Rabu, 04 Mei 2011
DEVOTION#4
Peacemakers
Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Matthew 5:9, KJV
We continue our Beatitude Devotionals with Blessed are the Peacemakers. To study this Beatitude, we will go to the Old Testament book of Esther, and see the Godly Christian character she demonstrated.
Esther was one of the most beautiful women in the Bible. As a matter of fact, she was so beautiful, that the Persian King, Ahasuerus chose Esther out of all of the most beautiful women of the land to be his queen. Esther had been an orphan, who had been raised by her cousin, Mordecai, who was a servant of the king. After Esther became queen, Mordecai would come and sit in the king’s gate, so he could see how Esther was doing. One day, while sitting there, he heard two men who were planning on killing King Ahasuerus. Mordecai told Esther of the plot, and she told King Ahaseurus in Mordecai’s name. We can already begin to see how Mordecai was one of the Peacemakers.
After that the king promoted a man by the name of Haman to be above all the princes who were with him. All of the king servants were to bow to Haman when he walked by. Because Mordecai was a Christian, he would not bow down to Haman when he went by. Mordecai would only bow to God.
Haman, who was not one of the Peacemakers, became so angry that he devised a plot to kill all of the Jewish people in the land, which would of course include Mordecai and Esther. Haman lied to King Ahasuerus by telling him that the Jewish people did not obey the king’s laws. They obeyed their own laws instead. He told the king that he would agree to pay 10,000 talents of silver to the people who would kill the Jews, so the king agreed.
Haman knew that Mordecai was a Jew, but he did not know that Queen Esther was also a Jew.
Haman knew that Mordecai was a Jew, but he did not know that Queen Esther was also a Jew.Mordecai went to Esther and told her she must talk to the king and get him to stop the decree by telling him that Haman had devised this plot just because he hated the Jews. Esther was afraid. She knew that she was not allowed to go to the king unless he called for her. If she tried to speak to him, and he was unhappy about it, he could choose to kill Queen Esther.
But, Esther knew we needed to be Peacemakers. She understood now why God had made her the queen. Esther prayed all night that God would protect her when she went to the king.
In the mean time, Haman had devised another plot. He built a gallows so that he could hang Mordecai. So you see, Haman definitely was not one of the Peacemakers, which means he was not a Christian.
The next morning Queen Esther got up, dressed in a very beautiful gown, and went in to stand before the king. King Ahaseurus was in court and did not like to be interrupted, however, when he saw his lovely queen standing there waiting to talk to him, he smiled and held out his scepter to her. Queen Esther went in and bowed before the king.
“Tell me, Queen Esther, what do you want to talk with me about,” said the king. Because Esther was one of the Peacemakers, she was very careful about the way she approached the king. She asked the king if he and Haman would come to a banquet that she would prepare for them. At the banquet she would tell the king what she desired.
Haman was so proud. Not only was he great in the king’s eyes, but now Queen Esther invited him to come to a banquet she was preparing for the king and him.That night, King Ahaseurus was so troubled, that he could not sleep. He got up and decided to read the book of the records of everything that had gone on in his kingdom. As he was listening, his servant read about Mordecai uncovering a plot to have the king murdered. Because of Mordecai, the king was saved from harm.
“What honor has been given to Mordecai for saving my life?”
“Nothing,” his servant replied.
The next day before the banquet, Haman was in the courtyard waiting to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows.
“Haman,” said the king, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?”
Haman thought in his heart, why the king must be talking about me. “Let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has the royal crest placed on its head. Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’”
“Very good,” said the king, “Go and do all of that for Mordecai.”
No, thought Haman, it can’t be! I was going to ask the king to let me hang Moredecai, and now instead, I have to parade him all over the city and proclaim, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor."
Later that day, Haman returned to go to the banquet given by Queen Esther. King Ahaseurus, once again, asked Esther what her request was. 
Queen Esther then told the king about the plot to kill all of the Jews. She told him that a man had lied to him, and told him that the Jews did not obey his laws. This man only did this because he hated them and wanted them to be killed. As a matter of fact, he had also built a gallows to have Mordecai, the Jew, hanged.
