Bible

Exodus 1 – No Such Thing As A Small Part to Play

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Ever feel insignificant? Ever feel like you’re just a common, everyday person with no chance of making a major impact on the world?
In the book of Exodus, we have:
  • A book containing the mightiest miracles God has ever done, aside from the resurrection of Jesus.
  • A book tellimg of the marvelous beginnings of the nation of Israel and their worship of God.
  • A book recounting the giving of the 10 Commandments.
  • A book telling of the mighty exploits of Moses.
  • A book revealing the actual personal name of God!
Isn’t it interesting that a book containing such amazing things does not begin with any thing that amazing. Instead, chapter 1 of Exodus begins with the story of two simple, down-to-earth, behind-the-scenes midwives.
Little did these midwives know that their simple faithfulness to God and to their everyday tasks would in fact rock the existing Egyptian government. Their faithfulness would make possible the entrance of a deliverer and the formation of a brand new nation of Israel.
Psalm 139:16, speaking of God, tells us…”Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, everyone of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (ESV)
Who you are, and where you are was all foreseen and engineered by God before He formed anything in creation. You are a part of his eternal, creative plan. So never underestimate your place in life or the impact that your faithfulness can have on the arc of history. There is no such thing as a small part to play in the service of God.

 

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

Genesis 50 – A Happy Ending to a Long Journey

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Genesis chapter 50 is the close of a long journey for Joseph and his brothers. By the time Joseph’s brothers find him in Egypt, they have come a long way, not just geographically, but emotionally and spiritually also.
Joseph’s brothers started off by denying his right to rule over them. (Gen. 37:8) Next, they wanted Joseph out-of-sight-out-of-mind. (Gen. 37:28) Then Joseph’s brothers lived their lives as if he didn’t exist. But eventually, something brought them to the point of needing and depending on him.
They discovered that the one they shunned and mistreated, was the ruler and possessor of all they needed. (Gen. 45:3) They had great reason to fear him in light of how selfish and callous they had been, but the one who had every reason and resource to inflict a just and horrific punishment opened his arms to welcome them instead.
Joseph assured his brothers that the pain they had cause him had been turned around for their salvation, and he invited them to a banquet, rather than a dungeon.
Jesus is our Joseph. We start off denying His rule over us and wanting Him to be out-of-sight and out-of-mind. We live like He doesn’t really exist, until something happens in our life to bring us to the realization of our need and dependence on Him.
We come to realize that the One we have shunned and mistreated is actually the Ruler and Possessor of all we need. Jesus turns the pain we caused him toward our salvation rather than our sentence (Isa. 53:5) and He invites us to a banquet, rather than a dungeon. (Isa. 55:1-2) Like Joseph, Jesus offers forgiveness in the face of our faults…and we are amazed! (Luke 23:34)

 

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

Genesis 48-49 – He knows us

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In Genesis chapters 48-49, Jacob is nearing the end of his life and he gives a series of blessings/predictions about each of his children. Though some of these blessings and predictions may seem a little vague to us, I’m sure they made perfect sense to his children at the time. These blessings and predictions proved themselves to be true throughout the course of history, because Jacob knew his children.
Parents know their children. After birthing them, raising them, and watching them, it’s as if a parent knows their children better than the children know themselves…much to the frustration of their children. So, apart from direct intervention by God of by the child, a parent’s forecast about their child is usually pretty accurate.
It’s the same with our Heavenly Father. He know us better than we know ourselves…much to our frustration at times. (See Ps. 139:13-18.) His evaluation of us is true, and it is to our great benefit to listen to Him, heed His warnings, and change as He would have us to change. He desires to bless us, but we must listen to Him. Why? Because He knows us.

