God loves.

John 3:16-17 (ESV)

For God So Loved the World

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Blaming God is foolish.

 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.

Numbers 21:5-6 ESVST
 
Many people of Israel died. Some would blame God. Some would blame the leadership. Few took personal responsibility.
 
Some things never change. Many blame God, leadership, or someone else for their problems, but the problem is themselves. Personal responsibility is absent when excuses are abundant. Without personal responsibility, there is no possible way to fix whatever is broken.
 
The children of Israel had eclipsed the terrible conditions of Egypt with the discomforts of their present conditions. Focusing on the now eclipses the future. Thinking about self minimizes and blames others. What we focus on and think about is our choice, and there are consequences to those choices.
 
Throughout history, God has taken a bum rap, and those who insist on blaming Him and His ways will regret that decision.

Coveting and Lusting are sins

 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, she called to the men of her household and said to them, "See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came into me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house." Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came into me to laugh at me. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house."

Genesis 39:11-18 (ESV)

You would think Potiphar's wife had everything she needed or wanted, yet she chose to focus on what she could not have. She exemplifies an aspect of mental illness that is often ignored.
Coveting or lusting is a desire for something we do not or cannot have, and these desires eventually possess us until we act out in desperation. Coveting and lusting are similar in that they are both birthed from the desire to use something or someone for our personal pleasure. The misery comes because we were not created to find satisfaction in things but were created to love, not use, people.

Coveting focuses on how life would be if we had what someone else had. This could be a marriage, car, job, family, and more. The more we focus on what others have compared to what we have, the more dissatisfied we will be. (For some reason, we usually do not focus on people who have less than us and are content or happy.)

Lusting is the desire to use instead of love and destroy all semblance of respect, honor, and dignity.

Coveting and lusting are sins; those involved in a sinful lifestyle will be miserable. The answer is acknowledging our sin (1 John 1:9) and focusing on what is right.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 (ESV)

How did he know?

 

His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. Genesis 39:3-4 (ESV) It was obvious that the Lord was with Joseph. Is it evident that the Lord is with you and me? How would it be obvious to your family, those you work with, or strangers on the street that the Lord is with you? Joseph knew God and acted like anyone would act who knew God, and by his actions, others knew who and what he believed. He is an excellent example for us today.

Our choices are real.

 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father wept for him. Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

Genesis 37:34-36 (ESV)

Evil causes pain to the innocent and the guilty. My sin will affect everyone in my family, workplace, church, and more. Nobody's sin is a private affair between the sinner and God. Essentially, my sins hurt me and anyone else who trusts or loves me, making sin a self-absorbed, narcissistic action.

God is the one who will judge, but because our choices are real, our consequences are real.
When we get a distance from our sin and see its effect in the world and beyond, we begin to hate sin, and that’s exactly where we need to be.

One day…

 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams." But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life." And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him"—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 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. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

Genesis 37:18-25 (ESV)
These brothers were in tough shape. First, they took Joseph and tossed him into a pit to die, then they sat down to eat. How can anyone enjoy a meal while murdering a relative? Rueben was bothered, but the other boys seemed fine with murder.
Throughout history, the most brutal people preyed on the most innocent and helpless among them. Those who sacrificed babies on altars to false gods did so easily, since babies cannot fight back. In this case, Joseph was the youngest and could not fight back. Today people legally kill their babies before they see them; they cannot fight back.
Anyone who commits murder will stand accountable to God. Anyone who even leads someone else to disobey God will be held responsible to God. "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:6 (ESV)
It is obvious that Reuben was not totally with this plan, and I would guess that some of the other brothers were also on the fence. Yet, as is often the case, those with power persuaded the crowd to follow their idea. I am not God, and none of these boys will ever stand accountable to me, but they will give an account to God, and I pity those who made a wrong decision here and, even more, those who persuaded those on the fence to join in.
One day, God will make everything right and hold everyone accountable for their actions. It is that day for which we should be preparing.
 

Atmosphere

 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me." But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?" And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Genesis 37:9-11 (ESV)

There are many moving parts to relationships. In this instance, a young man relates a dream to his family and gets rebuked for sharing its content.

We know that we do not control our dreams, so why the response?  Was it the atmosphere in a home? The atmosphere creates or dismantles tension. For example, the pressure was directed toward Joseph because of his dad's favoritism. Dad had to say something because the dream was 'insulting' to the other family members, jealousy was dominant in family gatherings, and jealousy always ended in disaster.

