Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Plan Always Prevails

Read Gen. 3:1-4:26, Matt. 2:13-3:6, Ps. 2:1-12, Pro. 1:7-9 In Genesis we read about the fall of man. God warned them not to eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden and the woman and man both did. So why did God put that tree right smack in the middle of the garden instead of hidden away so they wouldn’t be so easily tempted. I don’t know if it would have mattered, because the woman and the man seemed to be camped out right there at the tree. If they hadn’t have been close to the tree, the serpent couldn’t have tempted them. That is so true about sin. If we never go into a bar or buy a bottle of liquor, we will never be tempted to drink and get drunk. The devil pointed to the one thing in all the garden that God was withholding from them, instead of reminding them of all the wonderful things God had given them. That is his tactic. He makes us concentrate on the small details of want rather than be thankful for the abundant blessings we have. In Matthew we have the account of Joseph’s watchful care over Jesus. I love the way God led them - one step at a time. God first sentan angel to warn them to flee to Egypt. He doesn’t tell them where in Egypt - just Egypt. After 2 years, Joseph was told in a dream that it was safe to come back to the land of Israel. Not a specific place - just Israel. God had a specific place in mind but he wanted Joseph to figure it out. Joseph heard in another dream that Judea was not safe so he opted for Nazareth. When he did - he fulfilled the prophecy about Jesus that he would be a Nazarene. Sometimes the way God leads us seems random, only nothing God does is random. I am reminded of the Borne Supremacy movie where Julia Styles says about Matt Damon: “It’s not random. He doesn’t do random.” That would describe God - he always has a plan and he makes sure we fall into it. Thank you Lord, for your watchful care over our lives. May we do “purpose” today.