Comments on Christian Book Connection ... It's All About Christian Books!: The Bait of Satan - Chapter 3 - Book Discussion

Hi Alex,

I would have to say that I persona...

2008-01-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Alex,

I would have to say that I personally disagree with Shorer's suggestion that Joseph's brothers did not sell him into slavery. I read Genesis 37 using several different Bible translations and they all state very clearly that his brother's sold him.

Shorer's interpretaion just doesn't add up or make sense to me.

What do you think, please, of Obadiah Shoher's int...

2008-01-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

What do you think, please, of Obadiah Shoher's interpretation of the story? (here: samsonblinded.org/blog/genesis-37.htm ) He takes the text literally to prove that the brothers played a practical joke on Yosef rather than intended to murder him or sell him into slavery. His argument seems fairly strong to me, but I'd like to hear other opinions.

Thanks for the welcome, Joel. It's nice to "meet"...

2007-11-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the welcome, Joel. It's nice to "meet" you :)

I agree about getting offended. Seems I do that all too easily, but I'm working on it! lol

Unfortunately, I think I would have been the same ...

2007-11-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I think I would have been the same way, Viki. Although, I have a cell phone (this woman didn't) so they could have reached me on the cell. (Unless Father blocked the call!)

Hi Karon,

I love the story about the lady ...

2007-11-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Karon,

I love the story about the lady at the Mayo Clinic and how everything seemed to be going wrong, but how it all worked out for the best in the end.

I have to say that I have a huge admiration for that lady. While I was reading that story, I recognized that I am extremely selfish and possessive with my time. If it would have been me, I would have been downright mad (offended) that I had spent that much time traveling only to find out the doctor couldn't see me.

She was very wise to recognize immediately that God had something better in store for her. Her patience in that situation was exemplary.

Thanks for sharing that story with us, Karon!

This is just an incredible story to me. I've read...

2007-11-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is just an incredible story to me. I've read the account of Joseph many times before and am always in such awe at all he went through and how it turned out. It truly is a good example of Romans 8:28 which says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Even when someone else seeks to do us harm, God can turn it around for our good.

A little off topic: This also reminds me of things that Jesus went through to fulfill prophecy. At times His disciples would gasp and think, "No! That could never happen to you!" But certain things HAD to happen in order to save all mankind. The same is true with Joseph. He had to go through certain things to get where God needed him to be in order to save his entire family.

I guess that goes to show that we have to REALLY trust God even when things look simply awful!

That reminds me of a lady I heard on our local Christian radio station a few months ago. She had some disease and finally got an appointment with the Mayo Clinic. When she arrived, they said they'd tried to phone her to cancel the appointment but she had already left home. The doctor the woman was supposed to see was sick and couldn't come in that day.

The lady had traveled for about 8 hours to get there. Rather than being upset, this lady amazingly was thinking, "OK God, what are You up to?" How cool is that?! She knew if things didn't go as planned that Father must have His hand in it somehow -- even if satan was trying to mess things up.

One thing after another "went wrong" and she just kept asking Father what He was up to. Eventually, at the very end of the day, a doctor who had MUCH more experience with her condition than the one she was supposed to see offered to work her in! Tah Dah! God's perfection at work ;)

My answers to these lessons were:

My normal response to offense is:

I get mad. 1
I immediately forgive. 4
I get even. 5
I work hard at forgiving the person. 3
I get away from the person. 2
(This is my immediate response, but it usually changes later.)
I seek to be reconciled. 3
(Honestly, it depends on who it is.)

Joseph's Responses

He forgave, trusted God and sought to be reconciled.

Prayer

Father, I do admire Joseph's reactions to his circumstances. Please help me to trust You completely without blaming others and do follow in Joseph's footsteps. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 6

God sent Joseph to:

preserve life
preserve posterity
rule throughout Egypt
prepare the way

The greatest problem I've faced in the last year...

Issues with infertility

My response...

To collapse under the weight of the doctor's words when he said I couldn't have a baby of my own.

God's plan?

Don't know. Still waiting to see what God is "up to." :)

What I learned...

Sadly, that I lost my faith all too easily in this situation. I wasn't offended and it wasn't blaming others, but I was completely devastated by the words of a man even though God's Word says children are a reward from Him.

Prayer

Father, I know You have a plan for my life. I appreciate Your patience as I continue to grow and trust You. I look forward to watching all You have planned for me unfold to Your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.