By Graham Robertson 18th April 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Joseph Sold By His Brothers
By Odon Bulamba (28 June 2002)
Genesis 37
We are going to talk about how Joseph was sold. Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him. The Bible says that if you hate anyone you are a murderer. From the beginning Joseph’s brothers hated him and by hating him, it made them eligible to be murderers. According to his brothers Joseph had no value as a human being, he was compared to a thing. This is what many people do today; they neglect people to the point that their dog has more value. There was a person who would spend more than $2000 on their dog and loved it more then his workers. Many Christians today hate pagans and think they have little value, if a pagan goes through a hard time they say, ‘it is just his reward for doing what he did’.
So for making Joseph pay his price they dug a hole and threw him in. We know a well is a source of water but this well was transformed into a prison for Joseph. Many Christians today put people in holes as Joseph was; they humiliate and neglect them to the point where they are weak as Joseph was. Try to imagine a group of ten men throwing you into a well; I think it will be very difficult to escape especially when they are stronger then you. However if forgiveness existed it would have been better.
Joseph’s brothers didn’t think he had the right to live, they didn’t think about the consequences nor did they think about forgiveness. How many times do we neglect and furthermore humiliate people when we are comfortable and don’t think of forgiveness? How many times do we think about the value of their soul? When you do something against your brother do you consider the consequences later?
When Reuben arrived to his brothers he asked for Joseph. By this time they had sold Joseph as a slave. Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver, and Jesus was sold for 30 pieces. This is how we compare the value of people, maybe it is because of our knowledge, perhaps it is our race or possibly our religion, but how many times do we neglect other human beings? When God created you, nobody advised God to make you short or tall, so how much did you pay God to make you the way you are?
There were two clever students in a class who used to call others stupid because even though they didn’t study they always succeeded. The other students would work all night and achieve a C+ and because of this the two clever students would say, ‘you are really unintelligent because you don’t understand anything’. Do you suppose that these two students thought about God giving them this ability? We must not be proud with what we have and judge others; to say one is stupid is not acceptable for a Christian.
From here two groups are formed, the clever students and the not-so-clever students. When God gives you something His purpose for you is to help others, if you understand maths, help those who don’t. If you can pray, then help those who can’t and if you can read the Bible, then help those who cannot. If you don’t God will ask you, “what did you do with what I gave you? I gave you something but how did you use it?’
Joseph’s brothers forgot that God was watching them when they made their father believe soaking his clothes in Goat’s blood killed him. Many people organize their lives and forget that God is watching, they don’t realize that God also has a plan and is not blind. We forget that God is omnipresent and knows our thoughts even before they enter our minds.
Today many people make others miserable by putting them in trouble and making themselves look good. They are like mirrors, on one side you can see yourself but on the other side there is nothing, and this is Christian life today.
We call ourselves Christians and have a Bible, but when it comes to live a life in the Lord we are very different.
Reuben came and asked for Joseph, the brothers said an animal ate him. Reuben was shocked and ripped his robe, and then he started thinking about Joseph’s value, ‘what will my father say?’ Do we feel bitterness when we see people going towards spiritual death? Or are we happy that they are dying? Our brother Reuben didn’t have time to rejoice in Joseph’s death, but he started thinking about his life, ‘what will our father say when he asks me where is Joseph’?
As Christians we forget that we have to give an account to God for our lives. Jacob is seen here as an image of God and God will ask you the same question, ‘where were you when this person died in his sin?’ If your friend died in prostitution what did you do about it? We must be very careful with people’s lives, if you see that your brother is making mistakes don’t let him to carry on with it, if you see that your sister is sinning tell her because you will have to give an account one-day.
So the brothers took Joseph’s robe to their father to see what he’ll say and even though they knew they were deceiving their dad they still followed through. Jacob didn’t know the difference with the blood but said this is my sons robe, and Jacob mourned for him. From this the brothers changed their father’s joy to sorrow; they turned their father’s good thoughts into agony. How many times do we make people sick? How many times do we turn people’s joy into mourning?
The bothers didn’t think their dad would mourn for the rest of his life, nor did they think he would contemplate about Joseph’s life, and it is the same with us, we don’t think about the consequences. Some people are experts at disturbing others, to the point where they can’t stop. Try to imagine Joseph’s brothers dividing the 20 pieces of silver between them? With something little you can make life miserable, it is like a father who becomes angry and pushes his son against the wall and dies. After three minutes the anger will pass, but now you are left to think about what you’ve done, but it will be too late because you can’t change consequences. The time we live on this earth is very short, and if we do things that disappoint our God woe to us because we will reap the consequences for the rest of our lives.
There was a father who told his son not to respect adults. The father had a lot of anger inside of him and hung himself. Anger led him to death, like our sins which lead us to death. What you do to someone today be sure that you will reap the consequences later, and if you don’t think about the consequences you will never be a good believer.
When John Paul the second came to Africa he received about $4 million from people, even though he was already rich people gave him a lot, but what about feeding the hungry people with their money? If Helen Clark (ex prime minister of NZ) was to visit Michael’s place, Sylvie would prepare a luxurious meal, but she will not do it if Odon comes. When people receive great people they spend a lot, they don’t do the same for poor people. So who are we? We make disparity between the rich and the poor, we make disparity between the strong and the weak and we forget that God made them both, and this is why the church is confused today. If you want to see evil today go to a church and you will see many sins, because Christians do what pagan’s wouldn’t even do.
Oscar visited a person one day who asked him about his future life?’ Oscar said only God knows my future, but maybe I’ll have a family one-day. Oscar confessed he needed money to bring his wife from Zaire and the person answered, ‘if I had the money Oscar I’d give it to you’.
Then another man came over and was selling puppies at $300 each, so the first man brought one for his wife. The man handed over $300 for one puppy. Oscar was there watching, he saw him hand over $300 for the pup and said, ‘I thought you didn’t have any money?’ He said that this was not his money but someone else‘s. The puppy had more value than Oscar. This is how we act when it comes to money. With money we sacrifice people’s lives as Joseph’s brothers sacrificed him and Judas sacrificing Jesus.
Money is useless, it is only paper and can be ripped easily, but as adults we worship this bit of paper, so are we different from those who worshipped Baal? At least those who worshipped Baal were worshipping a wooden statue because the statues use to be a living tree, but today we worship paper. Lets’ be careful with what we are doing especially with the souls around us because one day we will have to give an account to God for them. Whether you like it not you will be accountable, rich or poor you will be accountable, and always remember that one day your life will end.
Genesis 37
We are going to talk about how Joseph was sold. Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him. The Bible says that if you hate anyone you are a murderer. From the beginning Joseph’s brothers hated him and by hating him, it made them eligible to be murderers. According to his brothers Joseph had no value as a human being, he was compared to a thing. This is what many people do today; they neglect people to the point that their dog has more value. There was a person who would spend more than $2000 on their dog and loved it more then his workers. Many Christians today hate pagans and think they have little value, if a pagan goes through a hard time they say, ‘it is just his reward for doing what he did’.
So for making Joseph pay his price they dug a hole and threw him in. We know a well is a source of water but this well was transformed into a prison for Joseph. Many Christians today put people in holes as Joseph was; they humiliate and neglect them to the point where they are weak as Joseph was. Try to imagine a group of ten men throwing you into a well; I think it will be very difficult to escape especially when they are stronger then you. However if forgiveness existed it would have been better.
Joseph’s brothers didn’t think he had the right to live, they didn’t think about the consequences nor did they think about forgiveness. How many times do we neglect and furthermore humiliate people when we are comfortable and don’t think of forgiveness? How many times do we think about the value of their soul? When you do something against your brother do you consider the consequences later?
When Reuben arrived to his brothers he asked for Joseph. By this time they had sold Joseph as a slave. Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver, and Jesus was sold for 30 pieces. This is how we compare the value of people, maybe it is because of our knowledge, perhaps it is our race or possibly our religion, but how many times do we neglect other human beings? When God created you, nobody advised God to make you short or tall, so how much did you pay God to make you the way you are?
