In John 12:3-7 we are ushered into the story about Judas Iscariot taking issue with Mary and her alabaster jar. He’d confronted her regarding why she broke her alabaster jar, anointed Jesus’ feet with the oil, and wiped His feet with her hair. He said, “Why wasn’t the ointment sold for 300 pence and given to the poor?” He said…

It’s not too late for the Lord to work. That’s what hit my heart tonight as I was rushing about getting ready to end the day. I’d just walked in the door from a long and busy day.  It wasn’t bad a day, just very busy. I’m ready to call this day done, but I felt I needed to get this…

Jacob and company finally made it to Goshen in Egypt. It is in Goshen, where he is reunited with Joseph. Genesis 46:29 states that Joseph presented himself to Jacob, and he fell on his neck and wept on his neck for a good while. Oh, the joy. That visual brought back to my mind Jacob and his twin brother Esau’s…

Jacob and company finally made it to Goshen in Egypt. It is in Goshen, where he is reunited with Joseph. Genesis 46:29 states that Joseph presented himself to Jacob, and he fell on his neck and wept on his neck for a good while. Oh, the joy. That visual brought back to my mind Jacob and his twin brother Esau’s…

What an emotional day for Jacob and company when they learned they were leaving Canaan. Children squealed, running around in delight as the adults handled the final preparations for an unexpected road trip. The excited family members loaded into the wagons as conversations abounded about the new life waiting for them in Egypt. What a powerful experience it must have…

When Joseph’s brothers returned to their father the second time – they brought the obvious – provision and Benjamin. They also brought unimaginable news. There was so much to unpack! Jacob’s sons: Joseph is alive! Jacob: That’s impossible. He is not. Jacob’s sons: Yes, Joseph is alive, and the governor. Jacob: Joseph. Alive? Jacob’s sons: Yes. He. Is. The famine…

We’ve been in the story of Joseph for a few devotionals, and I was wondering where to go now, Lord. I opened a document and the first clause of Psalm 27:14 jumped out at me, wait on the Lord. Instantly, my mind fell on Jacob waiting for his sons to return from their second trip to Egypt for food. I’m…

While Joseph was busy revealing the jaw-dropping news of who he was to his astonished brothers, their father Jacob was back home in Canaan, unaware that he was on the cusp of a life-changing event. He’d been forced to send his youngest son, Benjamin, with his brothers to return to Egypt for more food. It wasn’t his idea – Joseph…

The bloody coat. It represented so much more than it showed. The coat was made with love and given to Joseph by his father. The coat was stripped away from him by his envious brothers, soaked in an animal’s blood, and presented to their father as all that was left of him from a horrible encounter with a wild animal.…

I’ve been meditating on how God used Jacob to assist his sons traverse the rocky path of requesting Joseph to forgive them for what they’d done to him as a 17-year-old. He had to forgive them, too. I can imagine when the truth came out about the false storyline with the bloody coat. Jacob could only be so angry because he’d hoodwinked his…

I am off work today. I hadn’t planned to be off. Yesterday, on the way home from work, I was rear-ended. Thankfully, even though there is damage to the car, it is drivable and will be repaired. However, due to some pain, I decided to stay at home and rest, along with taking some over-the-counter pain medication as well as…

I’ve been visiting the account of Joseph and his incredible shift in life from one extreme to the other. His brothers, now decades beyond the day of Joseph thrown in a pit and sold to the Midianites, stood before him in shock. The last time they saw Joseph, he was being hauled off by the Midianites for 20 pieces of…

Joseph was disappointed, frustrated, and burdened by drama he couldn’t avoid. His life was filled with unexpected events. Each major turn in his life came with unexpected events – both good and bad. He felt a glimmer of hope when he watched the butler leave the prison with his “speak on my behalf – I don’t deserve to be here”…