Queen Esther then told the king about the plot to kill all of the Jews. She told him that a man had lied to him, and told him that the Jews did not obey his laws. This man only did this because he hated them and wanted them to be killed. As a matter of fact, he had also built a gallows to have Mordecai, the Jew, hanged.The king was outraged. “Who would do such a thing?”
“This enemy is this wicked Haman sitting right here at the banquet table,” said Esther.
Haman ran to Queen Esther and begged her to help him. King Ahasuerus was so angry, that he commanded that Haman was to be hung on the very same gallows that Haman had built for Mordecai.
So, you see, because Esther thought more of God and His people, than her own life, God saved her life, and used her to save all of his people. Yes, indeed, Esther was one of the Peacemakers.
Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
We have studied many of the Beatitude Devotionals. If you haven't had a chance to read them, click on the links below. We've read about the Poor in Spirit, those who Mourn, the Meek, those who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness, the Merciful, and the Pure in Heart.
RESOURCES: http://www.devotional-reflections-from-the-bible.com/Peacemakers.html
DEVOTION#4
Poor in Spirit
“ Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 5:3, New King James Version)
Peter is one of my favorite disciples to read about. He was a man of many moods. It's hard to believe that in just a short time, God would change him so much, that though he was so easily exciteable, God would change him to a man who was Poor in Spirit.
The people were looking for Jesus. Everyone asked the people around them if they knew where He was, but He just seemed to disappear, and they couldn't find Him anywhere. By now, there was a whole crowd of people, in fact there were so many people that there were more in the crowd than we have in some of our towns and small cities.
All of a sudden someone was shouting. What were they saying? Someone had found Him? Soon, the crowd was joined by many more people from some of the cities close. They HAD to find Him; they had to hear more of the wonderful things He was telling them about God and about Heaven.
It was a long walk, and by the time they got there they were very tired – but it didn’t matter. They would see Jesus. Maybe He would even heal someone right before their very own eyes.
Jesus saw them coming from far away, and He felt compassion toward them. He knew how much they needed him. Some wanted to be healed of the sicknesses and diseases they had and others just wanted to hear Him talk. So, Jesus stood in front of them and began to teach.
Jesus told them to bring up everyone who was sick. How did He do it? He just spoke a word, and they were completely healed. Some were so happy, they just jumped and danced their way back to sit by their friends and family. Nothing like this had ever been heard of before.But, when He talked, they just sat spellbound. He told them about God the Father and about heaven. He said something about Him being God’s Son. He seemed to be saying that He was God, too, but how could that be true? He looked just like them, and He grew up close by in Nazareth. His father, Joseph was a carpenter and his mother was Mary. It didn’t seem possible, somehow . . .but, then, look at what He could do?
He healed sick people, He brought some back from the dead, and, He even told many of them that their sins were forgiven! Mary and Joseph couldn’t do that, and none of his brothers could heal people either. He was so interesting and what He said made them so hopeful, that they sat there all day. No one wanted to go home!
He also said that those who were Poor in Spirit were blessed, but they weren't sure what that meant. Even the disciples did not understand everything He said. Peter did not know that very soon he would learn exactly what it meant to be Poor in Spirit.
Peter and the other disciples were becoming very concerned. It was getting late and no one had eaten. They told Jesus to tell them to go home so they could eat, as they must be very hungry by then.
Peter and the other disciples were becoming very concerned. It was getting late and no one had eaten. They told Jesus to tell them to go home so they could eat, as they must be very hungry by then.
Jesus told them to give the crowd something to eat. Master, we have nothing here but five loaves of bread and two fish. How can we feed the entire crowd with so little? Jesus just smiled at them, and told them to bring the five loaves and two fish.
You see, they were learning what it meant to be Poor in Spirit -- but they hadn't reached a complete understanding yet, that everything we need comes from God. We depend upon God for everything. When we start to realize that, we are beginning to understand what it means to be Poor in Spirit.
With his eyes looking up to God the Father in heaven, Jesus blessed the food. He gave loaves of bread and fish to his disciples and told them to give them to the people. Peter took the five loaves and two fish and walked away to give them to a man and his family sitting nearby.
"Well, that's gone," he thought, "Now what are we going to do?" But, there were James and John, and Matthew, and Judas, and Bartholomew. Each of them had their arms full of bread and fish and were handing food out to the people.