There were two clever students in a class who used to call others stupid because even though they didn’t study they always succeeded. The other students would work all night and achieve a C+ and because of this the two clever students would say, ‘you are really unintelligent because you don’t understand anything’. Do you suppose that these two students thought about God giving them this ability? We must not be proud with what we have and judge others; to say one is stupid is not acceptable for a Christian.
From here two groups are formed, the clever students and the not-so-clever students. When God gives you something His purpose for you is to help others, if you understand maths, help those who don’t. If you can pray, then help those who can’t and if you can read the Bible, then help those who cannot. If you don’t God will ask you, “what did you do with what I gave you? I gave you something but how did you use it?’
Joseph’s brothers forgot that God was watching them when they made their father believe soaking his clothes in Goat’s blood killed him. Many people organize their lives and forget that God is watching, they don’t realize that God also has a plan and is not blind. We forget that God is omnipresent and knows our thoughts even before they enter our minds.
Today many people make others miserable by putting them in trouble and making themselves look good. They are like mirrors, on one side you can see yourself but on the other side there is nothing, and this is Christian life today.
We call ourselves Christians and have a Bible, but when it comes to live a life in the Lord we are very different.
Reuben came and asked for Joseph, the brothers said an animal ate him. Reuben was shocked and ripped his robe, and then he started thinking about Joseph’s value, ‘what will my father say?’ Do we feel bitterness when we see people going towards spiritual death? Or are we happy that they are dying? Our brother Reuben didn’t have time to rejoice in Joseph’s death, but he started thinking about his life, ‘what will our father say when he asks me where is Joseph’?
As Christians we forget that we have to give an account to God for our lives. Jacob is seen here as an image of God and God will ask you the same question, ‘where were you when this person died in his sin?’ If your friend died in prostitution what did you do about it? We must be very careful with people’s lives, if you see that your brother is making mistakes don’t let him to carry on with it, if you see that your sister is sinning tell her because you will have to give an account one-day.
So the brothers took Joseph’s robe to their father to see what he’ll say and even though they knew they were deceiving their dad they still followed through. Jacob didn’t know the difference with the blood but said this is my sons robe, and Jacob mourned for him. From this the brothers changed their father’s joy to sorrow; they turned their father’s good thoughts into agony. How many times do we make people sick? How many times do we turn people’s joy into mourning?
The bothers didn’t think their dad would mourn for the rest of his life, nor did they think he would contemplate about Joseph’s life, and it is the same with us, we don’t think about the consequences. Some people are experts at disturbing others, to the point where they can’t stop. Try to imagine Joseph’s brothers dividing the 20 pieces of silver between them? With something little you can make life miserable, it is like a father who becomes angry and pushes his son against the wall and dies. After three minutes the anger will pass, but now you are left to think about what you’ve done, but it will be too late because you can’t change consequences. The time we live on this earth is very short, and if we do things that disappoint our God woe to us because we will reap the consequences for the rest of our lives.
There was a father who told his son not to respect adults. The father had a lot of anger inside of him and hung himself. Anger led him to death, like our sins which lead us to death. What you do to someone today be sure that you will reap the consequences later, and if you don’t think about the consequences you will never be a good believer.
When John Paul the second came to Africa he received about $4 million from people, even though he was already rich people gave him a lot, but what about feeding the hungry people with their money? If Helen Clark (ex prime minister of NZ) was to visit Michael’s place, Sylvie would prepare a luxurious meal, but she will not do it if Odon comes. When people receive great people they spend a lot, they don’t do the same for poor people. So who are we? We make disparity between the rich and the poor, we make disparity between the strong and the weak and we forget that God made them both, and this is why the church is confused today. If you want to see evil today go to a church and you will see many sins, because Christians do what pagan’s wouldn’t even do.
Oscar visited a person one day who asked him about his future life?’ Oscar said only God knows my future, but maybe I’ll have a family one-day. Oscar confessed he needed money to bring his wife from Zaire and the person answered, ‘if I had the money Oscar I’d give it to you’.
Then another man came over and was selling puppies at $300 each, so the first man brought one for his wife. The man handed over $300 for one puppy. Oscar was there watching, he saw him hand over $300 for the pup and said, ‘I thought you didn’t have any money?’ He said that this was not his money but someone else‘s. The puppy had more value than Oscar. This is how we act when it comes to money. With money we sacrifice people’s lives as Joseph’s brothers sacrificed him and Judas sacrificing Jesus.
Money is useless, it is only paper and can be ripped easily, but as adults we worship this bit of paper, so are we different from those who worshipped Baal? At least those who worshipped Baal were worshipping a wooden statue because the statues use to be a living tree, but today we worship paper. Lets’ be careful with what we are doing especially with the souls around us because one day we will have to give an account to God for them. Whether you like it not you will be accountable, rich or poor you will be accountable, and always remember that one day your life will end.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Joseph’s Life
By Odon Bulamba (14 June 2002)
Joseph was a man like you and me. God loved him and always wanted to be near him. So how was Joseph different from us? The only difference was that Joseph obeyed the Word of God. It means that when you obey God’s Word He will obey you, and if you want to become God’s friend just obey His word. Before talking about Joseph who was Joseph’s mum? In the Bible there are 6 Josephs but we are talking about the first Joseph in Genesis 30:24.
She named him Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”
We have the meaning of Joseph, ‘to give again, but who was Joseph’s mum? Rachel. Who was Rachel’s father? Laban, and who was Laban to Jacob? Laban was Jacob’s uncle and Jacob married Laban’s two daughters. Jacob was in love with Rachel and worked a lot for her favor. However when time came for Jacob to marry Rachel, Jacob woke up to find Leah next to him because women wear veils when being married. Imagine that you love someone who is beautiful but you are given someone who isn’t.
Why did Laban’s family decide to cheat Jacob when they were all a family of believers? It’s because they believed in Jewish law, the Jewish law didn’t allow the younger daughter to be married before the older daughter. According to theology Leah hadn’t met anyone that told her, “I love you”, and it was hard for her and the family. Imagine marrying someone you don’t know or love? What kind of wedding will it be? Would it be possible to marry without love? No!
For us Christians today we call Jesus our husband when we don’t even love Him. Jesus loved the world so much He gave His life, now He is waiting for us to express love back. We can tell others that we love Jesus but love is not about words.
1 John 3:16-18, this is how we know what love is, that Jesus Christ lay down His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need and but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth
The acts we do must express our love for others. What are the good acts that we show Jesus? This proves that we don’t love Him, unless your conscious talks to you and says your acts are good. So Jacob married two women but his true love was towards Rachel and the artificial love was towards Leah. Sometimes we pretend to love. I remember a guy who was handsome, and because he was good-looking an old lady liked him. This old lady was very rich. So the young boy said because I’m poor and this lady is rich, I’ll just pretend to love her. Deep in his heart he would abuse her for the old lady was really ugly, but because she was rich the young man loved her, but his love was artificial and full of hypocrisy.
Everywhere they would go the lady declared this is my husband and the husband would smile and say, yes I’m her husband but deep in his heart he thought, why does she tell everyone I’m her husband. As the young man became comfortable he started looking for younger girls and found a girl that he loved.
When he was with her he would open his heart, but when he came back to the old lady it was just flattery. This is the way Christians love Jesus Christ today, on one side you have the world and on the other side Jesus.
Jacob begot 12 children and Joseph was the eleventh child of the family. Although Leah wasn’t pretty she still gave birth to many children, whereas Rachel who was beautiful hardly begot any children. How many children did Rachel have to Jacob? Joseph and Benjamin.
Jacob loved these two children more than Leah’s children. Joseph had to stay with his parents a lot while his other brothers went out to work. One day Jacob told Joseph to visit his brothers. Joseph was a child who obeyed his parents and never opposed what they would say. Like Christians today, we are children of God and we obey His Word, but if you don’t obey His Word we had better consider it. Since Joseph obeyed his father he would send him far away. Once he arrived his brothers were happy to see him.
