God has not forgotten you!

What's worse than being sold by your brothers into slavery? Being a slave who is imprisoned for a crime you didn't commit. Yet that's where Joseph finds himself, abandoned by brothers and by masters, but not by God. When two high ranking officials in Pharoah's court are imprisoned with Joseph, will Joseph finally have a way to plead his case before Pharoah?

This week we read through Genesis 40 and read of Joseph interpreting the dreams of his fellow prisoners. We'll see the effect of God's continued presence in Joseph's life and how Joseph reacts to disappointment and delay as he waits for God to fulfill the promises He made in Joseph's youth. And we'll glimpse God's perspective when we find ourselves dealing with disappointment and delay in our own lives.

The Lord is with you. From an earthly perspective, Joseph has become the victim of the sins of his family. After his brothers sold him to slave traders, Joseph finds himself a slave in the house of an Egyptian leader. Far from home, in a strange land that speaks a strange language and worships strange gods, can Joseph remain faithful to the God who promised him great things? This week we read through Genesis 39 and see the how Lord was with Joseph in a strange and foreign land. We'll see how the sins of Joseph's brothers could not stop the faithfulness of God to bless Joseph, and we'll examine Joseph's response to temptation and learn how we can remain faithful to God in the midst of our own temptations. And together we'll learn that the God who was with Joseph through his trials is the same God who promised us in the New Testament that He would never leave us or forsake us. Walk bold and courageous, dear child of God, the Lord is with you!

Is my life too messy for God to redeem?

The story of Joseph in Genesis is an inspiring illustration of how God can keep us safe throughout the trials and injustices that we face in our lives. But what about the trials we face that are of our own making? It's easy to believe God can save the blameless. But is there any hope of redemption for the guilty?

This week we read through Genesis 38 and see what Judah gets up to back in the land of Canaan. We'll see how Judah's small compromises lead to big sin. But more importantly, we'll see God's grace play out when Judah's sin comes to light as God works His story of redemption through the lineage that will ultimately lead to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world.