Month: June 2017

Selective Memory in Marriage

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Wife: “Don’t forget we’re going to my parents this weekend to help them with that project.”
Husband: “What project?”
Wife: “Remember, they’re redoing their living room, and we have to help them move all the furniture and repaint.”
Husband: “You didn’t tell me we were doing that this weekend!”
Wife: “Yes I did. I told you Wednesday, when we were coming home from church.”
Husband: “I didn’t think you were talking about this weekend!”
Wife: “I swear you have a selective memory. You only remember what you want to remember!”

Sound familiar? The particulars of the conversation may be different, but most of us have experienced similar conversations.

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Genesis 40 – Look Beyond the Difficulty

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It frustrates me when I see good and godly people try to do the right thing and suffer unfairly
and unjustly for it. It’s hard to watch this happen without somehow doubting the fairness and justice of God.
In Genesis chapter 40, you find Joseph continuing to quietly and consistently do the right thing. You would think he would be rewarded for his integrity, but by the end of the chapter, Joseph is not only unrewarded, he’s forgotten…and I’m frustrated. But I’m only frustrated if I stop reading at chapter 40.
If I look beyond chapter 40 to chapter 41, my attitude changes. When I look beyond chapter 40, I begin to see God bringing the pieces of the puzzle together and working things out.
Maybe that’s my problem with injustice in the world today. Maybe I need to look further out. If I look further out, I find that God will not abandon His people. (Hebrews 13:5) (Matthew 28:20). If I look further out, I know that God will sovereignly right wrongs and turn them for the good of His people. (1 Corinthians 10:13) (Romans 8:28) (Galatians 6:9).
When I experience injustice, my frustration comes from leaving my focus on what I see right now, rather than what God promises will eventually be. I encourage you not to get stuck in your chapter 40 of unfairness and injustice. Chapter 41 is next!
Do you feel you’re being treated unfairly? Has trying to do the right thing backfired on you? If so, go back to the Scriptures listed above, and find one that will help you look beyond the injustice to what is to come.

 

Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 39 – Life’s Ups and Downs

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Everyone experiences ups and downs in life. You can’t avoid it. The key is staying consistent despite the ups and downs.
Joseph is one of two people in Scripture that lived an exemplary life consistently, despite the ups and downs he faced. (Daniel is the other.) Joseph faced some great highs and some great lows, and though I doubt he was happy with everything he went through, he maintained his spiritual and relational integrity through it all.
There are some things mentioned in Genesis chapter 39 that I need to remember when it comes to successfully making it through the highs and lows of my life. I need to remember:
  • In every circumstance, God is with me…even if He doesn’t appear to be.
  • In every circumstance, I can depend on God…more than on myself.
  • In every circumstance, God wants to work for my good…even in the bad circumstances.
Consistently remembering these three things will help you maintain your integrity, outlook, and witness…even when the ups and downs of your circumstances pressure you to take the path of least resistance.
In the midst of life’s ups and downs, we need to be more like Joseph, the world needs us to be more like Joseph, and God needs us to be more like Joseph. It won’t always be easy, but making God (rather than circumstances) the compass that guides our thoughts and behaviors will pay the biggest dividends in the end. (See Genesis 45-46.)
Are the ups and downs of life throwing you for a loop? What is it you most need to remember in the midst of your circumstance? Stop right now and ask God to make something good out of your difficulties, then start looking for it. (See Genesis 50:20.)

 

Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Is Your Marriage Boring or Confidently Comfortable?

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My wife and I recently returned home from a five day trip to Washington D.C. Actually, if you include a day to drive there and a day to drive back, it was more like a three day trip to D.C.

After three days of walking over 13 miles to see the iconic sites, and two days of traffic laden driving, we were glad to be home. After unpacking, my wife sat in her chair and I sat in mine, enjoying a very boring evening of quietly surfing social media.

If you read stuff on marriage (including my stuff), you can easily walk away thinking that a good marriage is one where you and your spouse are regularly:

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