What did Joseph bring with him? He took food for them. It wasn’t about belongings they liked but useful things for their lives. What kind of things do we bring to others? Is it constructive for their spiritual lives or not? When we have visitors we often ask them what they would like to drink, and some people ask for beer. In some Christian homes you’ll see beer in their fridge, and if someone asks them for one they will give them one and say, ‘the Bible doesn’t mention about drinking beer so here you are’. But there is a verse in Habakkuk 2:15, Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors. Woe to the one who offers alcoholic drink to anyone.
Secondly, Christians are ready to give you a photo album and show you, but it is hard for them to open their Bibles and show photos in it. The Bible has the best photos, it shows you what is inside of yourself, but with normal photos you see just the physical.
So Joseph went to see his brothers. His brothers forgot about the good food he brought and plotted to kill him. Do we acknowledge as Christians what God does with us? Do we realize that Jesus love was manifested on the cross for us? Do we realize how much our brothers and sisters look after our lives? What is the reward we give them? What kind of thankfulness do we express?
Joseph found himself nailed, he thought he was finished but one of his brothers said, ‘we will not kill him for he is our brother and we are all from the same descendants, so we have to be gracious and think of his life’. Before making decisions how many times do we stop and think if it will be valuable for our lives? How many times do we stop and think about what will happen later? How many times do we think about our brothers and sisters are descendants of God? If we don’t think of them as descendants of God then who are they?
Are we different from Joseph’s brothers who wanted to kill him at all cost? Or are we similar to Judah who said, ‘don’t kill him’. You find in everyday life that people don’t forgive, people say, ‘He deserves to reap what he has sown’.
Recently in New Zealand a woman didn’t take her child to the hospital to be treated for sickness because she believed that faith would heal the baby but the baby died. Judgment came and the lady and her husband were arrested. The newspaper asked people what they thought of it and a Christian said, ‘I’m a Christian like them but I cannot neglect my child for my belief, although I believe in God my child has more importance then what I believe’. Others would say, ‘they have to be punished so it can be a lesson for others’. A young girl who was 11 years old said, ‘from time to time we ask our parents to forgive us and they do, so why can’t we forgive this family, maybe it was God’s will for this child to die?’ While adults thought of punishment a young girl thinks of forgiveness. This is the mistake of the church today; it thinks of revenge and keeps old things in their hearts, although they say I forgive you with their lips, deep in their hearts it is still remembered.
It is like someone who has a scar from a cut, we must not keep the scars others have made, but to do as God does and that is to forgive and forget completely. Judah said to his brothers, ‘what shall we gain if we kill our brother and cover his blood? What interests do you have with your actions? When we punish others what is your interest in all of it?
Adolph Hitler was an evil man on this earth. He was a famous man who thought death was like scratching his head, but what did he gain in all of this? Maybe he killed to protect himself, maybe he killed to reign, maybe he killed to have a reputation in the world, but what did he win in all of this after his death? What he used to kill is kept in a museum, and all the evil he had done was passed down to his descendants. Why do I talk about Hitler? Because sometimes we can do things that will have consequences later, maybe in our children’s lives or grandchildren’s because for God if you do something today He might punish up to the fourth generation. What will you gain if you do something bad to the person next to you? What will happen if you die tomorrow and he/she is still alive? What if your child will see him and ask for his help? What will that person do? He’ll say, ‘ah, remember what your father did’. This child is innocent but is now the victim, so as human beings we have to be very careful with what we do, because other people will reap everything we sow later.
For example if Albert invested today $50,000,000 in his bank account, when he is 150 years old is son will inherit the money. Who will say to Albert’s son that he is not entitled to this money? Nobody. With God our actions are the same thing, when we do good God blesses our families, but if we do bad the devil destroys everything we have including our families.
Joseph humiliated himself and didn’t say a word. How many times do we humiliate ourselves in a situation? There was a young boy who knew everything, as soon as he spoke he would say, ‘it’s not that’ to the point where his mum said, ‘you are my son’, but he said, ‘no you are not’ and it became a long discussion. His mother regretted having such a son. When his parents spoke to him about respect he wanted to know why he had to be taught about respect. His parents told him they sacrificed time, money and resources for his well being. The son told them he would pay back everything they did for them. The father looked at his wife and started crying, the son said ‘crying or no crying make this list for me and show it tomorrow, because I know you have done absolutely nothing for my life’. So the father went into the boy’s room while he was at work, and did a bowel motion on his bed, and before doing it he made sure he had eaten ample.
The son came back from work in the evening and could smell something wasn’t normal, so he started becoming angry. He went to his room and found the mess on his bed. His father laughed and asked him, ‘what is wrong my son’? ‘I believe there are sorcerers among our servants because I’ve found faeces in my bed, and it hasn’t come from a child but an adult’. The father called his wife and said to him, ‘we are just showing you what we had to do for you while you lived with us’. So what did this young man gain by boasting about knowing everything? What was the parents’ interest in what they did?
Don’t act like this father did when someone does wrong against you, it was a silly act but he thought it was a lesson for his son. Many Christians act in revenge and become rebellious. Your actions can put a person in a difficult situation but God will look at you and say, ‘you are putting shame on yourself’. We have to be careful as Christians and ask ourselves, what will we gain from doing this? We must always remember Jacob’s marriage and meditate on it, we can also keep in mind how Jacob’s brothers were with him and against him, we have to consider Joseph’s obedience to Jacob, we have to think about the baggage we bring to others and we have to act like Judah who always asked himself, ‘what shall we gain in all of this’?
In everything you do ask yourself this question. We have to commit to memory Joseph’s humility, although we are attacked by our surroundings we have to control ourselves and shut our mouths. Pray in general for all the Christians who act like the 10 brothers of Joseph that don’t want to recognize the value of a soul.
Joseph was a man like you and me. God loved him and always wanted to be near him. So how was Joseph different from us? The only difference was that Joseph obeyed the Word of God. It means that when you obey God’s Word He will obey you, and if you want to become God’s friend just obey His word. Before talking about Joseph who was Joseph’s mum? In the Bible there are 6 Josephs but we are talking about the first Joseph in Genesis 30:24.
She named him Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”
We have the meaning of Joseph, ‘to give again, but who was Joseph’s mum? Rachel. Who was Rachel’s father? Laban, and who was Laban to Jacob? Laban was Jacob’s uncle and Jacob married Laban’s two daughters. Jacob was in love with Rachel and worked a lot for her favor. However when time came for Jacob to marry Rachel, Jacob woke up to find Leah next to him because women wear veils when being married. Imagine that you love someone who is beautiful but you are given someone who isn’t.
Why did Laban’s family decide to cheat Jacob when they were all a family of believers? It’s because they believed in Jewish law, the Jewish law didn’t allow the younger daughter to be married before the older daughter. According to theology Leah hadn’t met anyone that told her, “I love you”, and it was hard for her and the family. Imagine marrying someone you don’t know or love? What kind of wedding will it be? Would it be possible to marry without love? No!
For us Christians today we call Jesus our husband when we don’t even love Him. Jesus loved the world so much He gave His life, now He is waiting for us to express love back. We can tell others that we love Jesus but love is not about words.
1 John 3:16-18, this is how we know what love is, that Jesus Christ lay down His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need and but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth
The acts we do must express our love for others. What are the good acts that we show Jesus? This proves that we don’t love Him, unless your conscious talks to you and says your acts are good. So Jacob married two women but his true love was towards Rachel and the artificial love was towards Leah. Sometimes we pretend to love. I remember a guy who was handsome, and because he was good-looking an old lady liked him. This old lady was very rich. So the young boy said because I’m poor and this lady is rich, I’ll just pretend to love her. Deep in his heart he would abuse her for the old lady was really ugly, but because she was rich the young man loved her, but his love was artificial and full of hypocrisy.
Everywhere they would go the lady declared this is my husband and the husband would smile and say, yes I’m her husband but deep in his heart he thought, why does she tell everyone I’m her husband. As the young man became comfortable he started looking for younger girls and found a girl that he loved.
When he was with her he would open his heart, but when he came back to the old lady it was just flattery. This is the way Christians love Jesus Christ today, on one side you have the world and on the other side Jesus.