 

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

Genesis 47 – Moving to Goshen

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In Genesis chapter 47, Jacob and his family move to the land of Goshen. It shows the distinction given to Jacob and his family. While all around them experienced famine, they experienced favor. While all around them had struggles, they had status. While all around them were experiencing bondage, they experienced blessing.
What was it that made Jacob and his family distinct from all that was going on around them?
Jacob and his family were related to Joseph, the sovereign one over the provisions of Egypt. They knew the owner and ruler of all they needed. And Joseph, the sovereign one, loved them deeply.
The same is true for every Christian today. We live in the midst of great famine. People are starving for love, security, hope, purpose…and even basic necessities. But we are related to the Sovereign Owner and Ruler of all things, and He loves us more deeply than we can ever imagine.
Yet, so often, we think and act as if we’re on our own with no place to turn for provision and protection.
Jacob and his family didn’t have to worry, because they lived in the land of Goshen under Joseph’s care and protection. We don’t need to worry or fear, even when all around us seems dire. (Matt. 6:25-34) (Heb. 13:6) Instead, we can thrive in the midst of trouble, because we are related to, and loved by, the One who owns all power and provision.
If you’re not living in the land of Goshen, perhaps you need to look at Matthew 7:7-8 and James 4:2-3again.

 

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

Genesis 46 – The Power of Three Words

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In Genesis chapter 46, the story of Joseph and his brothers starts moving toward a happy ending. Joseph, the second most powerful man in Egypt, has finally revealed himself to his brothers; the very brothers who hated him and sold him into slavery. Joseph has assured them he has forgiven them and has no intentions of extracting vengeance on them. In fact, Joseph has promised to take care of them and their father during a terrible time of famine.
In the midst of this family restoration, it’s easy to skim over the simple yet profound truth that brought about this restoration. It’s a truth conveyed by three simple words found in the beginning of verse 3…
“I am God”
Don’t miss the power of these three words. They are the starting point for all conversation about God, because they punctuate who God is.
“I” – God is personal. He is not some nebulous, impersonal, force…in the Star Wars sense of things. He is personal. And because He is personal, He is relational.
“Am” – God is real. He exists. He is the ultimate reality; unchanging and unending. Everything that exists will either pass away or change, but God is the One and only, ever-present constant reality. (Hebrews 13:8)
“God” – God is God. He is not a god. He is not like god. He is, by very nature of the title, ultimately, absolutely, independently, completely God. He’s the only one. There are no others. There is no other power. No other hope. No other salvation. He is it!
“I am God.”
As short and simple as these three words are, they explode with theology, meaning, and truth. These three words can change a person’s life. Have they changed yours?

 

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

Genesis 45 – The Long and Winding Road

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In Genesis chapter 45, we come to the end of a long and winding road. After all the years Joseph spent in slavery and in prison…after all those years his brothers ignored and forgot what they had done to him…after all those years his father grieved over him…Joseph finally reveals to his brothers that he is not only alive, but that he is in control of their fate. It’s in this chapter that Joseph and his brothers realize that God has had His hand in the whole process. Joseph was sold, but God was sending. Joseph was suffering, but God was saving.
It’s hard to concede that God would chose to work that way. We wonder why a “good” God would allow us to suffer in order to accomplish His purpose. Our bent toward comfort makes it easier to see God as One who should take away our suffering and bless us.
But God oversees all that takes place, and works in all things…even the bad things.
The problem is, we don’t always see God’s purpose or intent in suffering and struggles, until we’re much further down the road. In the beginning, all we can see is the inconvenience, the injustice, or the interruption of our plans. But in the end, we can look back and see that Romans 8:28 is really true.
This is often how God works. It’s how He worked with Joseph, it’s how he worked with Jesus, and it’s how he works with us. The key is to see past our circumstances to God’s providence, knowing that God will be faithful to work in our circumstance (Rom. 8:28) and complete His perfect plan for our lives. (Phil. 1:6)

 

