Beyond the Weekend: GOD IS...
People have a lot of thoughts about God. Some say he is angry and vengeful. Some say he is a buddy or best friend. But what does Scripture tell us about God?
Understanding the character of God matters. It changes how we meet him in our everyday lives. It changes how we understand the world around us, and his work in it. And it changes our prayer life and how we talk and hear from him. Understanding the character of God leads us to living lives of obedience and worship.
Join Pastors Aaron Buer, Jeff Manion and Brad Holmes in our 10-week series GOD IS ..., a study on the identity and character of God, and learn how your faith can grow as you know God better.
God is Creative
Read: Genesis 50:1-21 Listen: Genesis 50
When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" Genesis 50:15
Joseph's family troubles begin long before his birth. Joseph is Jacob's eleventh son but the firstborn of Jacob's most-loved wife, Rachel. The family dysfunction includes a triangle where Jacob wants Rachel, but Leah wants Jacob, and Rachel wants to outdo her sister Leah. Joseph finds himself the center of favoritism and jealousy, leading to deep betrayal. His brothers sell him into slavery, and Joseph endures decades of hardship and heartache in a foreign land. It's hard to imagine any good coming from Joseph's story. Yet God is creatively at work in and through Joseph's pain for a great purpose.
We, too, will find ourselves in painful, unwanted situations. Sometimes, the deepest pain happens at the hands of those closest to us. This week, we will see God’s creative work through hard things. This does not mean the situations are good. We may not see God’s ultimate good work in our lifetime. Joseph's story reminds us God's good work isn't limited to good situations and spans decades or even generations. Like Joseph, we can trust God with our pain.
TODAY: Read Psalm 27:13-14 as a model prayer of trust to turn to the Lord in your pain: "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."
JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Read Isaiah 54-55. Highlight anything that points to Jesus.