Jacob begot 12 children and Joseph was the eleventh child of the family. Although Leah wasn’t pretty she still gave birth to many children, whereas Rachel who was beautiful hardly begot any children. How many children did Rachel have to Jacob? Joseph and Benjamin.
Jacob loved these two children more than Leah’s children. Joseph had to stay with his parents a lot while his other brothers went out to work. One day Jacob told Joseph to visit his brothers. Joseph was a child who obeyed his parents and never opposed what they would say. Like Christians today, we are children of God and we obey His Word, but if you don’t obey His Word we had better consider it. Since Joseph obeyed his father he would send him far away. Once he arrived his brothers were happy to see him.
What did Joseph bring with him? He took food for them. It wasn’t about belongings they liked but useful things for their lives. What kind of things do we bring to others? Is it constructive for their spiritual lives or not? When we have visitors we often ask them what they would like to drink, and some people ask for beer. In some Christian homes you’ll see beer in their fridge, and if someone asks them for one they will give them one and say, ‘the Bible doesn’t mention about drinking beer so here you are’. But there is a verse in Habakkuk 2:15, Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors. Woe to the one who offers alcoholic drink to anyone.
Secondly, Christians are ready to give you a photo album and show you, but it is hard for them to open their Bibles and show photos in it. The Bible has the best photos, it shows you what is inside of yourself, but with normal photos you see just the physical.
So Joseph went to see his brothers. His brothers forgot about the good food he brought and plotted to kill him. Do we acknowledge as Christians what God does with us? Do we realize that Jesus love was manifested on the cross for us? Do we realize how much our brothers and sisters look after our lives? What is the reward we give them? What kind of thankfulness do we express?
Joseph found himself nailed, he thought he was finished but one of his brothers said, ‘we will not kill him for he is our brother and we are all from the same descendants, so we have to be gracious and think of his life’. Before making decisions how many times do we stop and think if it will be valuable for our lives? How many times do we stop and think about what will happen later? How many times do we think about our brothers and sisters are descendants of God? If we don’t think of them as descendants of God then who are they?
Are we different from Joseph’s brothers who wanted to kill him at all cost? Or are we similar to Judah who said, ‘don’t kill him’. You find in everyday life that people don’t forgive, people say, ‘He deserves to reap what he has sown’.
Recently in New Zealand a woman didn’t take her child to the hospital to be treated for sickness because she believed that faith would heal the baby but the baby died. Judgment came and the lady and her husband were arrested. The newspaper asked people what they thought of it and a Christian said, ‘I’m a Christian like them but I cannot neglect my child for my belief, although I believe in God my child has more importance then what I believe’. Others would say, ‘they have to be punished so it can be a lesson for others’. A young girl who was 11 years old said, ‘from time to time we ask our parents to forgive us and they do, so why can’t we forgive this family, maybe it was God’s will for this child to die?’ While adults thought of punishment a young girl thinks of forgiveness. This is the mistake of the church today; it thinks of revenge and keeps old things in their hearts, although they say I forgive you with their lips, deep in their hearts it is still remembered.
It is like someone who has a scar from a cut, we must not keep the scars others have made, but to do as God does and that is to forgive and forget completely. Judah said to his brothers, ‘what shall we gain if we kill our brother and cover his blood? What interests do you have with your actions? When we punish others what is your interest in all of it?
Adolph Hitler was an evil man on this earth. He was a famous man who thought death was like scratching his head, but what did he gain in all of this? Maybe he killed to protect himself, maybe he killed to reign, maybe he killed to have a reputation in the world, but what did he win in all of this after his death? What he used to kill is kept in a museum, and all the evil he had done was passed down to his descendants. Why do I talk about Hitler? Because sometimes we can do things that will have consequences later, maybe in our children’s lives or grandchildren’s because for God if you do something today He might punish up to the fourth generation. What will you gain if you do something bad to the person next to you? What will happen if you die tomorrow and he/she is still alive? What if your child will see him and ask for his help? What will that person do? He’ll say, ‘ah, remember what your father did’. This child is innocent but is now the victim, so as human beings we have to be very careful with what we do, because other people will reap everything we sow later.
For example if Albert invested today $50,000,000 in his bank account, when he is 150 years old is son will inherit the money. Who will say to Albert’s son that he is not entitled to this money? Nobody. With God our actions are the same thing, when we do good God blesses our families, but if we do bad the devil destroys everything we have including our families.
Joseph humiliated himself and didn’t say a word. How many times do we humiliate ourselves in a situation? There was a young boy who knew everything, as soon as he spoke he would say, ‘it’s not that’ to the point where his mum said, ‘you are my son’, but he said, ‘no you are not’ and it became a long discussion. His mother regretted having such a son. When his parents spoke to him about respect he wanted to know why he had to be taught about respect. His parents told him they sacrificed time, money and resources for his well being. The son told them he would pay back everything they did for them. The father looked at his wife and started crying, the son said ‘crying or no crying make this list for me and show it tomorrow, because I know you have done absolutely nothing for my life’. So the father went into the boy’s room while he was at work, and did a bowel motion on his bed, and before doing it he made sure he had eaten ample.
The son came back from work in the evening and could smell something wasn’t normal, so he started becoming angry. He went to his room and found the mess on his bed. His father laughed and asked him, ‘what is wrong my son’? ‘I believe there are sorcerers among our servants because I’ve found faeces in my bed, and it hasn’t come from a child but an adult’. The father called his wife and said to him, ‘we are just showing you what we had to do for you while you lived with us’. So what did this young man gain by boasting about knowing everything? What was the parents’ interest in what they did?
Don’t act like this father did when someone does wrong against you, it was a silly act but he thought it was a lesson for his son. Many Christians act in revenge and become rebellious. Your actions can put a person in a difficult situation but God will look at you and say, ‘you are putting shame on yourself’. We have to be careful as Christians and ask ourselves, what will we gain from doing this? We must always remember Jacob’s marriage and meditate on it, we can also keep in mind how Jacob’s brothers were with him and against him, we have to consider Joseph’s obedience to Jacob, we have to think about the baggage we bring to others and we have to act like Judah who always asked himself, ‘what shall we gain in all of this’?
In everything you do ask yourself this question. We have to commit to memory Joseph’s humility, although we are attacked by our surroundings we have to control ourselves and shut our mouths. Pray in general for all the Christians who act like the 10 brothers of Joseph that don’t want to recognize the value of a soul.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Joseph, Husband of Mary (part III)
By Odon Bulamba (6 December 2002)
Luke 2:1-7 1
Joseph left Nazareth to go to Bethlehem because that’s where he belonged. Once he arrived the Bible says that all the hostels were full. Joseph didn’t worry but continued to look around knocking on doors. Mary was ready to give birth but Joseph didn’t know where to go. Joseph decided to forget about looking for a comfortable room so the Spirit of God helped him to know where the animals lived. By now Mary was exhausted and gave birth. Joseph on the other hand wasn’t ashamed that his wife gave birth around cows not to mention the smell, “that’s the place where God gave us, so let it be”. When you have a problem with your brother do you look for a room or advice elsewhere? Do you help that person by prayer or do you forget completely?
Today the church is living in luxury; they can’t even kneel down and ask for forgiveness to their God, they think that their expensive pants will become dirty. This is a time where God wants to do something in your life, when Joseph was looking around for a room was the time where the pain of childbirth would increase. We must be ready for any situation, and if God gives us a situation that doesn’t please us we must accept it. Don’t doubt because you cannot flee. When God blesses people they only want positive things that are good for the body.
One day God asked a servant if he wanted a blessing, so the man said yes Jesus I’m ready. Jesus said that your blessing is one you’ll cherish because those who are true to Me want it so much, so Jesus said that the man was going to die tonight, that’s the blessing. The man told God it wasn’t a blessing so God asked him if it was a curse. So what is it? God blessed this man by allowing him to enter the kingdom but as for the servant he was expecting something material like money etc. This was a time of decision; do you reject the blessing God offers?