What is the atmosphere in your home? Why?

Does it matter?

 These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom). Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. And Adah bore to Esau, Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel; and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

Genesis 36:1-5 (ESV)

We do not see much Scripture dedicated to the life of Esau. Instead, we are told of the land he settled, and the names of some of his wives and children. We are told somewhat about the conditions of the land for raising livestock.

Esau seemed to live an ordinary life ordinarily, in contrast to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Esau is known for selling his future for a bowl of porridge, not for walking intimately with God and seeing Him work.

What will you be known for?

What will I be known for?

Does it matter?

This life has a purpose, but it is not our ultimate purpose

And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Genesis 35:27-29 (ESV)

We are sojourners on this earth. We have appointments to make while we are alive, and there is a final appointment we will make when it is our time to die.

This life has a purpose, but it is not our ultimate purpose.

Death is something the rich and poor, famous and infamous, and churched and unchurched, have in common. Death will always evoke strong emotions in that it brings all important matters into focus. The wisest thing a person can do is to prepare for the day of their death by investing in what comes after death and will never end.

Today we speak of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because of God's faithfulness to them and their choices in life. We do not refer to God as the God of Abraham, Esau, and Jacob.
Will the next generation refer to God as the God of (your name) or will they need to look elsewhere to see how God has worked?

For now, the choice is ours.
 

Remember

 

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV) We are often troubled by thinking about ourselves as superior to those around us. We always have a good motive for our actions, and an excellent reason to be angry with those who get in our way. In some strange way, we want to be like God, where all we do and say is "right," and those who question us are wrong. Yet, we are not God, and this thought process breeds tension and division. We can never be at peace while wishing harm on others. All of us are sinful and need God's mercy and grace; we would be wise to remember this when others do things to hurt us.

God enjoys us!

 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Matthew 6:7-13 (ESV)

We often put pressure on ourselves to pray appropriately. Unfortunately, this pressure can fuel anxiety as we focus on method over substance.

The Lord's Prayer, as an example, should put us at rest after reading the first line. Those who pray effectively pray to their Father.

As a father, I have not been as concerned with the proper method of communication as I have been with the content of the communication. I always want my children to talk with me, and I realized throughout the years that their approach changes as their seasons of life change.
God enjoys us and enjoys our communication with Him. If He is your Father, you need to relax and speak to Him as His loved child. There is no need to be anxious.

Sustainable energy for the challenges life presents.

 

"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:5-6 (ESV) The constant pressure of performing to an acceptable, even admirable, standard to others breeds anxiety. Anxiety comes from the fact that our show may be lame or unappreciated. Those who perform in public must also concoct some sort of answer to their prayers, so the commoners are impressed. This, too, breeds anxiety. When the pressure for success is fueled by our ability to perform rather than in Christ, we drown in our anxious thoughts. Knowing the will of God and living in obedience to Him is the fuel of our future and always results in sustainable energy for the challenges life presents.

Anxious people miss out on the joy of generosity.

 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Matthew 6:1-4 (ESV)

Those trying to impress others are constantly anxious because their peace comes from what others think of them. But unfortunately, this variable is continuously changing, and is usually fueled by gossip, slander, and politics.
Peace of heart comes when we serve God from a heart of worship, whereas anxiety is a barometer notifying us of an imminent heart storm. As we commit our way to God, we depend upon Him to sustain us, which erases all anxiety. When we give, we bless and imitate our Heavenly Father, who constantly gives.
Anxious people miss out on the joy of generosity and the thrill of being an instrument of God.

Ordinary if you know God.

 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.  Esther 4:1 (ESV)

Queen Esther was anxious because she was planning to risk her life on behalf of her people. Fear of death, pain, suffering, humiliation, and the unknown is a crucial element of anxiety.
"All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come into the king these thirty days."

And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your Father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Esther 4:11-14 (ESV)

Trusting the Lord to deliver the righteous is not extraordinary; it is ordinary if you know God. If Esther looked at the protocol and thought about others who broke with expectations with this king, she would be worried.

Mordecai saw the problem and God's provision in the placement of Esther. Stability and peace were dependent upon Esther using her position to run into rather than away from the pain.
Sadly, some people wanted to kill all the Jews, yet sadness is different than anxiety. The consequences of sin will always bring sadness, yet those who focus on Christ and His power, plan, and provision will be at rest.

