Fleeing From Temptation

Joseph found himself in dire straits. His own brothers had sold him into slavery, whereupon he was immediately carted off to Egypt to work for his new employer, Potiphar. He may have felt alone in a new culture and a new land where he didn’t know anyone, but he was not forgotten. Genesis 39:2 says, “And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man…” Potiphar saw God’s hand on Joseph’s work, and made him overseer of his house. “…The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake…And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured” (Genesis 39:5-6).

THE STORM

But, as so often happens after a season of comfort, the storm came. Potiphar’s wife became attracted
to Joseph and pursued him when her husband wasn’t present. He refused, not wanting to sin against God or his master. Relentlessly, she pursued him. The day of her final endeavor, she grabbed his cloak, but he slipped through her fingers and ran away, leaving the cloak in her hands. She was so angry that she accused him of soliciting her, and Potiphar threw him in prison.

By God’s grace, Joseph faced temptation and overcame it. He knew what was before him wasn’t God’s best for him, so he didn’t just politely decline – he ran in the opposite direction. II Timothy 2:22 says,

“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

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GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
We all struggle with different temptations, whatever they may be –
harsh words, retaliation, deception, gossip, laziness. And just like Joseph, we don’t have to face them alone. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry” (I Corinthians 10:13-14). Through God’s strength, we can train ourselves to run the other way when we recognize temptation.

If we do succumb to temptation, there is no shame in approaching God with repentance. He will welcome us with open arms, just like the father in the parable of the prodigal son. “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father,I have sinned

against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:18-20).

BIGGER AND BETTER
The difficult part about Joseph’s story is that although he did the right thing, he still got punished for it. Ultimately, God had a plan for Joseph that was bigger and better than anything he could have imagined. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” God used Joseph to bring glory to His name among a people that knew nothing about Him.
Let’s flee from the temptations that hinder our relationships with God, and run the race set before us with joy!

 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Jessie Chamberlain

Family Radio Staff

Unalienable Rights

“Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This week we celebrate the birthdays of two men who upheld these unalienable rights for the American people, one at our country’s inception, and the other at a time when our country faced permanent division. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were the backbone and glue uniting our great nation under God and preserving our unalienable rights to the benefit of us all.

George Washington, the only United States President to be unanimously voted in by the electoral college – twice – stated,

“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”

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 His wisdom and leadership, along with that of the other Founding Fathers, led to the construction of the United States government according to biblical morals and principles.

 

PASSING ALONG THE BATON

When President Washington resigned as commander-in-chief on December 23, 1783, he concluded, “I consider it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my official life, by commending the interests of our dearest country to the protection of Almighty God, and those who have the superintendence of them, to His holy keeping.” Washington understood that ultimately God, rather than any man, could preserve the United States of America.

Influenced by reading and re-reading his beloved copy of Washington’s biography, Abraham Lincoln recognized the importance of the foundation that our Founding Fathers laid: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Lincoln fought hard to apply that proposition to people in both northern and southern states during the Civil War, one of the most arduous times in our nation’s history. 
 

THE GREAT BOOK

Known as “Honest Abe” – the result of the reputation he held with his law practice clients – President Lincoln grew to be one of our most beloved presidents. He held the Bible in high esteem, articulating that, “In regards to this great Book, I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.”

The United States lives under the blessing of unalienable rights thanks to our Heavenly Father’s divine leading of these two men. We commemorate them this week.

Jessie Chamberlain
Family Radio Staff

The Red Flag

Oops! I did it again. I made another mistake. I wasn’t even thinking when I did it. And now it’s out there for people to see. I hope no one takes offense to it. It was thoughtless – I realize that now – but I didn’t mean for it to be!

How often have we found ourselves in this exact same position? We go through life, doing what needs to be done and having some fun along the way, when a red warning flag waves itself at us. Then we realize that we’ve blown it. We slipped up, goofed, blundered, miscalculated, misjudged – no matter which word you choose, the definition remains the same.

We all make mistakes. It’s inevitable. Some of us beat ourselves up afterwards. Others are terrified of God’s wrath. The Bible tells us that the best medicine for us to heal from our mistakes is repentance.

– Isaiah 55:7 “…let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
– Joel 2:13 “…and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
– Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
– James 4:6 “But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
– Lamentations 3:22-23 “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”

We can fearlessly own up to our mistakes by confessing them to God. Then we can make it right with those involved, grow as we face the consequences, learn from the situation, and move on. None of us will attain perfection until our marathons end (Philippians 3).

We as individuals don’t have a monopoly on blunders. Let’s be gracious to others as they learn throughout their own life journeys. Instead of taking offense or judging their mistakes, we have the opportunity to come alongside to give encouragement. Ephesians 4:32 says, “…and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

God cares for us so much! He desires that nothing – including mistakes – separates us from Him (Romans 8:38-39), so He provides the Holy Spirit to wave that red warning flag in our hearts so we can turn to Him.

Jessie Chamberlain
Family Radio Staff