The Foolishness of God

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (NIV)
18  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19  For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
20  Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe…….

On verses 18-31:  This world will try to tell you that “people are essentially good, that if we just believe in ourselves, we can accomplish anything. We don’t need God, and we don’t need a Saviour.  We can be our own saviour.  All we need is ourselves.”  That’s man’s wisdom, the wisdom of this world.  This “wisdom” is what the Corinthians were hearing from the mouths of so-called wise men, scholars and “philosophers of this age” (v20).

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Unity Takes Work and Focusing on Jesus

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 1:10-17.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 1:10-11 (NIV)
10  I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
11  My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

On verses 10-11:  Paul had heard reports that there were factions and cliques within the church. So here Paul appeals to his congregation to agree with one another and to get along with one another, that they may be “perfectly united in mind and thought” (v10).

It reminds me of what Pastor Craig Groeschel says.  There are only two things that happen naturally in any organization that don’t require any work on a leader’s part to create: division and underperformance.  Everything else takes intentionality and work.  Whether it’s in a home, a marriage, a church or an organization, we need to work on being united, on getting along, because it won’t always happen naturally. 

That is why elsewhere Paul would write to the church in Ephesus, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).  Unity takes work!  Just as Jesus went out of His way to love those who are so different from Him, unity for us is about going out of our way to love those who are different from us.

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Jesus, the Lover of Your Soul

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 1:1-9.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 1:1a (NIV)
1  Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,…

On verse 1:  Paul begins his letter by introducing himself as someone who is “called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God”.  What is an apostle?  An apostle is someone who is gifted and chosen by God to plant and start churches.  Paul was confident that God had chosen him as part of His will to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.  The fact that Paul believed in his calling was a huge reason for his success.  When you know what God has put you on this earth to do, it gives you purpose, power and perseverance like nothing else can.

Similarly, you too are called by God.  At THRIVE we describe your God-given calling this way: you are called to be alive, which means you’re here to worship Jesus.  You are called to be expectant, which means to grow into a Christ-like disciple.  You are called to be involved, which means you’re here to serve with your talents.  You are called to be out loud, which means you’re here to lead others to Jesus.  You’re called to be united, which means you’re here to love the family that Jesus started called His church.  Alive. Expectant. Involved. Outloud.  United.  AEIOU.  No matter what your personality or your unique set of giftings, no matter where you go or what else you do in life, you are called by God to be an AEIOU leader in God’s kingdom.

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The World Your Words Create

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 50:14-26.  Let’s go!

Genesis 50:14-21 (NIV)
14  After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.
15  When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”
16  So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died:
17  ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18  His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
19  But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?
20  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
21  So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

On verses 14-21:  Back in Egypt after burying their late father in Canaan, Joseph’s brothers wonder if Joseph still holds a grudge against them and has plans to exact revenge for all the ways they treated him long ago.  They send a message to Joseph saying that their father requested that Joseph forgive his brothers and asking Joseph to forgive them.  It’s unclear whether their father actually spoke those words or not. After all, if it was so important to Jacob that Joseph forgive his brothers, and given the close relationship between Jacob and Joseph, wouldn’t you expect Jacob to talk to Joseph about this directly? 

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Born To Overcome, To Be Free and Fruitful

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 49:18-33.  Let’s go!

Genesis 49:18 (NIV)
18  “I look for your deliverance, O LORD.

On verse 18:  Perhaps because of all the trouble, danger, conflict and pain that Jacob saw a number of his sons encountering in the future, Jacob cries out to God in the middle of prophesying over his sons, saying, “I look for your deliverance, O Lord” (v18).  Jacob, nearing the end of his life, does the one thing that we all need to do when we see trouble up ahead: cry out to God for help and look for God to deliver us. 

Genesis 49:19 (NIV)
19  “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.

On verse 19:  Jacob prophesies that though Gad’s descendants would be attacked by others, Gad’s descendants would not be defeated but would attack their attackers “at their heels”, suggesting that Gad’s attackers will retreat and Gad will be victorious.  

Likewise, your enemy Satan will try to attack you in various ways, but you have everything you need to withstand his attack, go on the offensive and overcome your enemy in the end.  As John writes in 1 John 2:14, “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” Praise God! Though Satan will attack, you have everything you need to overcome the evil one.

