Thurs.’s Devo - The Big Picture

Read: Genesis 50:1-Exodus 2:10; Matthew 16:13-17:9; Psalm 21:1-13; Proverbs 5:1-6 Jacob died and was embalmed in Egypt. They mourned for him there then Joseph got permission by the king to take his body to Canaan where he was give a week’s long mourning by his family. *** When they returned to Egypt, Joseph’s brothers were afraid he might retaliate against them for what they did for him now that their father was gone. They sent a message to Joseph that their father had requested that he forgive them for what they did to him. Joseph cried when he read their note and met with them. He told them that he would not retaliate. They had meant to harm him but God had used what they did to get Joseph where he was to preserve life for them and many other people. He told them not to be afraid; he would provide from them and their children. *** Joseph lived in Egypt and lived to see the third generation of Ephraim’s children and the second of Manasseh’s. When he was about to die, he made his family promise when God brought them back to Canaan that he would carry his bones with them. He died at the age of 110 and was put in a coffin in Egypt. *** All of Joseph’s generation died and their family continued to multiply till there were more of them than Egyptians. A new king came to rule in Egypt and he was afraid of the Israelites and their number so he commanded his men to make the Israelites do hard labor and build his cities. *** When the Israelites continued to multiply, the Pharaoh told the midwives to kill the baby boys and allow the girls to live. The midwives feared God more than the Pharaoh and allowed the boys to live. When they were called in on this, they told the Pharaoh that the Israelite women were strong and had their babies before they could get there. God blessed the midwives for this. *** Then the Pharaoh commanded the people throughout his land to cast all the baby boys born into the river. A Levite couple had a son during this time and saw that the child was special so the mother refused to cast him into the river so she made a basket and floated him in the river. Her daughter went to watch the basket and see what would happen to it. The Pharaoh’s daughter was the one to find it and when she looked at the baby she immediately wanted to keep it. Miriam, his sister came out and offered to find a woman to nurse him for her. Miriam went and got the mother and the Pharaoh’s daughter paid her to keep him and nurse him. She named him Moses. *** In Matthew, Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi to the place where the people worshipped Pan. They stood before the cave that was known as “The Gates of Hell”. The people would do lewd dances and sexual acts with people and goats to coerce Pan into coming up out of the pit and giving them rain and a good harvest,. This was done every spring. Jesus stood at that place where many other gods were worshipped and asked his disciples who people thought he was. They answered him, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Then he asked them who they thought he was. Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus blessed him saying that only his Father could have revealed this to him. Upon that statement he would build his church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. He gave them the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever they bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever they loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. *** From that time on, Jesus began to prepare them for what was going to happen to him. He would go to Jerusalem, suffer by the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and raise the third day. Peter took him aside and told him to stop saying these things. Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of man.” *** Peter was thinking like man thinks and Jesus was trying to get him to think like heaven thinks. Peter would understand it in the end. *** On the seventh day, Jesus took Peter, James and Hon to a high mountain and was transfigured before them into his glory. He shone like the sun. Moses and Elijah appeared with him who stood for the law and the prophets. God spoke from heaven and said that Jesus was his son and they needed to listen to him. God was transferring the focus from the law and the prophets to Jesus, his son who was the fulfillment of all the law and the prophets said. *** Lord, may we see from heaven’s perspective. Your timing is not our timing and your ways are not our ways. Teach us your ways. Help us to get the big picture which is about your kingdom plans.