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Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : He is training His children.

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followthelamb
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Joined: 2010/12/7
Posts: 1527
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 He is training His children.

". . There is a scripture in Psalm 105:17,18 which says: "Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron." The iron was not only round Joseph's neck, it pierced his soul also. Today we know the end of the story, the trouble is Joseph did not have the manuscrpts of the last chapters of his life. We have them and we read them comfortably in our armchairs. And yet today many children of God have iron chains round their necks and they are pierced by that iron. We remember once again the truth the Lord taught us: "All things work together for good to them that love God."

Training.
Training.
Training.

Joseph went through severe training. There were reasons for that severe training. He was sent to open a way for Jacob's family and all the tribes of Israel. He was sent to save them from hunger and bring them to Egypt so they could develop as a nation.
Years went by. Resentment, anger, the wounds caused by the betrayal were no longer there. He could look at his brothers face to face without vengeance or malediction.

I read about a Chinese man who fasted for forty days in prison. God was with him in a special way. Great things happened. He became ill. He was so ill that his body was placed with those who were dead or almost dead. The doctors knew he would not recover. Then something extraordinary happened. An angel stood beside him dressed as a doctor with a stethoscope hanging round his neck. He took something like a tube and blew inside the sick man and life entered into him. The fever left and he recovered instantly. The angel took him by the hand and went with him through the closed door. He took him up to the office of the head doctor and left him there. The doctor was very impressed when he heard his testimony and he was converted. The angel did not take the man out of prison. He could have done so. He just took him to the office and left him there. God was in the matter. Before he left the prison half the people were converted.

God left Joseph in prison till all the iron that had pierced his soul: betrayals, wounds, anger, resentment was no longer there. Then the Lord removed him from that hard place and exalted him before his brothers.

One of the last declarations we read in the book of Genesis is what Joseph said to his brothers: "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."

If we could but understand and see that God is in every circumstance of life!
It does not matter how much we have been wounded or betrayed; God is in it.

Let us lift up our head and praise God. Let us rejoice because He has taken us in His hands and has said: "I will form you. I will train you. I will make you in my image. You will stand through the ages glorified."

God did not train Joseph the same way as David or Moses. Each one was prepared for the place destined for him.
Some steps are ordered in difficult places, very difficult.
For Paul it meant prison, for Joni Eareckson a wheelchair, for Fanny Crosby, writer of famous hymns, blindness.
Yes, God trained Joseph to save his people and protect them till they became a nation.
He is also training His children to fulfil His divine purposes in them."

- R. Edward Miller


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SI Moderator - Brandy Gordon

 2016/3/29 21:57Profile









 Re: He is training His children.

This is a great post and so much truth in it, yet consider these words from it ............

"Years went by. Resentment, anger, the wounds caused by the betrayal were no longer there. He could look at his brothers face to face without vengeance or malediction."

I am not so sure life is or was that simple for us or for Joseph. Joseph went behind a curtain and wept. Joseph messed with his brothers quite a bit and put them under quite some duress. Yet none of this takes anything away from one of my favorite people in the Bible, it just makes him so real.

I believe God finished the work in Joseph in his encounters with his brothers. Its what he does in the end that counts and in the end he embraces his brothers after he had worked through his feelings and heart condition. There is great lessons for us to be learned in all of this which makes the story of Joseph so invaluable...........bro Frank

 2016/3/30 0:28
Lysa
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Joined: 2008/10/25
Posts: 3699
East TN for now!

 Re: He is training His children.


He's teaching us to be overcomers!!!


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Lisa

 2016/3/30 7:53Profile
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Joined: 2002/12/11
Posts: 39795
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 Re:

Quote:
Its what he does in the end that counts



Amen brother Frank. May God allow us all to end well, finish the race strong, stay in our first love with the Lord and have our lamps burning bright for Him.

A elder brother shared recently in a meeting that he has 2 decades of humbling at his work place where the bosses tried to each have him fired. But each boss would become sick and even some died. He was given the worst jobs on campus such as always painting the bathrooms, etc. They knew he was a believer and treated him badly. In the end he is the boss now! and is retiring in 2 months. He is going to share the gospel at his retirement supper, what joy to hear his testimony.

It was a way of a cross but in the end what glory it brings Jesus.


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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2016/3/30 12:33Profile









 Re:

Thats a good word bro Greg, a deep word. The way of the cross is such a humbling beautiful, bloody, terrifying, magnificent thing. The majesty of God finding it's place in the lowliest situations. The contentment of God triumphing over the ambitions of men. The faithfulness of God that He raises this man up despite the forces that would come against him because He could trust him. Trust him that even if he had to paint bathrooms for the rest of his life he would do it and keep praising Jesus, keep following the Lord, keeping taking up that cross. Praise God for humble men who lead us and teach us by their lives in Christ. May even a portion of that be found in me Lord for in my flesh lies no good thing.......bro Frank

 2016/3/30 15:10
dolfan
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Joined: 2011/8/23
Posts: 1727
Tennessee, but my home's in Alabama

 Re:

Like many here, I'm burdened very deeply lately with things in my life and family. In December, the Lord woke me with a word: You are about to experience a time like you've never known. You need My Spirit and My Word. Your flesh will recoil.

I am seeing the opening sequence in this time now. And, brothers, He was right. I'll spare details. But, my request to you is this: pray for my family. Pray for our daughter. I've had violent dreams for two weeks now. Crazy, random things: wrecks, fires, etc. Just snippets of stuff like that, not really even anyone I know in them I guess. But this morning at 4:30 I had what I'll call a hellish nightmare and it involved a crazy scenario where my wife and I and our daughter were in what looked like a well. It was I guess like the inside of a round, block tower (?). No visible bottom. We were holding onto separate ledges on the walls of it. Each of us had some sort of bag with a strap around our neck. It seems there was money in the bags. Others (unseen) were in this *thing* too. We were discussing how to get to safety and there was just no way. I mentioned that hopefully the bags would be soft enough to pad our fall if we fell. I didn't know how deep the bottom was.

My wife said, then, she was going to "hop" across the space between her and the other side of this inside wall (picture yourself in a well holding a ledge and jumping across to another ledge). She was going to speak with someone else in this thing. She did it. My daughter attempted it. She didn't make it. She somersaulted (oh, Lord, it horrifies me now to visualize it) downward. I let go and aimed myself at her direction as if I could catch up. I woke up.

I'm close to crying as I type this, guys. May mean nothing. May not mean nothing. But, my flesh is indeed recoiling at a lot right now.

My problems are mine. Not anyone else's. :) I don't mean to imply by all this that I'm suffering anything beyond normal life. But, whew --- pray for us.


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Tim

 2016/3/30 17:51Profile





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