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Communicating God’s Heart To Those You Love

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 49:1-17.  Let’s go!

Genesis 49:1-2 (NIV)
1  Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
2  “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.

On verses 1-2:  Nearing his death, Jacob gathers his sons and begins to prophesy over his sons.  What is prophesy?   Simply put, prophesy is declaring God’s heart and God’s plans to God’s people.  Based on this definition of prophecy, I believe every parent has a prophetic role to play in the lives of their children and every leader has a prophetic role to play in the lives of those they lead.  We are to communicate God’s heart to the people we are leading.  “But how I do know what God’s heart, promises and plans are for the people in my care?”  Draw near to God.  Meditate on His Word.  More and more He will give you a sense of His heart for the people He has called you to lead.  When you speak in faith those prophetic pictures and images God places in your heart for the people in your care, the results will be powerful.  That is what Jacob is about to do in the verses that follow.

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God’s Sovereign Choice to Bless You

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 48:1-22.  Let’s go!

Genesis 48:1-6 (NIV)
1  Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him.
2  When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
3  Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me
4  and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
5  “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
6  Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.

On verses 1-6:  Jacob, nearing his death, gets ready to bless the generations that have come after him.   He decides to begin with Joseph and Joseph’s sons.  What does Jacob mean when he says that Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh will be reckoned as his own “just as Reuben and Simeon are mine” (v5)?  Jacob means that for inheritance purposes he will treat Ephraim and Manasseh as belonging to the same generation as Jacob’s own sons, meaning that Ephraim and Manasseh would each get the same kind of inheritance that their uncles would get.  The effect of this decision was two-fold: 

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The Riches of Christ’s Righteousness

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 47:1-31.  Let’s go!

Genesis 47:13-22 (NIV)
13  There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.
14  Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace.
15  When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up.”
16  “Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.”……

On verses 13-22:  The famine in Egypt and Canaan is severe.  On behalf of the Egyptian government, Joseph first sells grain to the Egyptians in exchange for their money.  But when the Egyptians have no more money to give, Joseph agrees to give the Egyptians grain in exchange for their livestock.  When the Egyptians have no more livestock to give, Joseph agrees to give the Egyptians grain in exchange for their real estate.  When the Egyptians’ real estate had all been transferred to the government, the Egyptians still had a need for grain, so Joseph agrees to hire the Egyptians as workers for the Egyptian government.  He gives the Egyptians grain to plant in the ground and allows them to keep 80% of the harvest while giving 20% back to the Egyptian government.  Only the land of the priests was not touched, since the priests received a regular allotment from Pharaoh.

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The Activating Power of Faith + Your Inside Man

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 46:1-34.  Let’s go!

Genesis 46:1-4 (NIV)
1  So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2  And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” “Here I am,” he replied.
3  “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
4  I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

On verses 1-4:  Notice this: Did God speak to Jacob before or after Jacob went in faith and headed for Egypt (Hint: see Genesis 45:48)?  Did God speak to Jacob before or after Jacob offered sacrifices to God (see verses 1-2)?  In both cases, the answer is: after. 

What can we learn from this?  Sometimes people will refuse to move forward unless God first gives them some incredible sign or wonder.  I believe that is a recipe for a stagnant, immature, irresponsible faith.  While it is important to make time and room for God to speak into your life every day, don’t place the burden on God to have to give you sign after sign before you will move forward in faith, especially when God has already given you everything you need to take that next step.  When you know the next step God wants you to take, take it without delay and without making any more excuses.  After you take it, that’s when God will speak to you.  That’s the activating power of faith.

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The Best Version of You

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 45:14-28.  Let’s go!

Genesis 45:14-21 (NIV)
14  Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping.
15  And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.
16  When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased.
17  Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan,
18  and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’
19  “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come.
20  Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.'”
21  So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.

On verses 14-21:  Because Joseph served faithfully in Pharaoh’s court, all of Egypt was opened up to Joseph’s family and, in a way, the kingdom of God, represented by Joseph’s entire family, was given room to grow in Egypt.  I believe that is the way God wants us His church to be in this world: that we would serve so well and so faithfully in the world that the people of the world welcome us with their best and are open to the God that we worship.  In your workplace, in your school, in your community, may you serve so faithfully and in such outstanding ways that the people where you serve become open to God’s kingdom and offer their best to bless God’s people.

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