into a relationship with Jesus – we have a “heart of stone.” Our spiritual hearts are cold, hard, and rebellious, unable to respond to God.

But when God saves us – when He gives us new spiritual life – He also gives us new hearts. He  removes our dead, unresponsive hearts and replaces them with a “heart of flesh.” This new heart is soft and pliable in God’s hands.

When today’s surgery is over, Wayne’s dad will essentially have a “new” heart – completely overhauled. His life will be drastically different. Has your spiritual heart been overhauled? Has God replaced your heart of stone with a heart of flesh? Is it time for a little surgery?

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

Mark’s done an amazing job. He’s been working on it for weeks. It’s about 8 feet high, built out of lumber. He’s been cutting angels, adding counter weight, making the sling. The thing is on heavy-duty wheels so it can be moved around. It looks scary.

Yesterday was his first test run. (We’ve been collecting plastic jugs so he can fill them with water and use them as “ammo.”) So, Mark loaded the trebuchet into the back of his pick-up and headed out to an empty field to fling some Minute Maid orange juice jugs.

Well, the jugs didn’t make it very far. He’s got some “tweaking” to do. But I have no doubt he will soon be shooting 2% milk to the next county.

Mark’s trebuchet reminds me of a certain Scripture. Psalm 103:12 says God has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.  That’s what happens when we trust in Christ’s death on the cross to pay the penalty our sins deserve.  Like a giant spiritual trebuchet God takes our sins and flings them to the far reaches, never to return.

Do you have some sins you need to let God fling away? Has He already done it but you keep remembering them? God’s forgiveness does not need “tweaking.” Trust in His forgiveness!

I had a Magic 8 Ball when I was a girl. I often asked it for direction on vitally important matters.

Me: Should I tell Bobby I like him?

8-Ball: My sources say no

Me: Should I wear my purple, denim hip huggers to school today?

8-Ball: It is decidedly so

Me: Should I have a burger for lunch?

8-Ball: Concentrate and ask again

Me: But my lunch period is right now!

According to that reliable source Wikipedia, the Magic 8-Ball was invented in 1946. The little answer cube floating in liquid inside the plastic ball is covered with twenty different responses appropriate for “yes” and “no” questions. We thought it was really cool back in the 70’s. Today I came across a website where you can ask questions of a virtual 8-Ball and get the same goofy answers.

Way back then the 8-Ball was just for fun. I did not really make decisions based on its advice. However, every single one of us relies on something to navigate life. Sometimes it’s our intellect. Sometimes it’s what makes us feel good. Sometimes we do whatever our culture says is best.

What about you? What guides your life? What principles do you live by?

The best guidebook for life is the one written by the Creator of life. God revealed Himself and His ways to us in the Bible. It speaks to every area of life.

If you’re a regular to this blog, then you know I’ve been talking about Donald Whitney’s book “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health.” Every Christian should be continuing to grow spiritually until the day Jesus calls us home. Whitney’s book gives us ten questions to ask ourselves to evaluate our personal growth. The second question is: “Are you governed increasingly by God’s Word?” Well, are you? Am I?

Before we can be governed by God’s Word we have to know it. We have to read it, study it, and meditate on it. Whitney says the best way to deepen our desire for God’s Word is “simply to discipline yourself to feast on it. Nothing can make us hungry for Scripture more than Scripture itself.” Hmm, I’m that way with chocolate.

Here are a few specific suggestions Whitney gives to help us develop our dependence on God’s Word:

-       Make sure you’re in a church that clearly teaches from the Bible

-       Regularly use Scripture as a guide for prayer

-       Don’t merely read the Bible, meditate on it

-       Read the Bible daily

-       As you read, identify at least one way you can respond

Think about this: How hungry are you really for God’s Word?

Last week I told you about the new book I started reading – “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health,” by Donald S. Whitney. The first question Whitney says we should ask to determine if someone is growing spiritually is “Do you thirst for God?”

I’ve been thinking about this for the last week. Just how thirsty am I? Whitney says “God did not make us to be content in our natural condition.” That statement challenges me. Sometimes I’m too content in my natural – and that means worldly, sinful, unChristlike – condition. In those times, I lap up spiritual soda pretending it can hydrate my soul. But all too soon I’m back for more because soda only makes me thirsty again.

But there are other times – times when I realize that only Living Water can truly satisfy. The dried-up, shriveled places in my soul are hydrated through time in Christ’s presence. They soak up Living Water like a sponge. According to Whitney, once we’ve tasted Living Water we no longer thirst due to dryness of soul, but we thirst out of pure desire for God.

“Unlike the dry soul, and as self-contradictory as it may sound at the moment, the satisfied soul thirsts for God precisely because he is satisfied with God.”

This question of spiritual thirst prompted my choice for my February memory verse. I’m striving to memorize Philippians 3:7-11 before the end of the month. However, here is the pivotal verse of that passage: “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death…”

Paul was thirsty for Christ. And it wasn’t because he had never drank of Him. In fact, Paul was thirsty because he had already drank of Him. Paul knew from experience that Christ satisfies a thirsty soul. And he wanted more.

I ask myself and I ask you, “Are we thirsty?”

I just started a great book yesterday by Donald S. Whitney called “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health.” It’s only 130 pages and so far a very easy read. What I’ve read so far is chocked-full of useful and practical information.

The titles of the ten chapters are questions we can ask ourselves to help evaluate the state of our spiritual health. Here they are:

1. Do you thirst for God?

2. Are you governed increasingly by God’s Word?

3. Are you more loving?

4. Are you more sensitive to God’s presence?

5. Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others?

6. Do you delight in the bride of Christ?

7. Are the spiritual disciplines increasingly important to you?

8. Do you still grieve over sin?

9. Are you a quicker forgiver?

10. Do you yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus?

Of course each chapter elaborates on the question and gives some very practical direction and advice. I encourage you to consider getting the book to give your faith walk a boost. Here’s a link.

Checking email led to responding to email. Checking Facebook messages led to taking my turn at Scrabble. You get the idea. And because I only have so much time at home before I have to head out from my day, my time with God got shorted.

I made a new commitment just two weeks ago. Time with God comes first. Since the computer is a temptation it doesn’t even get turned on until after. And you know what? My time with God has already grown longer and sweeter. And I anticipate our time together more. Long for it. It’s funny what God will do when I put Him first.

What about you? What are some things that keep you from having regular, quality, and quantity time with God? Let’s talk about it.

The entire coaching staff and more than a hundred high school football players filled one entire side of the church sanctuary yesterday. They were the first to be ushered outside when the service was over. When they left the building they lined both sides of the walkway leading from the door to the street. They stood in silent honor as the pallbearers carried the casket to the hearse. A fitting tribute to a life well-lived.

I have no doubt that when Don entered heaven last Friday he heard these words from Jesus, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” I want to hear that when God calls me home. How about you?

How do we even begin to pray? I started with some of the obvious physical needs:

• Rescue for those that are trapped
• Medical care for those who are hurt
• Basic necessities for those who are homeless and hungry
• Protection from violence
• Access and supplies for aid workers

Then God led me to also pray for the spiritual:

• That Jesus’ name would be boldly declared in the streets
• That hearts would be open to God and His healing
• That missionaries would have the freedom and opportunity to share Christ with the people of Haiti
• That the Holy Spirit would be poured out
• That the hopeless would turn to the one true Hope

Today I came across a blog by the Prayer Director from the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. He suggests many concrete ways to pray for Haiti. Check it out here.

I’m still praying. I’m still listening for God’s leading in my prayers. How are you praying?