God teaches us a lot of things while we are alive. Last night I thought about the birth of a child. When a child is born nobody pushes him or her out of the womb, instead they know when the time has come to leave the womb. If it’s cold or hot the child will leave, although painfully it will be born. A child decides to see the world. God needs people who can make up their minds so that they will go to His census. Of course the traveling is long and there are many problems or routes along the way, but we have to make up our minds to reach the goal that God loves.
There is a tribe in North Africa that says a man without a decision is a goat without a head because a goat without a head is not a goat but a dying goat. As for us Christians we have to make up our minds, do I belong to God or not? If yes then belong to God from now on. When we make mistakes let’s accept they are mistakes and make them to be transformed. If someone tells you your mistakes know that this person loves you.
So accept your weaknesses and when someone talks about your weaknesses be happy, and this will help you to be transformed. Do not become angry or say that it is finished between you and that person, but be ready to accept other people’s advice. Joseph accepted what God told him through a dream, even though he could have rejected the dream and said it was only a dream he humbled himself for God’s glory. To have people come to you and say that this is your problem is a grace because God sends people that we can actually see and not always in a dream. Don’t we find that we have a better grace than Joseph? Maybe Joseph was confused because it was dream but as for us we see people who talk to us. God loves us with grace. Look after your engagement because sometimes as you know it can be broken. Jesus is always faithful and to be faithful to Jesus is just to make up your mind, a decision.
Pray that everyone will know his or her country of origin and that God will help us to know where we come from, also to be faithful to your engagement and know that God is in other people’s lives.
Luke 2:1-7 1
Joseph left Nazareth to go to Bethlehem because that’s where he belonged. Once he arrived the Bible says that all the hostels were full. Joseph didn’t worry but continued to look around knocking on doors. Mary was ready to give birth but Joseph didn’t know where to go. Joseph decided to forget about looking for a comfortable room so the Spirit of God helped him to know where the animals lived. By now Mary was exhausted and gave birth. Joseph on the other hand wasn’t ashamed that his wife gave birth around cows not to mention the smell, “that’s the place where God gave us, so let it be”. When you have a problem with your brother do you look for a room or advice elsewhere? Do you help that person by prayer or do you forget completely?
Today the church is living in luxury; they can’t even kneel down and ask for forgiveness to their God, they think that their expensive pants will become dirty. This is a time where God wants to do something in your life, when Joseph was looking around for a room was the time where the pain of childbirth would increase. We must be ready for any situation, and if God gives us a situation that doesn’t please us we must accept it. Don’t doubt because you cannot flee. When God blesses people they only want positive things that are good for the body.
One day God asked a servant if he wanted a blessing, so the man said yes Jesus I’m ready. Jesus said that your blessing is one you’ll cherish because those who are true to Me want it so much, so Jesus said that the man was going to die tonight, that’s the blessing. The man told God it wasn’t a blessing so God asked him if it was a curse. So what is it? God blessed this man by allowing him to enter the kingdom but as for the servant he was expecting something material like money etc. This was a time of decision; do you reject the blessing God offers?
God teaches us a lot of things while we are alive. Last night I thought about the birth of a child. When a child is born nobody pushes him or her out of the womb, instead they know when the time has come to leave the womb. If it’s cold or hot the child will leave, although painfully it will be born. A child decides to see the world. God needs people who can make up their minds so that they will go to His census. Of course the traveling is long and there are many problems or routes along the way, but we have to make up our minds to reach the goal that God loves.
There is a tribe in North Africa that says a man without a decision is a goat without a head because a goat without a head is not a goat but a dying goat. As for us Christians we have to make up our minds, do I belong to God or not? If yes then belong to God from now on. When we make mistakes let’s accept they are mistakes and make them to be transformed. If someone tells you your mistakes know that this person loves you.
So accept your weaknesses and when someone talks about your weaknesses be happy, and this will help you to be transformed. Do not become angry or say that it is finished between you and that person, but be ready to accept other people’s advice. Joseph accepted what God told him through a dream, even though he could have rejected the dream and said it was only a dream he humbled himself for God’s glory. To have people come to you and say that this is your problem is a grace because God sends people that we can actually see and not always in a dream. Don’t we find that we have a better grace than Joseph? Maybe Joseph was confused because it was dream but as for us we see people who talk to us. God loves us with grace. Look after your engagement because sometimes as you know it can be broken. Jesus is always faithful and to be faithful to Jesus is just to make up your mind, a decision.
Pray that everyone will know his or her country of origin and that God will help us to know where we come from, also to be faithful to your engagement and know that God is in other people’s lives.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Joseph, Husband of Mary (part II)
By Odon Bulamba (6 December 2002)
Luke 2:1-7 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Jewish culture condemned any women conceiving before marriage and was to be stoned or cast out. If Mary had been cast out of her parent’s house she would have had to stay at Joseph’s place, so Joseph had to accept everyone’s mockery and during this time Joseph didn’t have the right to touch Mary.
As we know with census everybody fills out forms for something the government has organized. In the time of Augustus everybody had to be registered and during this period a lot of people traveled. A lot of people today forget their origin and where they are from. The Bible says clearly that we are not from this earth; we have a country of origin that is not the earth. Now God is ordering a census to count those who are His own, so do you know your country of origin? Do you remember where you came from? Did your parents talk to you about your origin?
All the black people in America try to find out where they are from, one day they think they are from Zimbabwe and the next day Nigeria, so why is this? When their ancestors left Africa they only knew the name of their country and village at that time, and when colonization happened the names of their areas changed. What their ancestors knew before had now become obsolete and because of this it has put a lot of people in a state of confusion. Today democracy and technology destroy the church, biblical verses are changed and what was written yesterday is not written today.
The demonic colonization is destroying the church of God today, if you were to ask a Christian if he or she is a Christian they won’t know. If you ask Christians today whether they are saved or not, they are not sure. People today don’t feel like going to church or reading the Bible, if nobody pushes them they won’t move, they think it’s better to play soccer or tennis. They do this instead of trying to find their place of origin. Blessed was Joseph because he knew that he came from David’s lineage.
One day I was asked what was the name of my grandfather?; I didn’t know that my own name was that of my grandfather. It was because of negligence that I didn’t know and as for us Christians today we neglect the Word of God. We know that Jesus was born and we think this is enough, but why was Jesus born? Why was it that a virgin gave birth to Jesus? Why was Jesus born in a stable? Why was Jesus poor? Why was Jesus chosen as a descendant of David because David wasn’t His father? Why is Jesus called the Messiah? Why are we calling Him Lord when He is not a king? Or where is this kingdom because we cannot see it on earth? Today these little questions are not even thought about when Christians read the Word, they only think of the Bible as a book that has stories in it. Instead of asking questions they keep silent.
Will God recognize that you are from His descendants? Or will He be confused? Do you want God to start questioning you? God gives us time to know Him and to understand the kingdom of heaven. He gives us time to worship Him by reading the Bible and getting to know His Son, so it’s up to us to know our responsibilities. We as Christians must always remember that God is our father and our origin. Joseph knew where he was from, so he took Mary to the census while she was 9 months pregnant.
Do you know the distance between Nazarene and Bethlehem? It is far, and because Joseph wasn’t rich he couldn’t hire a horse but a donkey, and you know the stubbornness of a donkey. A donkey doesn’t respect his master especially when they are tired. Although Joseph knew how donkeys are he still accepted to put up with it. So he put Mary on it. Joseph was patient and tolerant with the donkey. He knew that Mary was going to be heavy for the donkey so he understood what the donkey was going through. Joseph also knew that his donkey was proud but he found a way to walk with it. However, the three of them walked together.
As for us Christians we have to live this way. When others are going through a tough time and have burdens as Mary did (pregnant), we must help them and take them where there is a census of God. We must take them to God and tell Him that this person belongs to You Lord. This happens through our prayers and putting the Word of God into practice. Joseph remembered the Word of God. He could have let Mary walk but he knew that Mary was carrying the savior of the world; even though he was tired he didn’t let the savior of the world suffer for his own comfort. Joseph accepted to suffer. When the donkey was thirsty it was up to Joseph to get it a drink.