Anxious people live by what they feel.

 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head."

As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, "How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you." But Hannah answered, "No, my Lord, I am a woman troubled in Spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD.”
1 Samuel 1:9-15 (ESV)
Hannah was anxious because she could not conceive children. Her husband's other wives continually pointed out this problem, and it was a continual source of dissatisfaction. Hannah knew the only one who could help her was God, and she poured her heart out to Him. Perhaps she would have been calm if she had known God's plans. I imagine the more she focused on those who continually pointed out her "deficit," her anxiousness grew. (There always seem to be people willing to point out our deficits.)
When we experience anxious thoughts, we need to remind ourselves of what we know rather than what we feel. If we do not know God, we will have no good option, and will suffer the fruit of anxiousness. If we know God, we will trust His character and the apparent fact that He has a plan.
Anxious people live by what they feel. Those who live peaceful lives live by what they know about God and His love for them.

The fruit of self-centered lives is anxiety.

 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. Genesis 33:1-4 (ESV)

We are often anxious about things that could or might happen. Jacob was a deceiver willing to take from his family for personal gain. He lived with the guilt of his evil, and the pain of knowing he had wronged his brother haunted him. When he thought of Esau, he probably thought of how he would have responded if their roles were reversed. His obvious guilt and running away from the problem caused his anxiety.

All of this could have been avoided by doing what was right or, after failure, humbling oneself and doing whatever was necessary to make it right. Esau slept fine, while Jacob tossed and turned with worry. In the end, Jacob saw his anxiety as a total waste of time and energy.
The fruit of self-centered lives is anxiety. The fruit of the Spirit is life and peace. For now, the choice is ours

Wanted

 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:5-10 (ESV)
 
There is no excuse for not serving God. He does not need our proficiency and does not need anything we can offer. He chooses to use us because of His love for us and His desire to include us in the outcome.
 
Being wanted by the Almighty is far more precious than being needed. God will use anyone available to Him, and one day rejoices in the extraordinary position God gave them in this life.
God is the great equalizer in that all can love Him and yield to Him, and therefore be positioned to impact this world significantly.
 
I am important to God, not to the outcome of His plan, but to Him. I am thankful

Created to Glorify

 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (ESV)
 
How do I display that God's power is superior to mine? Paul indicates that the beatings he had taken have proven God's superior power. The more his enemies threw at him, the better God's power was displayed, so God and Paul won!
 
We were created to glorify or display who God is in a Godless world, and life's circumstances give us ample opportunity to accomplish this mission.
 
Paul understood this principle and embraced it without regret. May I do the same.
 

Busybodies

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV)
 
What would it mean to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified? This could be referring to the sin of "busybodies," which is listed as a sin along with murder and others throughout the New Testament.
 
Paul was not a busybody; he was a busy-body. He worked during the day as a missionary Paul, and at night as a tentmaker Paul. He looked for every opportunity to bring Christ to those with whom he was in contact, and he saw all circumstances as opportunities rather than burdens.
 
There is a reason God used Paul to write so much of the New Testament. Therefore, we need to pay special heed to what he has to say.

All we need

 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (ESV)
 
Christ gives things without status. He surpasses all the world brags about, hopes for, and portrays. He is all a person needs to find significance and security in this world.
 
"Luther says this: "Next unto my just cause the small repute and mean aspect of my person gave the blow to the Pope; for when I began to preach and write the Pope scorned and contemned me. He thought, 'Tis but one poor friar; what can he do against me?' I have maintained and defended this doctrine in Popedom, against emperors, kings, and princes; what, then, shall this one man do?"
We all know what the one man did, and we often see that weak ones who come in the name of the Lord of Hosts conquer where stronger ones have failed. The Lord often chooses weak things in order that we may more easily see that the victory is due to Him." (H. Townley.)

I Can Do This

 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV
 
Circumstances in life should not dictate our attitudes or purposes. If our circumstances change our purposes, then we have the wrong purpose to start with. God can make any circumstance part of the victory.
 
For example, the stoning of Stephen was a victory for Stephen. The crucifixion brought salvation to all people. Daniel and his friends brought kings into the presence of God through the fiery furnace and the lions' den. Noah saved the human race by building a boat on a mountain.
God deals with the difficult, whereas you and I need to know Him and obey Him, and we will be victorious.
 
I am thankful God did not ask me to do anything I cannot do.