Devotional Song: Go to this link – Pleas take your time to see a video of a poignant song written and performed by Sara Groves, It’s Going To Be Alright, reminding us how we much of the good of life comes out of the bad. … And then to this link for Laura Story’s touching and very personal song, Blessings, which certainly shows Christians that many times God’s blessings come disguised as trials and troubles.
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Highlight Passage: Genesis 41: 51-52 … [Commemorating affliction and prosperity.] … [NLT]
50 During this time, before the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. 51 Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” 52 Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”
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Highlight Passage: Genesis, Chapter 41, Verses 37-57 … GO TO THIS LINK … [NLT] …
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Reference Passage #1: Romans 8: 28 … [Adversity is often God’s blessings in disguise.] … [NLT] …
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Reference Passage #2: Galatians 5: 19-21 … Go to this link … [NLT] … [As believers, In faith, we will choose the fruit of the flesh or the Spirit. ]
My Journal for Today: Today Os Hillman uses the historical account of Joseph naming his two sons; and the photo attached is a Rembrandt painting of these boys being taken to their grandfather, Jacob, for his blessing. And we note what Joseph named these boys, the first being Manasseh, which means “desiring to forget;” and the second, Ephraim, which means “fruitful.” Their names commemorated the times in Joseph’s life which he’d rather forget; but they were the times which produced the most fruitfulness in his relationship with God.
And isn’t that the message of the songs to which I’ve linked you above, especially the latter one by Laura Story, who wrote a very personal song about how God’s blessings often come disguised as the worst troubles of our lives.
And the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5: 19-23 that, as Christians, we will often be choosing our destiny by deciding whether to become the fruit of the flesh or the fruitfulness of the Spirit. And in the times of troubles and trials, it is so easy to turn, in temptation, to the flesh, when, if we live in/for the Spirit, God will sweeten and develop His Spirit-laden fruitfulness in our lives.
So, today which will we choose?
My Prayer for Today … Lord, help me to sweeten Your fruit in my life by the way I live. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online blog entitled Today God Is First [TGIF], authored by Os Hillman. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read Hillman’s TGIF blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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