We must know how to walk with others. For us Christians we have a problem. If someone is a sinner we don’t want to become his or her friend, when someone doesn’t have the same spiritual level, we despise that person. Joseph was always there to help Mary; even though some pregnant women can be fussy Joseph was very patient for he knew the value that was in Mary. Do you know that the Lord is in the womb of others? When you see someone do you really feel that God is in that person? If God is in that person you must look after him or her, that’s why God says you must love your neighbor. Although that person may be weak and have limits, you must take him or her to a place where it will please God.
The donkey is the body we bear as we go on a trip around earth. Who can say that their body is not proud? Who can say that their body is not precious? Who can say that when you want to do something the body always accepts? Sometimes we have to understand the will of our body but we don’t have to respect it. Joseph and Mary would talk together but they wouldn’t talk to the donkey. We don’t have to tell our bodies to have a rest and be free, no! You must speak to the spirit within yourself. “Spirit of God help me that I may overcome this body, that I may go up to the place of census”.
If your body needs clothing give it clothing, if your body needs water then give it water, but your body will never be satisfied, it is there only for a limited time. Joseph didn’t use the donkey for the rest of his life; he just used it for the trip. For us Christians we only use the body for the trip on earth because at the end of our trip the body will stay behind and we will arrive at our destination. If you give too much importance to your body, you will risk to not be counted by God in the census. In the census they didn’t count donkeys or camels, only people. The man is not the physical body but the real man is inside; the soul. Our bodies only help us to do God’s will and that’s it, and once God’s will is done the body’s mission is finished.
Luke 2:1-7 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Jewish culture condemned any women conceiving before marriage and was to be stoned or cast out. If Mary had been cast out of her parent’s house she would have had to stay at Joseph’s place, so Joseph had to accept everyone’s mockery and during this time Joseph didn’t have the right to touch Mary.
As we know with census everybody fills out forms for something the government has organized. In the time of Augustus everybody had to be registered and during this period a lot of people traveled. A lot of people today forget their origin and where they are from. The Bible says clearly that we are not from this earth; we have a country of origin that is not the earth. Now God is ordering a census to count those who are His own, so do you know your country of origin? Do you remember where you came from? Did your parents talk to you about your origin?
All the black people in America try to find out where they are from, one day they think they are from Zimbabwe and the next day Nigeria, so why is this? When their ancestors left Africa they only knew the name of their country and village at that time, and when colonization happened the names of their areas changed. What their ancestors knew before had now become obsolete and because of this it has put a lot of people in a state of confusion. Today democracy and technology destroy the church, biblical verses are changed and what was written yesterday is not written today.
The demonic colonization is destroying the church of God today, if you were to ask a Christian if he or she is a Christian they won’t know. If you ask Christians today whether they are saved or not, they are not sure. People today don’t feel like going to church or reading the Bible, if nobody pushes them they won’t move, they think it’s better to play soccer or tennis. They do this instead of trying to find their place of origin. Blessed was Joseph because he knew that he came from David’s lineage.
One day I was asked what was the name of my grandfather?; I didn’t know that my own name was that of my grandfather. It was because of negligence that I didn’t know and as for us Christians today we neglect the Word of God. We know that Jesus was born and we think this is enough, but why was Jesus born? Why was it that a virgin gave birth to Jesus? Why was Jesus born in a stable? Why was Jesus poor? Why was Jesus chosen as a descendant of David because David wasn’t His father? Why is Jesus called the Messiah? Why are we calling Him Lord when He is not a king? Or where is this kingdom because we cannot see it on earth? Today these little questions are not even thought about when Christians read the Word, they only think of the Bible as a book that has stories in it. Instead of asking questions they keep silent.
Will God recognize that you are from His descendants? Or will He be confused? Do you want God to start questioning you? God gives us time to know Him and to understand the kingdom of heaven. He gives us time to worship Him by reading the Bible and getting to know His Son, so it’s up to us to know our responsibilities. We as Christians must always remember that God is our father and our origin. Joseph knew where he was from, so he took Mary to the census while she was 9 months pregnant.
Do you know the distance between Nazarene and Bethlehem? It is far, and because Joseph wasn’t rich he couldn’t hire a horse but a donkey, and you know the stubbornness of a donkey. A donkey doesn’t respect his master especially when they are tired. Although Joseph knew how donkeys are he still accepted to put up with it. So he put Mary on it. Joseph was patient and tolerant with the donkey. He knew that Mary was going to be heavy for the donkey so he understood what the donkey was going through. Joseph also knew that his donkey was proud but he found a way to walk with it. However, the three of them walked together.
As for us Christians we have to live this way. When others are going through a tough time and have burdens as Mary did (pregnant), we must help them and take them where there is a census of God. We must take them to God and tell Him that this person belongs to You Lord. This happens through our prayers and putting the Word of God into practice. Joseph remembered the Word of God. He could have let Mary walk but he knew that Mary was carrying the savior of the world; even though he was tired he didn’t let the savior of the world suffer for his own comfort. Joseph accepted to suffer. When the donkey was thirsty it was up to Joseph to get it a drink.
We must know how to walk with others. For us Christians we have a problem. If someone is a sinner we don’t want to become his or her friend, when someone doesn’t have the same spiritual level, we despise that person. Joseph was always there to help Mary; even though some pregnant women can be fussy Joseph was very patient for he knew the value that was in Mary. Do you know that the Lord is in the womb of others? When you see someone do you really feel that God is in that person? If God is in that person you must look after him or her, that’s why God says you must love your neighbor. Although that person may be weak and have limits, you must take him or her to a place where it will please God.
The donkey is the body we bear as we go on a trip around earth. Who can say that their body is not proud? Who can say that their body is not precious? Who can say that when you want to do something the body always accepts? Sometimes we have to understand the will of our body but we don’t have to respect it. Joseph and Mary would talk together but they wouldn’t talk to the donkey. We don’t have to tell our bodies to have a rest and be free, no! You must speak to the spirit within yourself. “Spirit of God help me that I may overcome this body, that I may go up to the place of census”.
If your body needs clothing give it clothing, if your body needs water then give it water, but your body will never be satisfied, it is there only for a limited time. Joseph didn’t use the donkey for the rest of his life; he just used it for the trip. For us Christians we only use the body for the trip on earth because at the end of our trip the body will stay behind and we will arrive at our destination. If you give too much importance to your body, you will risk to not be counted by God in the census. In the census they didn’t count donkeys or camels, only people. The man is not the physical body but the real man is inside; the soul. Our bodies only help us to do God’s will and that’s it, and once God’s will is done the body’s mission is finished.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Joseph, Husband of Mary
By Odon Bulamba (6 December 2002)
Matthew 1:18-21, 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
It is a joy to read this passage because there is many things it can teach us. It’s not only about Jesus’ birth but it teaches us also about our spiritual lives as Christians. Through these verses we can find our spiritual birth, spiritual frame and the power of the Holy Spirit in Christian life. The life we live on earth doesn’t come in a draft copy because once it is finished you cannot go back to correct your mistakes. It is not a life with pencils and rubbers when you can write whatever you want. You cannot erase life, when you leave it, you leave it forever. You cannot say that tonight you’ll sleep in the same position as last night because what we do today never comes again.
Joseph feared God and tried to live according to God’s will, to the point where he put God first in everything. Joseph became engaged to Mary, which is a normal thing. When you first become engaged the world is centered between you and your partner. When you love your partner you can forget to eat, forget your parents and this is normal for people in love. After this you start planning you future life together.
As Christians today we are the fiancées of Jesus Christ, unfortunately we don’t have any plans for our future because we often forget our lover who is Jesus Christ. Often things we love on earth distract us, so we put Jesus aside. When we love someone as our husband or wife we usually stop to think about that person. You can have 1000 positive ideals about your partner because of the love you have.
Joseph loved Mary but his love was limited to a certain level, but Jesus who loves His church loves it with eternal love. So what kind of love does the church give back to Jesus? What kind of love do you give back to Jesus? How often do we think about Jesus? How many times do you dream about Jesus? If you have a fiancée but don’t think about him or her, then who are you? Will people say that you really love your fiancée? It means that you don’t love because when you love someone you think about that person, which is normal behavior. When Christians today get close to Jesus they don’t know what to say to Him, and when Jesus looks at us we don’t know what to tell Him.
