"Jesus has prayed for nothing less than absolute oneness with him. Some of us are far from this state of oneness, but we can be sure that, because Jesus has prayed that it may be so, God won’t leave us alone until it is." Chamber's quote summarizes why I'm so confident that the Lord will see all the Elect through. Jesus cannot and will not fail in His purpose-not one time. To do so would make Him imperfect and not divine. The Lord has made the Elect's salvation an issue of His divine nature. The statement "God won't leave us alone until [His purpose] is completed”. This is not just doctrinally correct, I've found it true experientially. As a pastor now for over 25 years, I've witnessed so many Elect test out the John 17:21 prayer by attempting to walk away, to go back to the life they had before Christ. They can make the decision to walk away but they can never actually get away from Christ. Make-believers can walk away, can fall away, but by definition, the Elect are those who demonstrate the perseverance of the saints to turn back (repent). The reason they turn back is because Christ brings them back.

The good Shepherd is relentless. He will move heaven and earth to save one of His lost sheep. I have watched the Lord create the most amazing circumstances to compel one of His prodigals to return Home. The prodigal Elect (and there are plenty) always come to their senses and say "How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you," (Luke 15:17-18). We will have the privilege to watch the Lord do miracles to bring His prodigals home in this season of sifting and shaking. Our faith is not in them, or ourselves, but in Christ alone. May we walk by faith and not by sight as we trust the Lord to finish the work He has begun in our loved ones.

"The cross is the doorway through which every member of humanity can enter into the life of God. Through the resurrection, our Lord has the right to give eternal life to all. By the ascension, our Lord enters heaven and keeps the door open for humanity.”
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest - May 17 

Jesus lived His entire public ministry with the power of the Holy Spirit but, as Chambers points out, there were two distinct phases divided by the mount of transfiguration where the glory of the Lord was released and He had fellowship with God the Father, Moses (Law), and Elijah (prophets). We need these supernatural encounters with God to elevate to a new level in our spiritual lives. Living in this fallen world is spiritually and physically draining. We need our daily times of seeking God and finding comfort and direction from His Word and the presence of the Holy Spirit. But then the Lord will occasionally orchestrate special experiences whereby we are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and given special revelation to enable us to go to the next level. We don't insist that we have these special experiences before we will go further but we simply yield and linger when the Lord sovereignly orchestrates them.

The cross, the resurrection, and the ascension were all essential for fallen humanity to be reconciled to God and Jesus was made ready beforehand by supernatural preparation. Peter used his witness of the transfiguration many years later as evidence against those who claimed that the gospel was a merely a fable, a made up story. "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory (impartation) when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”  2 Peter 1:16-18

So shall the Elect be given all we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue (2 Peter 1:3). May the Lord strengthen and equip us today that we might bring glory to Him in everything we do.

“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬

In parable of the workers in the vineyard, the landowner intentionally has the last workers paid first so the earlier workers will see what everyone receives. The point of the parable is not really about wages or fairness in business. It’s about God’s kingdom and grace. This parable is similar to the debate about retributive justice in the book of Job where the three friends insist that Job's calamities are the result of hidden sin. Humans have an innate sense of fairness and want our system of justice enforced, unless of course, we want mercy for ourselves or our loved ones.

The Lord describes how our sense of justice (which is good) can get us in a bind when we watch God's dealings with others, especially those we find disagreeable. The workers who labored all day expected more because they worked longer. When they saw the late workers receive a full day’s wage, they became resentful. Jesus uses this to expose how people can become jealous when others receive God’s generosity and mercy. When we feel that resentment arising (and it will), it is helpful to practice rejoicing in the goodness of God in our lives. May we give praise today because the Lord has saved us, a wretched sinner, who rightly deserved eternity in hell but instead He has shown us His favor all of our days.

"The only thing that allows us to enjoy the disagreeable is the bright enthusiasm of the life of the Son of God. If we get into the habit of saying, “Lord, I am delighted to obey you in this matter,” the Son of God will come to the forefront, and we will glorify him by revealing his life.” Oswald Chambers

This quote captures the essence of not just enduring a difficult season but to actually enjoy it. We've all had to endure disagreeable things and, like being forced by Mom to eat something we dislike because "it's good for you!", we do it with a grimace. We do it because we must but we hate every bite so we do it slowly and reluctantly with an expression showing our disapproval. This is certainly one level of obedience and it's far better than disobedience but it is not God's highest goal for our lives. We all know the prudish and joyless puritan caricture the world loves to describe those who follow Christ - miserably righteous. Chambers captures the essence of how to walk through disagreeable circumstances so we aren't miserably righteous.