Peter went back to the Lord, and sure enough. Every time he would pick up a loaf of bread or a fish, he would look and there would be more waiting for him to take to the people.
Soon, everyone had eaten all they could eat. The disciples took some baskets to gather up what was left. They had twelve baskets full of bread and fish remaining! There were 5,000 men in the crowd, along with women and children.
Jesus told them to give the crowd something to eat. Master, we have nothing here but five loaves of bread and two fish. How can we feed the entire crowd with so little? Jesus just smiled at them, and told them to bring the five loaves and two fish.You see, they were learning what it meant to be Poor in Spirit -- but they hadn't reached a complete understanding yet, that everything we need comes from God. We depend upon God for everything. When we start to realize that, we are beginning to understand what it means to be Poor in Spirit.
With his eyes looking up to God the Father in heaven, Jesus blessed the food. He gave loaves of bread and fish to his disciples and told them to give them to the people. Peter took the five loaves and two fish and walked away to give them to a man and his family sitting nearby.
"Well, that's gone," he thought, "Now what are we going to do?" But, there were James and John, and Matthew, and Judas, and Bartholomew. Each of them had their arms full of bread and fish and were handing food out to the people.
Peter went back to the Lord, and sure enough. Every time he would pick up a loaf of bread or a fish, he would look and there would be more waiting for him to take to the people.
Soon, everyone had eaten all they could eat. The disciples took some baskets to gather up what was left. They had twelve baskets full of bread and fish remaining! There were 5,000 men in the crowd, along with women and children. That’s why Peter was so excited. He and the other disciples were now in the boat, sailing to the other side of the lake.
After sending the people away, Jesus went up on the mountain to pray. When evening came, he was alone on the mountain.
The disciples, however, were still in the boat. It had gotten very dark, and very windy. The wind seemed to come from every direction at once and they were all becoming very afraid. After such a wonderful day, were they all going to drown in the lake?
It was so dark, they couldn’t see a thing. One of the disciples looked up, and shouted, "What’s that? Do you see it?"
Another one said, "It looks like a ghost, walking on top of the water!" Now they were all terrified!
Jesus knew their fear, and spoke to them. "Don’t be afraid; It’s me, Jesus."Peter wasn’t so sure. "Lord, if it really is you, then command me to come to you on the water, too."
Jesus said, "Come, Peter."
Peter stepped out of the boat. He was standing right on top of the water, as he slowly walked toward Jesus. Suddenly the wind blew so hard he almost fell. Peter was afraid, and began to sink into the water. "Help! Help! Lord, save me!"
Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter. "Oh Peter, you have so little faith in me," he said, "Why did you doubt?"
It seems so often that, like Peter, we have to learn things the hard way. Many times becoming Poor in Spirit is a process -- it just doesn't happen all at once.
When Peter and Jesus got into the boat, the wind stopped and the water became calm. Peter and the disciples fell at Jesus' feet and worshiped him. They said, "It’s true. You really are the Son of God."
Peter learned a great lesson that day. He learned what it was to become Poor in Spirit. He knew that if Jesus hadn’t been walking on the water he would have drowned. But he also knew that it meant more than that. Everything he was or did was nothing because, only by trusting in Jesus could he really do anything right.
And that is what it means to be Poor in Spirit. The home for those who are Poor in Spirit is not on this earth, because the Bible says that their home or country is the Kingdom of Heaven.Are we Poor in Spirit? Do we think we can live our life just any way we decide to? After all, we’re smart; we can do so many things well. I mean, look at all we’ve accomplished. Man has even walked on the moon, and built a space station, and sent probes to Mars and beyond.
God commands us to be Poor in Spirit. Christ is all; He is everything that is important in our lives. He guides us, He keeps us safe, and He sent the Bible to us so we could learn about Him.
What about all those abilities you have, and your great intelligence?
God gave us everything, even our abilities and intelligence, and he means for us to use all of the gifts he gave us to live our whole lives trusting in Him and living according to the Bible for His honor and glory.
Pray to God that he will help you to be Poor in Spirit, like Peter. Peter wrote a couple of the books in our Bible. This is what he says in 1 Peter 1:5.
