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“Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:5 a Many, through the years, have had a hard time grasping this verse. Even King James, when translating the Bible into English, substituted the word “Elohim,” which means “God,” with the word “Angels.” But, regardless of how hard it may be to grasp, God makes it clear, through the Psalmist David, that He has crowned us, His children, and has set upon us a place of special honor, second only to Himself. So how should we react and respond to such a position of[…]

“You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,    so mere people can no longer terrify them.” Psalm 10:18  It may seem, at times, as though the just are forgotten and the wicked just get away with any and everything. It may even appear as though the righteous are forgotten while evil ones continue to plot and plan. The Psalmist David felt that way and cried out to the Lord to right the wrongs and set the record straight. At times, just like David, it can be hard for us to see that God is still at work and on His[…]

But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”Luke 18:27 There was one thing Jacob and the blind beggar, in Luke, had in common; they both wanted to see. For Jacob something was missing in his life and had been for years – his son Joseph. Even though there were 67 family members represented in his household, because of Joseph’s absence, the family wasn’t complete. But that happy reunion finally came, and for Jacob, he saw with his own eyes what he thought would have been impossible.  The blind beggar in Luke 18 wanted to see[…]

“And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”  Luke 17:19  A bonus is always a great thing. It may be for hitting your sales goal, for the company’s quarterly profit share, or what the company gives out at Christmas, but a bonus is something everyone enjoys. In Genesis 38 we see one such bonus being handed out to Benjamin, the youngest brother of Joseph. Benjamin received five times as much food on his plate as his other brothers. Five, is the Biblical number for grace. We’ve been called the “Benjamin Generation.” Just like[…]

“The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.” Genesis 39:2-4  From the rebuke of his father, the hatred of his brothers, the false accusations from Potiphar’s wife, and prison; Joseph’s life looked like a complete mess. It was not at all like he had thought things were going to work out for him based on the dreams he had. Two dreams, back to back, led him to believe that there was greatness in his future, but instead he was experiencing the worst kind of failure. But, in spite of[…]

 “In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” Luke 15:7  From the stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, Jesus goes to great lengths to express the importance of just how much value our Heavenly Father places on just one. Certainly he cares about the multitudes, as seen when Jesus feeds the five-thousand with just a few loaves and fish, but it seems as though his heart rejoices even as much, if not[…]

“This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?” Luke 13:16 Jacob had seen the blessing of God at work in his life, and he knew that had it not been for God’s blessing, he would be and have nothing. At every turn, despite every attempt by Laban to rob him, God turned every one of those attempts into a blessing. The blessing of God even showed itself in the form of protection. Laban heard directly from the Lord not to[…]

“And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” Luke 12:28 Jacob found himself playing a bizarre game of chess with his Uncle Laban, and he had certainly met his match when it came to trickery. His Uncle Laban tricked him by giving him Leah instead of Rachael and made him work an extra seven years for the bride his heart was set on. Then, after they had made a deal for the spotted and speckled members of[…]