We say to God (and ourselves), "I am delighted to obey you in this matter" as we do the (disagreeable) will of God. Delight means great pleasure and satisfaction which is the opposite of painful duty. Our delight isn't in what's disagreeable, that wouldn't be authentic or true. We are not trying to use a mental technique to trick ourselves into liking something we obviously do not like. Rather our delight is in doing the disagreeable thing with God and for God. Jesus gives us the way to delight in obeying in John 15:10-11 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." It's abiding in God's love that we delight in and that is an easy thing to do becaue the Lord's presence is always delight-full. May the Lord refresh us in HIs love today as we go through a most disagreeable time before the return of Christ.

“But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’” And Israel said, “Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?” But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭43‬:‭5‬-‭7‬

Jacob is the inheritor of the promise to Abraham, but he's also considered a prophet, meaning he hears from God and speaks for God. But here, Jacob is not sensing what God is doing in his life and the Lord doesn’t speak to him directly about it until after Jacob was already traveling down to Egypt (Genesis 46:4). Why doesn't the Lord tell Jacob in this chapter while he is anguishing over the decision to send his son Benjamin with his brothers to Egypt? The answer is that the process is the point, not the end goal, or we could say the journey is what is important not the destination. The Lord wanted Jacob and his sons (including Joseph) to go through the process of wrestling with the trial to develop character.

It's taken me quite a long time to adjust to how the Lord values the journey. I've often asked the Lord "Why didn't you show me sooner?" "Why the circuitous route when a direct path would have been so much easier?" "Why does this have to be so difficult?" The answer to these questions and many others like them is the Lord is the God of the journey, the God of the Highway called Holy. Like a master personal trainer, He arranges the perfect exercise to bring about the growth he desires. May we walk by faith today knowing the Lord has His hand on every area of lives to bring us to a deeper place, a better place with Him.

The Lord made humans as emotional creatures, and as much as we like to think we are completely rational and analytical, emotions are always part of the equation. It takes wisdom to sort through those emotions and come away with the will of the Lord. Jacob and his sons need restoration, reconciliation and repentance and the Lord will use the difficult decisions resulting from the famine to move them in the right direction. Judah needed the opportunity to step up to be a leader in his family by taking responsibility for Benjamin's safety because it was Judah who had come up with the plan to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites (Genesis 37). Joseph needed to prove his brothers' character to trust them with his identity. If the Lord told Jacob the entire plan, then he would have acted differently about sending Benjamin and would have likely shared this information with his sons. Everyone would have been in a different mental and emotional state.

“And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭41‬:‭41‬-‭42‬. 

I often revise the adverb, suddenly, to be a noun, ”suddenlies”, for events that quickly and decisively change our circumstances so that we now must address unforeseen challenges. “Suddenlies" are tests of faith and character orchestrated by God. The "suddenly” in this passage is a positive one where Joseph came into Pharaoh's presence and was asked to do an impossible task - to interpret a dream - after no other Egyptian wise man or advisor could do so. Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh's dream not because he studied for years or had extensive experience of dream interpretation (the Bible tells of only four other times when he did: twice for personal dreams, then the baker's and the cup bearer’s dreams). God uniquely gifted Joseph to interpret this Pharaoh’s particular dream, for this very moment in history.
The word destiny describes a predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control. Genuine faith carries with it a sense of destiny, that our lives are valuable and important and under the sovereign control of God. A reflective life gives us the ability to look back and see the hand of God orchestrating our experiences such that we are uniquely equipped for the challenges we presently face. The story of Joseph is one of the greatest “suddenlies" in human history; from prison to the palace, from prisoner to prime minister; it was a complete turn around. Joseph was asked to effectively run one of the most powerful nations on earth with no experience, a clouded past, and no apparent ability in public administration.
The Lord is the God of the turn around, who qualifies the unqualified, and promotes the least likely. Jesus' resurrection is the greatest "suddenly" in human history and we get to play a part in the grande finale of His sudden return. May we live with a sense of destiny that the Lord is using us to build His Kingdom today.