We are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Do you know what that means? God is the one who keeps us and gives us salvation. Understanding and believing that is what it means to be Poor in Spirit.
The next Beatitude is about mourning. We go back to another story about Peter. This time it’s almost at the end of Christ’s ministry.
The next Beatitude is about mourning. We go back to another story about Peter. This time it’s almost at the end of Christ’s ministry.
RESOURCES: http://www.devotional-reflections-from-the-bible.com/Poor-in-Spirit.html
DEVOTION#3
Merciful
Blessed are the Merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy.
Matthew 5:7, English Standard Version
Jesus spent much of his ministry answering questions from lawyers, Scribes, and Pharisees who tried to test him. They simply refused to believe He was the Son of God.
Jesus asked the lawyer what was written in the law. What did it mean to him.The lawyer said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
Yes, Jesus said, you have answered correctly.
But, said the lawyer, Who is my neighbor?
Jesus answered the lawyer by telling him this story.
A certain man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. The man couldn’t help but be happy, as the day was bright and cheerful. This, however, would soon change! Thieves came upon him, robbed him, beat him, and took away his clothes. There the man lay beside the road, almost dead.
Soon, a priest came along. He looked down upon the man, and saw that the man was hurt badly, but he refused to look at him any longer or to help him. Instead, he crossed the street and walked on the other side of the road. Next, a Levite came along. He looked at the man in disgust, and he, too, crossed by on the other side of the road. What would happen to this poor man? Would he die?
Then, the Bible tells us, that a certain Samaritan man came along. (The Jews hated the Samaritans, and did not believe that they could be Christians.) The Samaritan, however, looked at the wounded man with compassion. He bandaged the man up, and poured oil and wine on him to help heal his wounds. Then, he put the man on his own donkey, and brought him to a nearby inn. He was with the man all that night. In the morning when he needed to leave, he paid the innkeeper, and asked him to take care of the wounded man. He told the innkeeper that when he returned he would pay whatever it had cost to take care of the man, and for his room and the food he ate. Sure enough, when he returned he paid the innkeeper for all of the man’s expenses.
Soon, a priest came along. He looked down upon the man, and saw that the man was hurt badly, but he refused to look at him any longer or to help him. Instead, he crossed the street and walked on the other side of the road. Next, a Levite came along. He looked at the man in disgust, and he, too, crossed by on the other side of the road. What would happen to this poor man? Would he die?
Then, the Bible tells us, that a certain Samaritan man came along. (The Jews hated the Samaritans, and did not believe that they could be Christians.) The Samaritan, however, looked at the wounded man with compassion. He bandaged the man up, and poured oil and wine on him to help heal his wounds. Then, he put the man on his own donkey, and brought him to a nearby inn. He was with the man all that night. In the morning when he needed to leave, he paid the innkeeper, and asked him to take care of the wounded man. He told the innkeeper that when he returned he would pay whatever it had cost to take care of the man, and for his room and the food he ate. Sure enough, when he returned he paid the innkeeper for all of the man’s expenses.
So, Jesus said, Which of these three men do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves?The lawyer said, Obviously, the third man who showed kindness to the wounded man, was his neighbor.
Yes, said Jesus, Go then, and do the same thing. Be the neighbor who helps those in need.
Now, do you understand what it means to show Mercy? It means we go out of our way to help those who are in need; and, we not only help them, but we also give them money if they need it.
We take time to be a neighbor to others, even if it is inconvenient. Can we say, "Oh, I would have helped that poor person, but I am just to busy?" or, "I just don’t have any extra money to be a good neighbor. I must feed my family, and I need to have extra money so I can buy nice things for me and for my family?”
No, if that is what we think, then we are not being a neighbor.
What does the Bible tell us will happen if we are a good neighbor? The Bible says we will obtain Mercy. Why do we need this if we have more than enough money and things to take care of ourselves? Is that what the Bible means.
No, that is not what it means. We all need Mercy from God, because we are sinful and God cannot accept us the way we are. So, how do we obtain it? When we become Christians, and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and ask Him to forgive us of our sins, Jesus shows Mercy to us. That is why Jesus died to save us from our sins?
