Daily Courage

[Judy Harder]

Friday, October 29, 2010   


from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,


Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down,
You are familiar with all my ways.
(Psalm 139:1-3)

Remarkable Remarks - Trust and Confidence

Pakistani Christian:

"I would rather travel with God in the night, than travel alone in the day."

Corrie ten Boom - Holland:

"When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds."

Unknown:

"Patience is: trusting God to solve your problem, without setting a deadline for Him to do it."

Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."

Francis Ridley Havergal:

"Let us be calmed by the thought that what is hidden from us, is not hidden from Him."

Earl Riney:

"The stars are always shining, but often we do not see them until it is dark."

[Judy Harder]

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)

Joseph

The story of Joseph appeals to young and old alike. Joseph who went from pit to palace.  Joseph who kept his conscience clean and his character pure. Who was faithful under the most difficult circumstances. The man who resisted temptation. Who was unspoiled by sudden prosperity. Joseph who proved that "prison walls do not make a prison." Who enjoyed the presence of God and waited for his deliverance from God.

The man who answered cruelty with love and hatred with goodwill. Joseph, the perfect type of Christ. An outstanding young man. While we learn from him in the coming days, we acknowledge that we may not have all his gifts, but realize that we can practice all his principles. We may never reach his greatness, but we can show forth his goodness. To friends and foes alike. Resulting in the saving of many lives. Quite a challenge.

[Judy Harder]

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. (Genesis 37:5)

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you have a dream you can interpret it." "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." (Genesis 41: 15, 16)

Joseph

Dreams are empty, the saying goes. That's how it seemed in Joseph's life. His brothers did not bow down before him, as he had dreamt; instead he had to bow deeply before them. No respect, but rejection. No throne but a prison. His dream world collapsed. Thirteen difficult years of imprisonment followed. From the age of seventeen until the age of thirty. What could have been the best years of his young life became the most difficult ones.

He could have asked (and maybe he did!) "What about my dreams?" In spite of all these "broken dreams" he remained faithful to God. No regrets, only service. Instead of complaining he proclaimed the greatness of God. Instead of dreaming about his past, he explained the dreams of others regarding the future.

His many years of imprisonment excelled in faithfulness, purity and servitude. As a result he was victorious despite the circumstances.  "...the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did" (Genesis 39:23).

Victorious living will always be the reward for those who live up to God's standards.  Why should you not be that person?

[Judy Harder]

November 1, 2010   

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,


Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. (Psalm 37:27, 28)

Joseph

Joseph was always motivated by principle, not by expediency. He would rather lose his freedom than his peace. He was stripped of his coat, but never of his character.

In his confrontation with Potiphar's wife he deliberately closed his eyes to sin and to worldly advantage. It was important for Joseph to stand in good stead with Potiphar's wife. To please her would secure his standing and reputation. To cross her would ruin his hopes of a better future. But he shut his eyes to worldly advantage and clung to moral principles. Joseph looked beyond the temporary. He saw eternal principles, timeless laws. He saw God. Had he given in to Potiphar's wife, he might have acquired temporary favors, but they would not have lasted, and he would not have become prime minister of Egypt. The secret: Joseph was walking in undisturbed fellowship with God. He was in touch with God, and consequently protected by God.

"Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever."

[Judy Harder]

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked ... he is like a tree planted by streams of water ... whatever he does prospers. (Psalm 1:1, 3)

Joseph

We might conclude that Joseph's magnificent moral victory would be rewarded by God. Instead, it was followed by more calamities.  He may well have asked, "Does godliness really pay?" That is also the big question in Psalm 73. The poet Asaph was confused about the prosperity of the wicked, and the troubles of the believers. "When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me ... till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny" (Psalm 73: 16, 17).

There is a price to be paid for godliness. Christians who suffer for their faith experience this almost daily. There certainly is a cost of discipleship, rejection, loss of friends, work, family, privilege. And yet throughout this daily devotionals you will read the triumphant testimonies of those who experienced persecution. They testify of victory, blessings and close intimate fellowship with God.

They made a choice. The best choice, as Joseph did, which leads to life and life abundantly.

[Judy Harder]

But one thing I d forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. (Philippians 3:13)

Joseph

Joseph had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh means, God made me forget all my trouble. Ephraim means, God made me fruitful in the land of my sufferings.

Joseph wanted to forget the past. He wanted to be fruitful despite the circumstances. In giving names to his two sons he wanted to express that God brings good out of evil, privilege out of pain, triumph out of tragedy, hope out of despair.

In spite of any afflictions that may be yours today, do you want to be fruitful in the place where you are?

[Judy Harder]

 

Daily Courage
 
Thursday, November 4, 2010 

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,


By faith Joseph... (Hebrews 11:22)

Where, O death is your victory? ... thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57)

So Joseph died ... he was placed in a coffin in Egypt. (Genesis 50:26)

Joseph

What a strange ending to a marvelous book. Is God's work ending in a poor mummy? No, it is not. These may be the closing words of Genesis, the book of beginnings, but if you read on you will come to the great Exodus.

Joseph knew that it would come: deliverance from persecution and the entering of the Promised Land.  That is why these last words of the book of Genesis are not pessimistic but instead full of hope. Joseph's bones were a constant reminder to the persecuted Jews that the day of their deliverance would come. Joseph did not know how or when; he was only certain it would happen.

We have no unburied bones to encourage our faith in a great future. We have an empty grave! Jesus is risen. The empty grave tells us that resurrection is certain. He is alive. He will be with us in times of trouble ... until He returns.

"For the Lord himself will rise first. After that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

What a glorious moment that will be. What a hope. What a future. What a God. The best is yet to come.

[Judy Harder]

November 5, 2010   

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,

Even though it is difficult to determine the circumstances in which David wrote this psalm, its content speaks for itself. In the midst of danger, David takes refuge in the Lord. "What can I do?" he sighs. The opposition is enormous, but God is in control. That is why he takes refuge in Him.

David

In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me, "Flee like a bird to your mountain.
For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.
For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.
(Psalm 11:1-4, 7)

[Judy Harder]

November 6, 2010   

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,


I tell you the truth. Anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. (Mark 10:15)

Lucien Accad

It was early in June at the beginning of the war in our country. I had to attend to some business in town and took my five-year old son with me. Suddenly shooting erupted. Bullets whistled all around us. People, panicking, were running for shelter. I was trying to remain calm as I did not want my son to panic, and I prayed in my heart for God's protection.  When everything had calmed down "after the storm," I wanted to make sure my son was okay and asked him, "Yves, are you okay? Did you see what happened?" "Yes, dad," he said, "people were trying to kill each other." "Were you afraid?" I asked. "Of course not," was his answer. "Daddy, I was holding your hand."

What confidence. As if my hands could protect him from the bullets. Sixteen years later, the war is still raging. But I have never forgotten those simple words from my little son. It has always reminded me that if I have my hand in the Father's hand I don't need to panic.

[Judy Harder]

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

Lucien Accad

As parents we like our children to be safe and to have the best training for a happy future. Too often, however, these wishes are according to human standards.  Noah knew that obedience to God is the standard by which we can face the future in a positive way. He was able to perceive that the real danger came from a sinful society which is only interested in material benefits and which is predominantly selfish. The building of our boat has to become a family enterprise around the person of Jesus Christ. It is only in Him that we will find real safety.

Sometimes we, as a family, have been tempted to run away from Lebanon because of the war, assuming that other parts of the world would be safer for our family. But God's Word reminds us that our real security, happiness and future are in Christ and in obeying God's will.

The safest place on earth is still in the centre of His will. The most dangerous place is to be outside His will.