“And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.” Genesis‬ ‭40‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ 

The arrest and detainment of two high ranking officials sets the stage for Joseph's eventual release, but for Joseph it's just another day at the office. His conduct is consistent and gracious ("he served them"). We discover that Joseph is in the "club-fed”, the prison for prisoners with status. Potiphar, Joseph’s boss, is the captain of the guard. His position likely involved overseeing the security of the palace and managing the state police and the prison system where Joseph is now working. Potiphar could have easily had Joseph executed for his alleged crime of molesting his wife but instead he puts him in the cozy part of the prison and allows (perhaps enables) him to be promoted because he knows Joseph is innocent but wants to avoid further scandal. Potiphar surely knows his wife's character and he knows Joseph’s character, but one of them has to go because the accusation was serious and his wife made it widely known in the household.

So off Joseph goes to Jail. It's completely unfair but it's also part of Joseph's spiritual training. Our human sense of fair play is one of the ways we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and it’s a key part of the Elect's training because God's justice is sure but, as it is tied to His mercy, it is rarely swift (Psalms 103:8). One of the frequent stops along the Highway called Holy is Unfairness University and, sometimes for an advanced degree. We should rejoice because it is a sign of His special favor and future exaltation. "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9) Joseph's time for reaping, literally and figuratively, is drawing nigh, but for now he must not grow wearing of doing good. Joseph passed his test and may the Lord enable us to pass our test(s), as we watch for the "glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ". (Titus 2:13)

“This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.”Genesis‬ ‭37‬:2-3

The Bible makes special mention of an incident when Joseph was sent to work with His brothers tending the flock. More likely, as is the case with most little brothers, Joseph was serving his brothers in menial tasks while they tended the flock. The goal was to learn the family business. Zilpah (Leah) and Bilhah (Rachel) were concubines whose role was to be handmaid to the wives. Bilhah's sons are Dan and Naphtali, while Zilpah's sons are Gad and Asher. It makes sense that Joseph would work with Dan and Naphtali since he would naturally be was raised in Bilhah's tent after the death of his mother Rachel when he was 9 years old. These sons were naturally closer to each other because there is always a family hierarchy amongst the children, usually by age, but in this case, also by the status of the mother in the clan.

In this case, Joseph brought a bad (some versions evil, vile) report about his brothers. The underlying Hebrew suggests that Joseph didn't criticize their work so much as tell Jacob of his older sons' dubious reputation amongst the locals. This would be of special interest to Jacob because he was a guest amongst these people and remembers the near disaster at Shechem (Gen 34). The rest of the Biblical narrative supports this idea as it details the ungodly behavior of Jacob's sons. But Joseph broke a cardinal rule about tattling on older brothers (especially being 2nd youngest) and paid the price with their intense (murderous) resentment.

Jacob only made matters worse by so obviously favoring Joseph with special colorful coat and likely other privileges. But the incident introduces Joseph to be of uncommon character and insight from a young age, willing to go against the grain to walk in integrity. The Lord especially arranged that Joseph would grow in tact, wisdom and humility through the many trials he would face. It is encouraging to read in the life of Joseph how the Lord redeems (and brings justice to) relational conflict and the many setbacks to help him grow into His divine calling. Nothing is wasted, no senseless pain. May we rest in God's sovereign power to redeem our past and use it for His glory.

"The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life; gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life.” 
- Oswald Chambers

“for we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

The world values common sense and knowledge but faith always requires a level of uncertainty, a level of danger, a level of sacrifice of what is precious and a level of hearing God's voice and obeying. All these elements of faith are built up over time in smaller tests until we are ready for the defining test(s) of our lives. Those tests may look like interruptions in our lives, but from God’s perspective they are part of the road that we walk in Him. “The instant we abandon ourselves to God, he begins to fill our life with constant surprises,” Chambers continues. God often calls us to do works which are insensible to our minds. Growing faith, like growing muscle, requires resistance. Peter clued us into this when he wrote, “12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12-13

“So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.” Genesis‬ ‭22‬:‭6‬-‭8

The Bible is not definitive about Isaac's age at the sacrifice at Mount Moriah but there are clues that suggest that Issac was not a young child but likely late teens or, according to Jewish tradition, as old as 37 years of age. Isaac carries the wood, he is aware of the required elements of the sacrifice and then the nearness to the biblical account of Sarah's death in Chapter 23 (Sarah 90 at his birth, she died at 127) all suggest that Isaac was older. This is an important detail because Isaac had to have a level of trust and cooperation because Abraham could not have physically overpowered him. The spiritual picture comes beautifully into focus of God the Father choosing to sacrifice His son while God the Son submitted to the will of the Father even unto death (Philippians 2:8). Faith always requires a level of uncertainty, a level of danger, a level of sacrifice of what is precious and a level of hearing God's voice and obeying despite personal suffering. All these elements of faith are built up over time in smaller tests until we are ready for the defining test(s) of our lives. We have been chosen to live in the most important time in human history, the return of Christ, where all the elements of faith are required in full maturity. May we, like Abraham, rise to the challenge and do great exploits to hasten the return of the King.

“Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”” Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭21-22‬ 

There are times where the Lord puts in front of us a choice: follow social and familial obligations or follow Christ. It is a test we must all pass and at times it is downright agonizing. Here it is storge (sentimental) love versus Agape (God’s) love. It could be eros (romantic) or phileos (friendship), it's all the same. Human love, human loyalty, human familiarity versus loyalty to God. Every hero of the faith in the past has faced it and it was God ordained. We don't know if this disciple's father was dead or merely near death, most likely the latter, but the test is the same. Will I choose family and familiarity over Christ? The disciple who asked to bury his father before following Jesus is not specifically named in the Gospel accounts. The disciple remains nameless because it is a test put before all the Elect. We live in just such a time where we must leave the world and all its benefits and all its depravity behind to follow Christ. We are the nameless disciple. May the Lord strengthen our faith to pass the test in our day.

"Servants of God must stand so much alone that they never know they are alone...We have to get used to this—so used to it that no matter what happens, we never feel we are standing alone." Chambers.
Chambers this morning perfectly describes the spiritual life with Christ. We must so often stand alone with Christ but we are never alone because we are standing with Him. Once we reach this spiritual place then we become impervious to social and society pressures. The spiritual person experiences the feelings of loneliness, perhaps of abandonment or betrayal but we never dwell on it for long. David describes why, “But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬, ‭8‬ 
God has quite literally set us apart, separated for His particular use. This is the definition of holiness. All the sinful behaviors we abstain from are simply an outworking of our being set apart. Our safety is bundled together with the fact that we've been set apart. We put our valuables in a safe, under lock and key. They are set apart from the ordinary items like our plates or cups or a roll of paper towels. These ordinary items are useful but not precious. The Lord has set us apart, sealed us with His mark and now we are jealously guarded from all danger, misuse or harm, kept safely for His particular pleasure. Our part is to recognize that we've been set apart, to be holy and not try to blend in with the evil and the profane. The Lord says to us "Therefore (because I've set you apart) come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17 We stand alone but we are never alone. The Lord stands with us and there are others who have likewise been set apart who stand with us. Few, to be sure, but there are some. And I gladly stand with them. May we choose to be set apart in everything we do today

Spiritual capacity has nothing to do with intellect or education; it is measured by the promises of God.     Oswald Chambers.  

This truth must be embedded in our thinking else we will never do anything by the power of the Holy Spirit but rather be limited by our own abilities. Paul says to the Corinthians, “You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.” (2Cor6:12) God regularly asks us to do things that are beyond our own abilities and at the time we can't see how we will be able to do it. We don't know how to do what God has asked, we don't know how long it might take, we don't know who God might be calling to co-labor with us. We only have the call of God and a first step we must take. When we make the decision to take the first step, the Lord empowers us to take it and then every step thereafter. At the start we rarely see the whole journey ahead. The Lord said to Joseph (note God spoke to the head of the household, not the falsely deified Mary) “saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ 
Joseph obeyed not knowing where he was going other than go back to Israel. Modern disciples want all the information before we make a decision. We want to know in advance all the resources required, who else will help us, and then we want to consult our busy calendars to make sure we don't have other things we'd rather do. I'm sure Joseph had plans at the time of the Lord's calling to return to Egypt. Most people are not sitting around doing nothing when God calls. Even if we are not in full time employment, we have plans and commitments. If we allow our calendars to dictate our obedience, we won't do much for God. The Lord often goes out of His way to make following Him inconvenient and uncomfortable and costly. When has God asked any hero of the faith to do something that was easy and convenient? Built into every calling are tests of our will and devotion. Will we do the hard thing?  the embarrassing thing? the lonely thing? the expensive thing? the seemingly impossible thing? If we say, “yes" and go, then we are in a position to have God do great things through us. May we walk in joyful obedience in all that the Lord calls us to do today.