Pastor Stephen Dedman

Into A Pit

Into A Pit

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit.
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭37:23-24‬a

No Way Out

Joseph was a victim of circumstances.  He told his family about the dreams he had of them all bowing down before him.  His brothers were jealous and his father showed him favoritism by giving him a special colorful robe to wear. He was eleventh in line of inheritance but the first son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel.  No doubt Joseph was hated by his brothers and getting rid of him was their choice of action.  Instead of killing him they all agreed to throw him into a waterless pit.  He didn’t stay in the pit long though before he was sold to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites and then sold into Egyptian slavery.

God had a special plan and purpose for Joseph.  He was treated harshly for simply sharing about the dreams he was given. Sometimes we find ourselves in a pit just like Joseph.  We simply mind our own business and evil things happen to us while we don’t deserve them. This is the reality of life.  As we live in an evil world, evil things will happen to good people.  The most important thing we can do is keep our head up and our minds on Christ.  Even though we cannot control some of our circumstances, we can control our attitude and behavior.  We can keep shining the light of Jesus as we suffer so others will see Jesus in us.

God might have you in pit right now for a reason.  If you find yourself in a bad situation make sure to make the best of the situation by keeping a positive attitude and pointing others to Christ.

Prayer

Lord, I pray my life will be an example for others to see who You are and to show Your glory and grace.

Daily Devotional

Going Fishing

Going Fishing

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
John 21:3

Fishing For The Familiar

It’s amazing how quickly we can forget our mission and purpose in life.  As Christians we are commanded by Christ to make disciples.  But sometimes we lose focus of the big picture and lean toward seeking fulfillment of what we “want” to do.  Especially when we face discouraging moments.

This was the case with Peter.  Peter was facing a difficult time.  On one hand he knew he was suppose to serve Christ and fulfill the mission of sharing the gospel with others.  But on the other hand, he was dealing with guilt and shame because he denied Jesus.  Peter started doing what he use to do.  He went fishing because he lost his mission and vision of serving Christ.

For over three years Peter had followed Jesus close enough to know that he was a soul winner and no longer a fisherman.  Jesus told him that he was the “Rock” that would build the church and the gates of Hell could not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)  But sadly, when Jesus was distant, Peter went back to fishing again as he did before he met Christ.  It was the easy thing to do.  When he started battling discouragement he gave up and retreated to something familiar.  But notice they caught nothing all night.  He wasn’t a fisherman, he was still a fisher of men.

Let’s stay focussed on what God has called us to do and keep making disciples.

Prayer

Lord, help me to focus on Your love and keep me in your loving arms.

Torn In Two

Torn In Two

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
Matthew 27:51

All Access

Matthew, Mark and Luke share the same event of the curtain (or the veil) being torn when Jesus died on the cross.  The tearing of the curtain has a significant meaning that we must consider as we remember the death of Jesus.  The events that took place while Jesus was on the cross prove that Jesus was the Messiah.

The Jewish temple was a complicated place of worship.  On the outside there were courts set aside for women and Gentiles to be able to worship God.  On the inside the temple the Jewish men were allowed to worship.  The temple had a very special room called the Holy of Holies.  Once a year the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies and offer a sacrifice for the sins of the nation of Israel.  There were certain rules and arrangements made just for this special occasion. A beautiful curtain blocked the entrance of this special place where the presence of God was said to be in the Ark of the Covenant. The curtain was approxmiately 60 feet long, 20 feet wide and 4 inches thick.  The historian, Josephus, said horses tied to each side could not pull it apart.  But yet we read that when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain was torn from the top to the bottom.  Only God could have done such a wondrous work.

The torn curtain symbolizes how every Christian now has access to God without going through a priest.  As a Believer we can go directly to God anytime we want to.  Because the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of the Believer there are no longer any barriers separating us from God.

Prayer

Father God, we thank you for sending us Jesus to save us and give us eternal life.  We thank you for removing all barriers and allowing us to pray directly to You.