Abundant Blessings

I trust that each of you is enjoying this new week.  It has been a special time for me.  We currently are being blessed and challenged by our Prophecy Conference at church with speaker Jimmy DeYoung.  Living in Jerusalem for over twenty years has given him a lot of insight into the prophetic scriptures’.  Yesterday I enjoyed having dear long-time friends from Michigan arrive to spend a bit of time with me.  As seems to be a frequent happening these days, they were delayed in their flight, but arrived in time to share dinner together and enjoy some wonderful fellowship prior our rather late bed time.

On Wednesday, I will be leaving to spend a bit of time time at our SIM office, celebrating a retirement of friends, a birthday, and visiting others in Charlotte, Concord, Durham and Wake Forest.  Several are experiencing some rather difficult health issues which reminds me to thank the Lord for the strength and health that He provides daily.  There is no doubt that I cannot keep up quite the pace that I once did, but am thankful that after eight decades, I am still able to be up and about.

At the beginning of the year I started a reading program through the Bible and have been studying the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis recently.  What an amazing life and example of God using a rather obscure young man who by faith trusted Him as he experienced amazing challenges in his life moving from the depths of the royal prison to become second in command of an entire nation.  Several statements stuck in my mind as he focused on God’s will rather than his fleshly desires.  When confronted by Potiphar’s wife, he responded; “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”  He would not allow her to tempt him and he not only rebuffed her advances but “…refused to even be with her.” (39:9-10) As a result we read that; “…the Lord was with Joseph and gave his success in whatever he did.”  (39:23)  Thinking about the prior and the following events in his life, I wondered how many times I have missed the Lords best blessing and guidance because I did not, by faith, believe and follow him as His Holy Spirit prompted me.  At this age it is both a joy and a disappointment to review my “obedience” over a life-time and at the same time be so very grateful for the grace and mercy the He continually extends to me and his own people!

I trust that each of us will have sensitivity and exercise complete obedience to the Lord’s guidance as Joseph did, enjoying success in everything that we set our mind to.  Have a blessed week!

Love,

Chuck