January 28, 2021 – I'm Following Jesus

King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Thursday, January 28, 2021
Chapters: Genesis 46-47
Message: Fear Not, Little Flock

Hello My Friend,

I remember growing up, because my father was never around nor provided for us, and my mother had three mouths to feed, that we ended up on welfare for a while. The welfare program was designed to help those who temporarily lost their income or had very little, get the food and necessities they needed until they found employment, it was never designed to be a lifelong provision. Somehow people have it in their heads that it is the governments job to take care of their welfare. Much of this has to do with our now having a government that wants its citizens to be solely dependent upon them. The problem with that is eventually they are going to require payment for that help, and it usually has to do with us becoming enslaved to them. There is so much talk about slavery lately, well, this is how it all starts, and we need to stop putting our trust in the corrupt government to provide for us, and start trusting God, [Luke 12:29-32 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.]

If there is any lesson to be learned about the importance of not putting your trust in the government to take care of your every need it is the how both the Egyptians and Israelite’s sold themselves to them during the famine. Now, it was God who told Jacob that he need not fear to go down to Egypt, [Genesis 46:1-4,26-27 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six; And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.]

[I will go down with thee into Egypt;] Fear not, little flock, God is always with His people. Saved born again Christians are not exempt from the elements that sin brings on our nations, we too are effected by Covid. Many have lost their lives due to famines and viruses, but we can trust God and not live in fear for He is always with us, even if that means He brings us home. My grandmother passed away suddenly when I was three years old, a tree fell down in the back yard and hit the porch, it scared her and she had an instant heart attack. After examining her, they found out that she had cancer, and back then it was not so easily cured. God brings His people home for a reason, it is often so that we do not have to suffer something much worse, [II Corinthians 5:8-9 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.]

[Wherefore we labour,] And speaking of labor, this was to be a temporary home, not permanent. God promised that He would be with them, and take care of Jacob’s entire family while they were in Egypt, and that He would bring them back to their own land. Jacob and his entire family arrived, Joseph eagerly went up to Goshen, the town in Egypt that they would live during the famine, to greet them. Joseph had a strange request, [Genesis 46:31-34 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.]

[for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.] Remember when Abraham went down to Egypt and told the then Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister because he feared for his life and God had sent a plague upon them until they returned her to him? That is why the Egyptians despised shepherds, they were looked upon them with contempt. Joseph did not want his family to be bullied by them so he separated them and yet would have them to continue as shepherds in Goshen, and not to be ashamed to make it known to Pharaoh what their occupation was.

[Genesis 47:1-6 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers. They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen. And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.]

[Thy servants are shepherds,] Notice that they were not ashamed to call themselves shepherds, and Pharaoh had respect for them. This was of Pharaoh’s gratitude to Joseph because he had been such a blessing to him and his kingdom. He offered them positions as shepherds over his own cattle, provided they were men that would be of profit to the nation and not a burden on them. This actually use to be a requirement in America, and still is in any other country. If you are a not a citizen and want to live in the country you needed to prove that you would be an asset and not a burden. All that have a place in the world should have an employment in it according to their capacity to show that they are not a burden on society. Those who are not able to do physical labor must have something to do to help it prosper. Whatever our profession, employment, or activity is, we should aim to be excellent in it, and to prove ourselves an asset and not a burden, [I Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.]

Can you believe that we are almost a year into Covid? All the mandates, all the businesses closed, all the jobs lost. Not to mention all the misinformation out there that has people living in fear. Do you remember when the entire country was shut to down in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus? All these fools went into a panic, buying out pantry items, water, and toilet paper by truckloads, and do not dare try to get one for yourself. People become fools when their flesh is involved. And while Joseph was not corrupt, he did not hesitate to feed their flesh when they came begging him for food when.

[Genesis 47:13-17 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.]

[for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.] Remember, Joseph had all the corn harvested when the land was plenteous, they had seven years to prepare for this, Now, they could only go to the government to get food. First, they were able to use their money, but it only took a year for them to realize that it was worthless. Now, with no money they started selling themselves to the government in exchange for food.

[Genesis 47:18-21 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate. And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s. And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.]

[buy us and our land for bread,] Fear not little flock, there is no need to sell ourselves out for the things that we have need of. Yes, Jesus did tell the rich man that if he wanted eternal life to sell everything he had, but He told him to give it to the poor. That was only to prove that eternal life has nothing to do with how much money you can give to the church, giving everything you own away, or selling yourself, it is about knowing that apart from Christ there is no eternal life, [Matthew 19:21-23 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.]

The government is all too willing to take our money, possessions, and lives for the sake of giving us the little bit that they do give. This past month the government tried to do citizens a favor with their $600 stimulus check, which is not free, those who work and pay taxes are responsible for the cost. And while we did not have time to prepare for this, had Egypt prepared for the famine themselves they would not have been in that position, they knew they had seven years to prepare and now they just enslaved themselves.

[Genesis 47:23-26 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones. And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.]

[I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh:] If we put our trust in man, or the government to provide for us we will become enslaved to them. And this is not just about the world selling themselves out, many Christians are quick to sell themselves out too. I have been through eight jobs in the past two years, some of them because I grabbed the first thing I could to make money from. Now, do not get me wrong, I worked to be able to eat, but it was not until I let go of these desolate jobs for God to bless me with amazing job He has blessed me with now. When we put our faith and trust in God, we have nothing to fear, little flock, [John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.]

Jesus Christ Magnified: [ Genesis 47:12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.]

Today’s Prayer: God, You have placed us on a journey of faith, one where we learn to trust You for all that we have need of, for the present and the future, whether it is in our relationships, health, provisions, or our spiritual needs. I am so glad I learned to trust You with my life, now, help me learn to trust You in every area of my life, through all the pandemics I face, even when things look hopeless, I know You are there and will always take care of me. Lord, all that I have is Yours, lead me and guide me, give me Your mercy, grace, let me not live in fear, only trust that You will supply my every need. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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