Entry# 13: Lessons from Joseph.

I have a plethora of topics to write about tonight! One of those being Joseph!

Okay, the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat jokes aside,
I'm working on reading through the entire Bible. I'm not trying to finish it in a year or anything, but I'd like to just familiarize myself with all the books that are unfamiliar to me like the minor prophets and some of the Old Testament.
One thing that I like about reading through the books that I'm already familiar with is that when I read more closely, I notice things that I hadn't noticed before.

I was re-reading the story of Joseph in Genesis, and I came across the part after the death of Jacob, where Josephs' brothers are afraid that Joseph will hold a grudge against them for selling him into slavery years before. His reaction was awesome.

But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them." -Genesis 50:19-21

Praise God. He is definitely able to use what was intended for evil to ultimately accomplish His will.

Reminds me of one of my favorite verses: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28

Entry# 12: Lessons from a window.

Ahhhhh....
That's me sighing a sigh of relief, because tonight is one of the few nights I have minutes to spare since the semester has started, which means, its blogging time!
So much to write about!

I'll begin by backtracking a bit and talking about one of the last events of winter camp. On the long (10-hour-total) drive home, we got stranded at a gas station with dozens of other cars. The roads were completely closed for several hours because of the intense blizzard. The warmth of the seven passengers in the van I was riding in caused the windows to keep fogging up, so, every so often, I would crack the window open to air out the interior. While I was doing so, I was amazed to see that despite the fact that the window was barely open (less than an inch), a huge amount of snow poured in through the small opening. The snow that blew violently through the window stung our eyes and skin and I could only keep the window open for a few moments at a time before once again shutting out the furious snowflakes. Nate Realiza, who was driving the van, noticed my amazement and challenged me to turn my observation into a life lesson.
I couldn't think of anything at first, but then God revealed it to me. The crack in the window is kind of like the areas in my life that I'm not completely glorifying God with. At times, I think that the sins I allow myself to get away with in these areas are so small that they don't need to be addressed. I think nothing of them. But just like a window left open in a blizzard can cause damage to the interior of a car and put its passengers at risk for injury, these aspects of my life, if allowed to remain open to the Enemy's influence, can have far-reaching consequences.