Now, here is the important question. Why is it necessary to be a good neighbor when we are Christians?Actually, when we are true Christians, we will be a good neighbor, because our hearts are now changed. Instead of being selfish and only caring about ourselves, we will have compassion on others. Jesus tells us that if our heart is truly clean on the inside, then we will show Mercy to others, because what we are on the inside shows itself by the way we treat others. Even as a child, it is good to read the Bible and pray that God will help us to obey Him and to be a good neighbor.
In this story, then, which of the three men was a real Christian?
Yes, you are right, it was the Good Samaritan.
Blessed are the Merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy.
RESOURCES: http://www.devotional-reflections-from-the-bible.com/Merciful.html
DEVOTION#2
Pure in Heart
Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for they shall see God.Matthew 5:8, King James Version
It was early in Jesus’ ministry; Jesus was just beginning to call men to be his disciples.
Simon Peter and Andrew were both followers of Jesus. Jesus found Andrew fishing, and called him to follow him. Andrew ran to get his brother, Peter, and both followed Jesus.
The next day, as Jesus was walking, he found Philip and called Philip to follow him. Philip lived in the same city as Andrew and Peter. Philip ran to find his good friend Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Nathanael thought, "This can’t be. The Bible never says anything about a prophet coming from Nazareth. The Bible talks about the Messiah coming from Bethlehem." He asked Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip just smiled and said, “Come and see.”
Isn’t that just like us. Many times we think we already know something is not true, so we don’t think it’s important to go check it out.
Nathanael, however, was not like that. Even though he thought that Jesus couldn’t be the Messiah, he did go along with Philip to see Jesus.
Nathanael thought, "This can’t be. The Bible never says anything about a prophet coming from Nazareth. The Bible talks about the Messiah coming from Bethlehem." He asked Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Nathanael thought, "This can’t be. The Bible never says anything about a prophet coming from Nazareth. The Bible talks about the Messiah coming from Bethlehem." He asked Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip just smiled and said, “Come and see.”
Isn’t that just like us. Many times we think we already know something is not true, so we don’t think it’s important to go check it out.
Nathanael, however, was not like that. Even though he thought that Jesus couldn’t be the Messiah, he did go along with Philip to see Jesus.
Jesus saw Philip and Nathanael coming toward him, and said, “Look, here comes a man in whom there is no deceit (in other words, Pure in Heart)!”Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me? I’ve never seen You before today.”
Jesus said, “Before Philip called you, when you were standing under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael fell at Jesus feet and said, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel.”
Because Nathanael was Pure in Heart, he immediately recognized who Jesus really was. When our heart is pure, we love God with all of our hearts, and we recognize that His Word, the Bible is true, and Jesus is Lord of our life.
Jesus looked at Nathanael and said, “Because I said I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. Most assuredly, I say to you, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Jesus looked at Nathanael and said, “Because I said I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. Most assuredly, I say to you, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Now, let us look at an example of someone not being Pure in Heart.
Later in Jesus’ ministry, Jesus went to the synagogue and taught. While there he saw a man whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched Jesus to see if He would heal on the Sabbath so they could accuse Him.Jesus knew what they were thinking. He looked at the man with the withered hand and said, “Get up. Come over and stand here by me.”
Then He looked at the scribes and Pharisees and said, “Tell me, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath by saving a life rather than destroying it?”
Jesus then looked back at the man and said, “Stretch out your hand.” As the man stretched out his withered hand, Jesus made it whole again like the other.
The scribes and Pharisees became very angry. Isn’t that amazing, children. They stood right in the same room with Jesus when he healed the man’s hand. Shouldn’t that have been enough for them to realize who He really was?Nathanael didn’t need to see a miracle to believe. Because he was Pure in Heart, he knew exactly who Jesus was.
So, what do you think? Were the scribes and Pharisees Pure in Heart?
So how do we get pure hearts? We need to pray to God and ask Him to make our heart pure. Only with pure hearts will we ever be with God in Heaven, and understand that Jesus is the Lord and King of our lives.
Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for they shall see God.
RESOURCES: http://www.devotional-reflections-from-the-bible.com/Pure-in-Heart.html
DEVOTION#1
In this Beatitude, Blessed are those who are Persecuted for Righteousness' Sake, we will be looking at the life of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his own brothers, sent to prison because of a lie, and eventually brought to great honor. So, how did he respond when he saw his brothers again after they sold him to be a slave?
