Second-in-Command

Of course, Joseph is a type of Christ, who was sold into slavery (became human), was falsely accused, and sent to the dungeon (death), on our behalf, so that when He was restored to right hand of the throne (resurrection), He provides our salvation.  And He bears no grudge against His Brothers, but invites us into His royal presence and delights to give us good things in abundance.

And I think also there is an aspect in which Pharaoh is a type of Christ, and Joseph is a type for us.  We were in the dungeon, but Christ raised us up and seated us with Him, and He establishes us as His right hand, second-in-command, to work on His behalf to rescue others from evil and death.  We need to operate in appropriating the resources of Heaven to accomplish the good things that God has prepared in advance for us to do.

Father, thank you for your never-ending grace, abundantly demonstrated through the life of Jesus.  Jesus, thank you for raising us up from the position of a condemned slave to second-in-command.  May I live today in awareness of that spiritual reality, and Holy Spirit, show me how to leverage the King's resources to rescue more sons and daughters.  I love you.

God's love is a vector (magnitude and direction)

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:16‭-‬19 NIV

I was thinking about the infinite (and seemingly four-dimensional) magnitude of God's love, when it hit me that, God's love also has direction (from Him, to us)!  God's love is a vector!

Father, may I continue to be overwhelmed with the infinite persistence of your love, and how you call out to me over and over to simply receive it.  I open my heart to you.  May anything in me that is not compatible with your love be melted away.  I want to completely align with you.  I love you.

Relentlessly press forward to know the Father (In honor of Jill Hunt)

Jill went to be with Jesus last Thursday evening, Jan 4.

When we found out that Jill was diagnosed with stage-four triple-negative breast cancer, I wrestled with whether or not I was going to pray for her to be healed.  After losing a friend in high school, my grandmother in college, my aunt in grad school, and my uncle in early career, all to cancer, I had given up praying for people to be healed.

But I realized that Jesus lived a lifestyle of healing, and He sent out his disciples to heal.  There is not a single recorded instance where Jesus told someone that it was not God's will to heal them and left them sick.  Since Jesus is the exact representation of God, we can infer that it is ALWAYS God's will to heal.  

I also realized that there were a few instances in which I wanted to pray for healing for my aunt when our family was all together during the holidays, but I did not speak up and ask.  To this day, I regret that I did not speak up and ask that we pray for her.  So, when I decided to pray for healing for Jill, I also decided that I would have no regrets.  Thus, with very few exceptions, any time I saw Jill in person, I asked if I could pray for her, and she always gladly allowed me to.  I prayed, I fasted, I anointed her with oil - I did everything that I knew to do to seek healing for Jill. 

Sometime around this past Thanksgiving, I felt the conviction to gather some people together to pray for her.  So, one Saturday before Christmas, I finally reached out to find several people who were available who I knew have seen people miraculously healed (Austin, Rachel, Joy, and Seye).  It was a beautiful time of praying, singing, claiming promises, and commanding the cancer to leave.  I am so thankful for that time.

I hypothesize that the reason that we do not heal with 100% efficacy the way that Jesus did is because we are not 100% connected with the Father the way Jesus was.  Thus, while I am hurt that Jill was not healed, I will continue to seek to know the Father more, and I will not give up praying for people to be healed.  If you have faith like an electron, you can tell that mountain to get lost.  Perhaps "faith" is the extent to which we know the Father.

Father, I love you, and I know that you are good.  I trust that you are good.  You proved that you are good when you sent your own son to redeem all of humanity to be your adopted children.  I love you, and I want to know you more, so that you may more accurately express your character through me.  Jesus, thank you for your example.  Holy Spirit, lead me.  I love you, and I ask in the name of Jesus.

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

Genesis 12:7 NIV

I want to live in constant awareness of the presence of God and in constant conversation with Him.  When He tells me something, I will respond accordingly.

Father, thank you for your presence.  Jesus, thank you for revealing Father to me.  Holy Spirit, thank you for revealing Jesus to me.  Thank you for speaking with me.  What a privilege to know you and be your son! Help me love you and allow you to pour your love through me today. I ask according to all of your promises being approved in the person of Jesus.

Read Scripture and LISTEN

I heard about this cool app called Read Scripture (http://www.readscripture.org/) to read the whole Bible (in mostly chronological order) in a year, and it has supplemental animated videos to help you keep in mind the big picture and the story of Jesus throughout the entire Bible.  So, Brandi and I are going to read the whole Bible again this year.

I am really enjoying the animations and the messianic emphasis, even from the first day.

As I think about this new year, I have heard of people choosing a single word to focus on for the whole year, instead of a list of resolutions.  On the drive back to El Paso yesterday, Brandi and I started listening to Translating God by Shawn Boltz, and he reiterates the importance of focusing on our relationship with God and being a conduit of his love to flow through us.  I think that I made some key steps towards learning to hear God's voice last year, so this year, I want to move beyond just hearing to listening.  So, I am choosing the word LISTEN for this year.  (I think this also means listening to my family, friends, and coworkers.)

We stopped at Wendy's in Carlsbad on the way home last night, and an older gentleman saw me with my family and said, "I am glad to see that you are enjoying being a father."  I believe that he spoke encouragement from the Lord.

Father, thank you for continuing to grow me and growing a closer relationship between us.  I love you, and I look forward to loving you and other people this year.  Jesus, thank you for your example of loving the Father and walking with Him.  Holy Spirit, thank you for your presence and encouragement.  I love you.