Joseph was disappointed and confused when he knew that Mary was pregnant but what could he do? What kind of attitude do we have when we are disappointed with our brothers or sisters? Do we moan and cry before man? Do we become accusers? Do we lose control? Maybe what your brother did to you was a test that God did through him. For Joseph it was a test and he didn’t know what to do. Joseph wanted to decide something but God told him that it wasn’t up to himself to decide. Joseph wanted to stop everything but God told him it wasn’t the right solution, so God told him that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that his wife, Mary became pregnant.
So God told him not to flee or leave her, but to carry on respecting her. Imagine living with your fiancée who has disappointed you but you have to keep on living with that person, it is not too easy. When we are tempted we are not called to tell everyone about it, when we are tested we are not called to become angry and frustrated by the situation. Do not complain, keep silent and control your tongue, and when you do these things it will help you to start thinking. We are not to flee the situation at hand, but we are to do what is written in the book of 1 Peter 5:7, cast all your burdens unto the Lord because He loves you. When we have a problem take it to Jesus, and if there is a situation beyond our understanding take it Jesus. Doing this will help us to know whether or not it was a test or a temptation.
Because Joseph accepted to stay with Mary he also accepted the consequences. For some men it is not easy to stay with their wives while they’re pregnant, and some even go away for 9 months. Women can be dangerous while pregnant and some treat their husbands harshly. I know a brother who said he was treated more harshly than the Israelites under Pharaoh. Joseph put up with everything and the Bible says he didn’t talk about Mary being pregnant. Maybe people asked him about his wife but Joseph always had a good answer. He never accused the Holy Spirit or mocked his wife’s pregnancy.
Matthew 1:18-21, 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
It is a joy to read this passage because there is many things it can teach us. It’s not only about Jesus’ birth but it teaches us also about our spiritual lives as Christians. Through these verses we can find our spiritual birth, spiritual frame and the power of the Holy Spirit in Christian life. The life we live on earth doesn’t come in a draft copy because once it is finished you cannot go back to correct your mistakes. It is not a life with pencils and rubbers when you can write whatever you want. You cannot erase life, when you leave it, you leave it forever. You cannot say that tonight you’ll sleep in the same position as last night because what we do today never comes again.
Joseph feared God and tried to live according to God’s will, to the point where he put God first in everything. Joseph became engaged to Mary, which is a normal thing. When you first become engaged the world is centered between you and your partner. When you love your partner you can forget to eat, forget your parents and this is normal for people in love. After this you start planning you future life together.
As Christians today we are the fiancées of Jesus Christ, unfortunately we don’t have any plans for our future because we often forget our lover who is Jesus Christ. Often things we love on earth distract us, so we put Jesus aside. When we love someone as our husband or wife we usually stop to think about that person. You can have 1000 positive ideals about your partner because of the love you have.
Joseph loved Mary but his love was limited to a certain level, but Jesus who loves His church loves it with eternal love. So what kind of love does the church give back to Jesus? What kind of love do you give back to Jesus? How often do we think about Jesus? How many times do you dream about Jesus? If you have a fiancée but don’t think about him or her, then who are you? Will people say that you really love your fiancée? It means that you don’t love because when you love someone you think about that person, which is normal behavior. When Christians today get close to Jesus they don’t know what to say to Him, and when Jesus looks at us we don’t know what to tell Him.
Joseph was disappointed and confused when he knew that Mary was pregnant but what could he do? What kind of attitude do we have when we are disappointed with our brothers or sisters? Do we moan and cry before man? Do we become accusers? Do we lose control? Maybe what your brother did to you was a test that God did through him. For Joseph it was a test and he didn’t know what to do. Joseph wanted to decide something but God told him that it wasn’t up to himself to decide. Joseph wanted to stop everything but God told him it wasn’t the right solution, so God told him that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that his wife, Mary became pregnant.
So God told him not to flee or leave her, but to carry on respecting her. Imagine living with your fiancée who has disappointed you but you have to keep on living with that person, it is not too easy. When we are tempted we are not called to tell everyone about it, when we are tested we are not called to become angry and frustrated by the situation. Do not complain, keep silent and control your tongue, and when you do these things it will help you to start thinking. We are not to flee the situation at hand, but we are to do what is written in the book of 1 Peter 5:7, cast all your burdens unto the Lord because He loves you. When we have a problem take it to Jesus, and if there is a situation beyond our understanding take it Jesus. Doing this will help us to know whether or not it was a test or a temptation.
Because Joseph accepted to stay with Mary he also accepted the consequences. For some men it is not easy to stay with their wives while they’re pregnant, and some even go away for 9 months. Women can be dangerous while pregnant and some treat their husbands harshly. I know a brother who said he was treated more harshly than the Israelites under Pharaoh. Joseph put up with everything and the Bible says he didn’t talk about Mary being pregnant. Maybe people asked him about his wife but Joseph always had a good answer. He never accused the Holy Spirit or mocked his wife’s pregnancy.
Joy After Birth Pains
By Odon Bulamba (4 January 2002)
The Bible says there is a time to eat, a time to walk, a time to look forward and a time to look back, and in the end we will be judged.
John 16:19-21. Jesus saw that they wanted to ask Him about this, so He said to them, are you asking one another what I meant when I said, in a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me? I tell you the truth; you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come: but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
We all ask ourselves when will Jesus come back, and when will our ministries come to pass? You may be waiting for the answer but Jesus replied to His disciples, “In a short time you will see Me again”, so do not ask yourself any questions because you risk to doubt. The more you doubt the more you lose your patience and you will grieve everyday. We will never see last year again, so now it may be a time to reap what you have sown. If you mourned last year now it is time to laugh because Jesus promised that your mourning would be turned into joy.
Are you still sad because of what happened to you last year? Are your problems still bothering you from last year? Does the hardship your family caused you last year still bother you? Does suffering still have room in your life? Does lack of money or lack of courage still have room in your heart? Do you collaborate with your brothers? It is now time to think about what happened last year. So are the problems you had last year still mixed in you this year? Jesus gave us an authority, what we bind of earth will be bound in heaven, so why can’t you bind your problems from last year and start a new year with joy? Why can’t you bind your problems from last year to start a new victorious year?
When a woman is in labour she has pain because her hour has come, but when she gives birth to a child she no longer remembers her anguish because her child has be born into the world.
You might be suffering now but after that comes joy. Before you can get a solution there is always a time of trouble before it. A few hours before mum gives birth she goes through hardship, and life is also like this. For us Christians we also have the pain of birth. When Jesus redeemed us He suffered on the cross. The Bible says that God rested after creation, so when we work hard to the point of exhaustion we have to renew our strength. If Steve needs $100,000 and we pray for him but he has no answer, where will his pain lead him? When will we receive the birth we have asked for?
The church of God is like a woman; when she gives birth to a child it is a joy. In the Bible there are examples of women who couldn’t have children and they would cry out to God. It’s very painful for a childless woman to see other women with children, so woe to women who ask God to be barren. As a church of God we have to conceive, but to conceive we need a husband. The Bible gives us two kinds of fathers, the devil and God. If you marry the devil (John 8) and you conceive with him be sure that your children will be like him, but if you accept God as your father you will have good children.
How can you as the church give birth? How many times have you lead people to Jesus Christ? If you bring up your children with a pure heart your children will be pure, but if you have bitterness deep in your heart when you give birth you will face many problems.
Before a woman gives birth she goes through certain stages. One night I was observing the women who were pregnant in our group. Marcia would sit next to Steve so he could comfort her, and every time she needed something Steve would get it. Once we have conceived we really need Jesus Christ beside us, and in order for us to preach the gospel He needs to assist us, so in everything you do Jesus must be there.
Try to imagine a pregnant woman without anybody to help them, what will happen to her? She can plan her life but because of isolation or loneliness she might commit suicide, so if we use our own strength as Christians to change someone’s spiritual life we will burn out. When a lady is pregnant she becomes tired and her taste buds change. We must control our actions, thoughts and the way we walk, and above all this, ask the Holy Spirit to control your life. If you don’t ask the Holy Spirit to help you, you might throw up what you have eaten and when this happens you risk hating those around you like a pregnant woman who is troubled by giving birth.
