Common Sense Reborn

February 22

⁵⁶When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.  ⁵⁷And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.  (Genesis 41:56-57, The Jesus Bible)

Many blessings upon you all!  If anyone reading this is in the path of the huge winter storm sweeping across the upper Midwest today, we are praying for you all.  AP News is reporting that the forecast could be a historic and horrifying two feet of snow dumped over the next 24-to-48-hours.

In the time of Joseph, the first original Joseph, God used a major natural disaster to shape the path of the Israelite people.  Seven years of abundance were followed by the most “severe” famine the world had probably ever seen.  God had already set up the plan to save the people of the region by allowing the sins of Joseph’s brothers (jealousy) to establish Joseph in the Egyptian Pharaoh’s court.  From Joseph’s faith came his ability to interpret dreams.  As we saw yesterday, Joseph recognized this gift as a talent given to him by God, and that God alone was interpreting the dreams.  This came from a time when the Israelites were without religion, but they had a connection to the Creator of the Universe.  While Joseph’s story is a great story of controversy, redemption and one of the greatest examples of the intricate design God had for mankind, if you stopped reading The Holy Bible after the Book of Genesis, you would miss out on the true brilliance of Joseph’s part in mankind’s history.

Because of Joseph’s position as the second highest official in Egypt, when his brother’s earn the grace and forgiveness of their Joseph, all twelve brothers would relocate their families to Egypt, and what would begin as a prosperous rooting in a foreign land, surrounded by a foreign religion (the Egyptian Gods), the story of the Israelites quickly changes when Genesis ends and the Book of Exodus begins.  But I’ll have more on that once I get through Genesis.

Today, I just want to remind you that when you are in a tough season, when you are in the seven years of famine, don’t lose hope.  There is a bigger picture, the story is not over.  As I said yesterday, God loves you and wants you to live a life of abundance and joy.

The story of Joseph is also a strong reminder that when God is blessing you, you should be shoring up your resources for any expected or unexpected disasters to come. Be like Joseph and recognized that your blessings come from God above, be frugal with your successes, and save for those rainy, snowy, disastrous seasons.

So after praising Matthew West’s album yesterday, I put the album on during my drive to work.  One song that jumped out at me during my tenth listen of “My Story Your Glory” is the song below.  In “While I Can”, Mr. West sings a beautiful story about his thoughts of what he would do if he knew today was his last day on this side of eternity.  And in doing so, he raises the question:  “What am I waiting for?”

What would you do if today was your last day alive?  If you would spend it in revelry and debauchery, doing as much partying and sinful activity as you could squeeze in 24-hours, you still have a lot to learn.  But if you would spend every moment soaking in the presence of those who love you most: your family, your friends, and your Savior, what are you waiting for?  Soak in those special moments, play with your kids more, go on a walk with your significant other, spend time in prayer and reading the Scriptures.  “Hold onto what matters, and let the rest slip through your hands”.