Week 6 Wednesday
Today Joseph's gift for interpreting dreams lifts him from prison to the palace, David stands firm in his integrity before his accusers, and Jesus warns of the narrow door before weeping over Jerusalem.
Genesis 41
📖 What are we reading?: Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams of famine and plenty, and is raised up from prisoner to second-in-command over all Egypt.
✞ What does this passage say about God?: God gives Joseph the wisdom to interpret what no one else can - and turns years of suffering into the very position from which Joseph will one day save his family.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: Notice the mindset behind Joseph's success in verse 16 - he gives God the glory rather than taking credit himself. And verse 38 describes exactly what every Christian should aim to be: a person in whom the Spirit of God is evidently at work.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Genesis, meaning "beginnings", was written by Moses around 1400 BC, and covers the story of creation, the fall, and the origins of God's chosen people, Israel.
🎤 A sermon by the great William Sangster on Genesis 41:51.
Psalm 26
📖 What are we reading?: David declares his innocence before God at a time when others are accusing him of wrongdoing.
✞ What does this passage say about God?: He is a God who examines hearts and minds - and it's before Him, not before his accusers, that David ultimately makes his stand.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: David isn't boasting here - he's giving God glory for the integrity God has worked in him. May we be able to say the same, and mean it for the right reasons.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: The Psalms is a collection of 150 poems and songs, written by David and others, expressing the full range of human emotion in response to God and to life.
📝 A devotion on being tested by God, which David asks for in this psalm.
Luke 13:22-35
📖 What are we reading?: Jesus warns that the door to the kingdom is narrow and many who expect to enter will be turned away, then laments over Jerusalem - the city that kills the prophets and refuses the very One who longs to gather her.
✞ What does this passage say about God?: He is a God of urgency and of heartbreak - He warns us seriously about the narrow door, and He grieves deeply over those who refuse Him, like a mother hen refused by her own chicks.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: We can't presume our way into the kingdom on familiarity alone - "we ate and drank with you" is not enough. We're called to make every effort to enter through the narrow door, today.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Luke's Gospel was written by Luke, a Greek physician and companion of Paul, around AD 60-62. It is the most detailed account of Jesus' life, and is especially attentive to the poor, to women, and to outcasts.
♫ A catchy song about following Jesus along the narrow way.
A Prayer for the Day
🙏 Lord, thank You that You lift up the humble, as You lifted Joseph, and that You examine our hearts rather than our reputations, as with David; help us not to presume upon Your grace, but to make every effort to enter through the narrow door today. Amen.
If you’re enjoying this programme, please consider supporting Luke with a prayer, or a donation, here.