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

Genesis 43-44 – A Change of Heart

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In Genesis chapters 43-44, Joseph’s brothers still don’t recognize him, and Joseph continues to test them to see if they have changed. His brothers eventually come back to Egypt for more food, and this time they bring their younger brother Benjamin, as Joseph had demanded. When they do, Joseph threatens to take Benjamin captive in Egypt.
It’s as if Joseph is trying to punish them for selling him into slavery as a youth.
When Joseph threatens to keep their younger brother, Judah is willing to trade his life for Benjamin’s…to spare Benjamin from slavery and to spare their father from heartbreak. There was a time when Judah and his brothers didn’t care about Joseph’s life or the heartbreak of his father Jacob, but they have had a change of heart.
What looked like Joseph trying to make their lives difficult was actually Joseph trying to prove they had changed and were no longer the uncaring brothers who treated him with such selfishness and callous disregard when he was younger.
Much like the actions of Joseph with his brothers, God uses the events and circumstances of our lives for the purpose of changing our hearts. They are His instruments of heart surgery, to get us to a place where we are willing to lay down our life for the sake of God and others.
Are we willing to sacrifice our lives for another? Are we motivated to do everything we can to protect the Heavenly Father from the heartbreak of losing another child?
I don’t know about you, but if I’m honest with myself, I would have to say my heart needs more changing. I need to be more willing to sacrifice for my Heavenly Father and for others…just like Judah…just like Jesus.

 

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

Genesis 42 – Busted!

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In Genesis chapter 42, There’s a great famine throughout the land. Joseph had wisely stored up food for just such a time, and Pharaoh puts him in charge of food distribution. So, when Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to buy food, they come face to face with Joseph, the brother they had sold into slavery.
Though they don’t recognize Joseph, he recognizes them and puts them through a series of tests to see if they have changed. Joseph insists one of them remain in Egypt as collateral until the others returned with their younger brother. They nervously agree and return home with food supplies. Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had returned their money to their bags to be discovered when they returned home.
Once home, they find the money and began to panic. They tell their father Jacob what the Egyptian ruler had demanded. Jacob is sure this was some kind of trick to take all of his sons captive and refuses to let them return. Feeling the weight of their guilt, the brothers begin to wonder if God is punishing them for what they did to their brother Joseph so long ago.
Scripture tells us that our sin will catch up with us, (Num. 32:23). It shouldn’t amaze us that God will convict us of our sin, in order to turn us from our sin and restore us to Himself. (2 Cor. 7:10)
God wouldn’t turn a blind eye to the sin of Joseph’s brothers, and He won’t turn a blind eye to our sin. But as we see in the next two chapters, God’s goal is not to turn away from us, but to turn us back to Himself.
Is there a sin in your life God wants you to face and deal with? Turn to Him and face that sin, so that He can restore you to Himself.

 

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

Genesis 41 – A Surprise Ending

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Up to this point, Joseph has been wrongly treated and often forgotten. But by the end of Genesis chapter 41, there’s a surprise ending. Pharaoh frees Joseph from prison and makes him the second in command of Egypt. The father’s favorite son, though sorely mistreated, now sits in the seat of majesty and authority.
How did this happen? It happened because through all the hurtful circumstance, Joseph maintained his faith and integrity.
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Gal. 6:9 NLT)
The story of Joseph has all the elements of a good story, but it’s more than just a good story. Joseph’s life serves as a preview of the life of Jesus. Though innocent, Jesus was sold and abandoned by his own disciples. He was made to suffer separation from His Father, and because of His reverent submission (Heb. 5:7) and His obedient servant’s heart (Phil. 2:6-8), Jesus was exalted to a place of honor and authority. (Phil. 2:9-11)
The life of Joseph also serves as a lesson to us, reminding us that:
  • We are to have the same attitude as Jesus and Joseph. (Phil. 2:5)
  • No matter the circumstance, we’re to do what’s right and good. (Galatians 6:9)
  • We’re to glorify God by completely trusting Him in all circumstances. (Rom. 8:28)
This is the way to know the strength and power of Christ, and experience a surprise ending to your story.
When times get tough, does your life demonstrate this kind of humility, trust, and service?

 

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

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.