It is not easy to punish a child while it is still in the womb, and when the children of God find new birth it is not easy to punish them because they are like eggs. You must be very careful not to break them because an egg doesn’t know if it has life. Once a woman has conceived she must protect the well being of her child and herself, so they must collaborate with each other. So why didn’t you have any collaboration between your brothers last year? Maybe your spiritual level is different to theirs, maybe the way you speak and the way they speak is quite the opposite, but they need to receive something from you so they can find new life.
Some children are born disabled, premature, still born, and some are born through surgery. As Christians we must not think that we will always have a normal birth, because sometimes things don’t go to plan. So how many things have happened since last year? What did you give to God, thinking that it would bear fruit but didn’t? If you gave birth to a stillborn what would you do? The first thing you will say is, what is wrong? Why is my child a stillborn? The doctor must give an answer to your questions.
How many people have you conceived spiritually but then had an abortion? How many people or children have we conceived to Jesus Christ who were premature? How many people are stillborn? What are you going to tell God about the people you have aborted? We have to go back to God and ask Him what happened. Is it your way of talking that is wrong? Is it your way of dressing? Is it your way of praying? So why are they stillborn?
We are the church of God and the Bible says that when a woman gives birth to a child she is happy, so where is the joy towards our brothers and sisters who use to pray with us? Where is our joy from the things we did last year? Where is our joy from last year’s prayers? If there is no joy what have you sown? Try to think about all the material hardship and spiritual hardship in your life and take it to God to find a solution. What is still bothering your conscience, moral or faith? Maybe you are distracted when the Word of God is preached, maybe you don’t listen, and maybe you can’t find time to pray at home, so when will it end?
When we were conceived spiritually we had the Word in us, so what is the problem with you? Why don’t you receive what you ask for? Is it because you were conceived by the devil who is the father of all lies, or did you conceive from God? If you were conceived by the devil you deceive yourself, but if you are conceived by the God of truth you will succeed.
So ask God to help you. Where you are weak my God give you strength, when you suffered may God give you joy, and if something went wrong last year may it stay in last year. Why do we pray to God if we don’t receive? Why do we pray if things are not fulfilled? Our God is not a liar. When we ask for sometime He will give it unless we have bad intentions or He doesn’t agree. Think about your life and what was wrong last year, did you suffer morally or financially? Ask God to help you find a solution so that you can have your joy back.
The Bible says there is a time to eat, a time to walk, a time to look forward and a time to look back, and in the end we will be judged.
John 16:19-21. Jesus saw that they wanted to ask Him about this, so He said to them, are you asking one another what I meant when I said, in a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me? I tell you the truth; you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come: but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
We all ask ourselves when will Jesus come back, and when will our ministries come to pass? You may be waiting for the answer but Jesus replied to His disciples, “In a short time you will see Me again”, so do not ask yourself any questions because you risk to doubt. The more you doubt the more you lose your patience and you will grieve everyday. We will never see last year again, so now it may be a time to reap what you have sown. If you mourned last year now it is time to laugh because Jesus promised that your mourning would be turned into joy.
Are you still sad because of what happened to you last year? Are your problems still bothering you from last year? Does the hardship your family caused you last year still bother you? Does suffering still have room in your life? Does lack of money or lack of courage still have room in your heart? Do you collaborate with your brothers? It is now time to think about what happened last year. So are the problems you had last year still mixed in you this year? Jesus gave us an authority, what we bind of earth will be bound in heaven, so why can’t you bind your problems from last year and start a new year with joy? Why can’t you bind your problems from last year to start a new victorious year?
When a woman is in labour she has pain because her hour has come, but when she gives birth to a child she no longer remembers her anguish because her child has be born into the world.
You might be suffering now but after that comes joy. Before you can get a solution there is always a time of trouble before it. A few hours before mum gives birth she goes through hardship, and life is also like this. For us Christians we also have the pain of birth. When Jesus redeemed us He suffered on the cross. The Bible says that God rested after creation, so when we work hard to the point of exhaustion we have to renew our strength. If Steve needs $100,000 and we pray for him but he has no answer, where will his pain lead him? When will we receive the birth we have asked for?
The church of God is like a woman; when she gives birth to a child it is a joy. In the Bible there are examples of women who couldn’t have children and they would cry out to God. It’s very painful for a childless woman to see other women with children, so woe to women who ask God to be barren. As a church of God we have to conceive, but to conceive we need a husband. The Bible gives us two kinds of fathers, the devil and God. If you marry the devil (John 8) and you conceive with him be sure that your children will be like him, but if you accept God as your father you will have good children.
How can you as the church give birth? How many times have you lead people to Jesus Christ? If you bring up your children with a pure heart your children will be pure, but if you have bitterness deep in your heart when you give birth you will face many problems.
Before a woman gives birth she goes through certain stages. One night I was observing the women who were pregnant in our group. Marcia would sit next to Steve so he could comfort her, and every time she needed something Steve would get it. Once we have conceived we really need Jesus Christ beside us, and in order for us to preach the gospel He needs to assist us, so in everything you do Jesus must be there.
Try to imagine a pregnant woman without anybody to help them, what will happen to her? She can plan her life but because of isolation or loneliness she might commit suicide, so if we use our own strength as Christians to change someone’s spiritual life we will burn out. When a lady is pregnant she becomes tired and her taste buds change. We must control our actions, thoughts and the way we walk, and above all this, ask the Holy Spirit to control your life. If you don’t ask the Holy Spirit to help you, you might throw up what you have eaten and when this happens you risk hating those around you like a pregnant woman who is troubled by giving birth.
It is not easy to punish a child while it is still in the womb, and when the children of God find new birth it is not easy to punish them because they are like eggs. You must be very careful not to break them because an egg doesn’t know if it has life. Once a woman has conceived she must protect the well being of her child and herself, so they must collaborate with each other. So why didn’t you have any collaboration between your brothers last year? Maybe your spiritual level is different to theirs, maybe the way you speak and the way they speak is quite the opposite, but they need to receive something from you so they can find new life.
Some children are born disabled, premature, still born, and some are born through surgery. As Christians we must not think that we will always have a normal birth, because sometimes things don’t go to plan. So how many things have happened since last year? What did you give to God, thinking that it would bear fruit but didn’t? If you gave birth to a stillborn what would you do? The first thing you will say is, what is wrong? Why is my child a stillborn? The doctor must give an answer to your questions.
How many people have you conceived spiritually but then had an abortion? How many people or children have we conceived to Jesus Christ who were premature? How many people are stillborn? What are you going to tell God about the people you have aborted? We have to go back to God and ask Him what happened. Is it your way of talking that is wrong? Is it your way of dressing? Is it your way of praying? So why are they stillborn?
We are the church of God and the Bible says that when a woman gives birth to a child she is happy, so where is the joy towards our brothers and sisters who use to pray with us? Where is our joy from the things we did last year? Where is our joy from last year’s prayers? If there is no joy what have you sown? Try to think about all the material hardship and spiritual hardship in your life and take it to God to find a solution. What is still bothering your conscience, moral or faith? Maybe you are distracted when the Word of God is preached, maybe you don’t listen, and maybe you can’t find time to pray at home, so when will it end?
When we were conceived spiritually we had the Word in us, so what is the problem with you? Why don’t you receive what you ask for? Is it because you were conceived by the devil who is the father of all lies, or did you conceive from God? If you were conceived by the devil you deceive yourself, but if you are conceived by the God of truth you will succeed.
So ask God to help you. Where you are weak my God give you strength, when you suffered may God give you joy, and if something went wrong last year may it stay in last year. Why do we pray to God if we don’t receive? Why do we pray if things are not fulfilled? Our God is not a liar. When we ask for sometime He will give it unless we have bad intentions or He doesn’t agree. Think about your life and what was wrong last year, did you suffer morally or financially? Ask God to help you find a solution so that you can have your joy back.
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