Jacob had twelve sons, but his favorite son was Joseph. As a matter of fact, he would buy Joseph special presents and gifts that his brothers did not receive, like a coat of many colors. This, of course, made his brothers very angry.
One day Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers who were feeding their flocks in a field a long way from their tents. His brothers saw Joseph coming from far away. “Here comes that dreamer, Joseph,” his brothers said. “Let’s kill him and put his body in a pit, and tell father that some beast attacked him.”
So, early in his life, Joseph was already being Persecuted. But Reuben, his oldest brother did not want them to kill Joseph. "Here come some foreigners; let’s just sell him to them as a slave. Then, we’ll take his coat and dip it in blood, and tell father that we found his bloody coat. Father will assume that he has been killed.
And, that is exactly what they did! In spite of his cries for help, his brothers sold him into slavery, to a group of foreigners going down to Egypt.
When the brothers returned home with Joseph’s bloody coat, his father, Jacob, grieved for his son for many days. His sons tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.
When the brothers returned home with Joseph’s bloody coat, his father, Jacob, grieved for his son for many days. His sons tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.
So, was that the end of Joseph’s troubles? I’m sorry to say, that his troubles had only just begun, he would still be Persecuted more.
First, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharoah and captain of the guard. Potiphar noticed that Joseph was blessed by God. He was so successful that Potiphar put him in charge of all his things. God blessed Potiphar while Joseph was there. Soon, however, things were going to change.Potiphar’s wife really liked Joseph. She tried and tried to get him to come to her and be a boyfriend of hers. Joseph was a very Godly man, and he knew that God would not be pleased, so he refused. One day Potiphar’s wife grabbed Joseph. He pulled away from her and ran away as fast as he could.
She was so upset with Joseph that she lied about him to her husband. She told Potiphar that Joseph had tried to attack her, and had left his garment with her. Potiphar was furious. He believed his wife, and threw Joseph into prison.
Again, Joseph was Persecuted for something he had not done. Joseph was in prison for many years. Can you believe that? First, his brothers sold him as a slave, and now he was thrown in prison for something he had not done. That’s what you call being Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake.
God did an amazing thing for Joseph. He blessed him while he was in prison. He blessed him so much that the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners.
While in prison, Joseph told two of the prisoners what their dreams meant. And, what he told them came true. Years later, when Pharoah was disturbed by bad dreams, one of the men, who was now back serving Pharoah, remembered Joseph. When he told Pharoah that Joseph had told him the meaning of his dream, and that it had come true, Pharoah called Joseph out of prison, and asked him to tell him what his dreams meant.
Now, do you think that Joseph would no longer be Persecuted? Well, let's see!Joseph prayed to God and asked him to help him understand the meaning of the dreams. God blessed Joseph and told him the meaning of Pharoah's dreams. Joseph told Pharoah that a seven year famine was coming to Egypt, but first there would be seven good years. He told Pharoah to store up extra food during the seven good years so they would not starve during the seven years of famine.
Pharoah looked at Joseph and said, “You are a wise man. You alone, could tell me the meaning of my dreams. I will put you in charge of saving and storing the food and grain during these seven years, so we will have enough to eat in the seven bad years."
So, finally, Joseph not only was out of prison, but he was one of the most powerful men in all of Egypt!
Everything happened just as God had shown Joseph it would. Joseph stored up food and grain to last during the seven bad years. Other countries around Egypt, however, did not know the famine was going to come, and hadn’t saved any food or grain.
So, when the countries around Egypt began to run out of food, they went to Egypt to buy food.
Jacob and his eleven remaining sons ran out of food in Canaan. When he heard there was food in Egypt, Jacob sent the ten older brothers, but not Benjamin, the youngest, to Egypt. He would not let Benjamin go because he was afraid he would be killed like Joseph had been.
So the brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain. Guess who recognized them? You’re right, Joseph recognized his brothers immediately. They, however, did not recognize him, as they were not expecting him to even be there.
Joseph treated them roughly and asked about their family. They told him about their father, Jacob, and their brother, Benjamin. Joseph sold them the grain they needed, but kept his brother, Simeon, in Egypt. He accused them of being spies. If you are really not spies, then bring your youngest brother with you when you come back to Egypt, and I'll know you are telling the truth.
Now the brothers were terrified. They thought God was punishing them for what they had done to their brother, Joseph, years before.
When the brothers returned to their father without Simeon, and told him what had happened, Jacob was very upset. Why did they even tell the man that they had a younger brother? He told them that he would not allow them to take Benjamin back to Egypt with them.
So time passed, and Jacob and his sons again ran out of food. “Go back to Egypt and buy more food,” he told them.
“Father, we can’t go back unless we take Benjamin with us,” Reuben replied.
“Absolutely not,” cried Jacob. So the brothers did not return to Egypt.
Finally, one day, their father told them they must go back and buy food or they would all die.
“We cannot go back to Egypt without Benjamin,” they said. Their father relented. He was very sorrowful when all of his sons, including Benjamin left for Egypt again.
When the brothers returned, and Joseph knew they had returned, he told his servants to bring Simeon and all of his other brothers into his house. When he saw them, especially his brother, Benjamin, whom he had never seen, he ran out of the room and cried. He could not help it, he just had to tell his brothers that he was Joseph; he could no longer keep it a secret from them.The brothers were really frightened when they heard that this was Joseph. Now what would Joseph do to them because of the evil they had shown to him? Would they be Persecuted for the evil they had done to him?
But, Joseph, who had been Persecuted for Righteousness,’ Sake, was a child of the kingdom of heaven. “No,” he said. “I will not punish you. You meant it for bad when you sold me, but God meant it for good.”
You see, if Joseph had not been there, the whole family would have starved to death in Canaan, because Egypt would not have known about the coming famine, and would not have saved grain and food.
When Pharoah heard the news that Joseph’s brothers had come, he told them to go back to Canaan and bring their father, and they all could live in Egypt.
Can you imagine how Jacob must have felt when the brothers returned with the news? When Jacob returned to Egypt and saw Joseph, he hugged him and just wept.
Joseph was Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake, but because he was wise and humble before God, God blessed him and saved Jacob and all of his brothers from starvation.
Remember what we learned in the Beatitude, Blessed are the Meek? When evil things happen to us, we must trust in God. He alone, will save us and protect us. Joseph never was angry with his brothers, because he could see that it was God’s plan all along for him to come to Egypt and to save his family from certain death. Even when he was being Persecuted, Joseph never complained to God.
But what about us? If we were Persecuted as Joseph had been, would we complain to God and to others about how unfair we were being treated. Would we, like Joseph, remember that even if we were being Persecuted for Righteousness' Sake, God would take care of us.
We must always pray to God to help us. For, without God's help we would grumble and complain every time we felt like we were being Persecuted -- even if it was really our own fault.
Blessed are those who are Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This brings us to the end of the 8 Beatitude Devotions for Children. The Beatitudes end with these verses:
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
RESOURCES: http://www.devotional-reflections-from-the-bible.com/Persecuted.html
IT NEWS#24 YOU TUBE
YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005.
The company is based in San Bruno, California, and uses Adobe Flash Video and HTML5 technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos. Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals, although media corporations including CBS, BBC, Vevo, Hulu and other organizations offer some of their material via the site, as part of the YouTube partnership program.Unregistered users may watch videos, and registered users may upload an unlimited number of videos. Videos that are considered to contain potentially offensive content are available only to registered users 18 and older. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and now operates as a subsidiary of Google.
RESOURCES: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube
IT NEWS#23 TWITTER
Twitter is a website, owned and operated by Twitter Inc., which offers a social networking and microblogging service, enabling its users to send and read messages calledtweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the user's profile page.
The website is based in San Francisco, California. Twitter also has servers and offices in San Antonio, Texas; and Boston, Massachusetts. Twitter, Inc. was originally incorporated in California, but as of 2007 is incorporated in the jurisdiction of Delaware.
Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched in July. Since then Twitter has gained popularity worldwide and is estimated to have 200 million users, generating 65 million tweets a day and handling over 800,000 search queries per day. It is sometimes described as the "SMS of the Internet".RESOURCES: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter
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